Chess teaches you to think out-of-the-box
One of the ancient games that still exists and will exist for a much longer period in the future is the game of Chess.
What is there in the game of chess that makes it so unique?
Chess is often referred to as a miniature of life. It is not a game that depends on chance or luck. There is no room for any outside influences in this game. Is this a game of knowledge? No. Chess is not a game of knowledge. In other words, you just cannot memorize the innumerable variations and play the game using the knowledge.
The game of chess involves the development and effective implementation of strategies and tactics. In order to play the game of chess, one needs to think and think deeply. One needs to practice a lot and cannot claim to have mastery over the game after having learnt the basic rules and principles of the game. In other words, chess is a very easy game to learn, but very difficult to gain expertise and become a master.
Chess is a board game played between two players across a square board comprising of 64 squares distributed across eight rows and eight columns and filled with alternate colors – preferably black and white. Each player is provided with a set of 16 pieces that include – the King, a pair of rooks, a pair of knights, a pair of bishops, the queen and eight pawns. Now, thanks to the technology, one can learn and play the game of chess exploiting the power of the Internet or the World Wide Web. Online chess has taken the world by storm. It provides opportunities for a person to relax, have fun and at the same time learn invaluable traits to lead an organized life.
Chess is a turn-based game and one can make only one move at a time and has to wait for the opponent to complete the move before he can make his next move. The objective of the game is to corner the opponent’s King and say, “checkmate”.
The pieces are so arranged in the chessboard that no player can straight away corner the opponent’s King in a single move and say, “checkmate”. The game is cruel in a way in that it will punish you for making a wrong move. The only possibility for victory over the opponent is when he makes a mistake and you seize the opportunity. In order to be successful, one has to think before making a move, analyze the position, visualize the next 2-3moves, and then finally decide on a move. The game is transparent and there is no question of hiding the pieces such as in poker or in other board games. What you see is what the opponent also sees in the board.
The game is a challenge between two minds and there is every possibility that most of the plans you devise before making a move might be foiled or countered by the opponent. So, one has to be very careful in planning the moves, but also be prepared to chalk out an alternate plan if the earlier strategy is nullified or is foiled by the opponent.
In order to stay on top of the opponent, one needs to be creative and innovative, putting his imagination skills to the test. It requires “out-of-the-box-thinking” at times to confuse the opponent or misdirect his attention in the pursuit to gain advantage.
“Out-of-the-box-thinking” refers to the idea of openness and a willingness to not only do different things, but also do the things differently. The more you understand the game and the position on hand, the more will be the willingness to deploy new strategies.
As one gains expertise in the game through practice, one would cultivate the habit of thinking differently or doing different things aimed at achieving the objective in pursuit.
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