Lessons from Chess

As a kid, I was never interested in learning the game of chess. My parents did make efforts to teach me but I never paid attention. Few years back my son started learning chess and to help him practice the game was when I also learnt the game with all the rules. I must say that it is a very interesting game which can get you engrossed for hours together. Let me share a few life lessons I learnt from this beautiful game of kings and queens.

Observation is the key. You always need to be observant of the one single mistake that your opponent would make. This is true in real life as well. We need to be very observant of our surroundings and ensure that we don’t hurt anyone by out actions and words.

Think about your moves in advance: In a game of chess one needs to have the foresight of the opponents moves and then play accordingly. Similarly in life we must be prepared to tackle any situation and come out victoriously with a smile.

Build things up: On a chess board we need to build the game and slowly convert a pawn to the queen. Thus a life lesson that if we want to reach up to the stars we need to slow and steady make efforts in the right direction.

Patience: We may loose our knight or bishop because of a mistake we made. But what is important is to be patient and think of a solution to get back in control of the game. Consistency and patience are the two important ingredients for achieving your goals in life.

Learn from your mistakes: It is possible that by one small error you may end up in stalemate or loosing the game. But what is important is keeping those moves in your mind like a mind map and not repeat the same mistakes again. In life we may face failures many times. What is important is learning and fight back and not giving up.

Know the technique: While you must know how each of the pieces move on the chess board you should also know the different techniques of using them effectively to do a checkmate. In life its important not only to have a goal but also know the steps to achieve it and set time targets for the same.

These are actually the key ingredients necessary to be both happy and successful in life. If you are happy you are able to create a positive environment around you and in turn create your path to achieving your goals.