Chess: More than Just a Game

Chess or more renowned as “Shatranjh” in many parts of the world, is one of the ancient games and now a globally recognized and a very famous board game. It can be defined as, “A board game played between two challengers on a black and white checkered board. Both the players abide by the rules and compel the King chess piece of the opponent to get into the checkmate position.

Despite discussing what it is and how it is played, we would be discussing some of the exciting facts about Chess. The impact of playing Chess on the lives and thinking of individuals, be them kids, adolescents, millennial or older adults; would be enlightened.

Chess is all about strategies, making moves at the right time and observing the tactics of the opponent that he uses to win the game. Unlike other games that include physical activities more than thinking and strategizing, Chess is all about using your brain.

The game does not require any physical activity to be performed, but as easy as it may sound, it is not that piece of a cake to play this game. Chess may seem like an easy game to play, but in reality, it is performed under constant pressure without losing one’s calmness.

Many people observe the sportsmen who play sports such as cricket, football, baseball, volleyball, tennis or ping pong, to name a few. They appear to be very hyperactive while playing those games. They release their frustration, nervousness or annoyance through their physical activities.

In contrast to which, Chess is the game where the players cannot channel their frustration or annoyance in any way as they instead sit across the square board. Being under the constant pressure, but at the same time, they are calm and continuously thinking of how to defeat the opponent.

Chess is not merely a mind game that ends when one of the opponents win the game. Either you win or lose the game, you’ll always be bagging some of the very proficient skills while playing the game. These skills not only help you in being better at the game but also assist in utilizing the skills developed through playing the game and using those skills in real life.

The strategies involved in playing the game can be implemented by the players in their real-life as well. One of these skills includes staying calm when you are under high pressure, which helps anger issues according to behavioural psychologists. Anger management is an issue that is faced by so many individuals. It is triggered when a person who has anger issue attends a social event where some factors may infuriate the person. It forces him to lose his temper and act irrationally.

The anger issues don’t only put the health of the person who has it at stake but also affects the lives of the people who share close connections with them. It influences the relationships, friendships, companionships as well as employment of that individual negatively.

Chess helps to mitigate the anger level as it is the game where the players have to behave appropriately no matter that they are losing or winning the game. The behaviour requirement for playing the game builds the characteristic of having patience in the players. When the players inhabit the nature of being patient under unfavourable situations, they could use it in their practical lives too apart of using it just in Chess.

Other essential skills that this game helps to produce in its players are team management, planning of the actions beforehand, acceptance of challenges, and thinking productively.

Chess is a game of creative people. During the game, both the players try to baffle each other in a way that the opponent wouldn’t be able to understand the strategy easily. This tactic requires creativity, and the habit of playing Chess can increase the creativity of the players, which brings in positive changes in their thoughts and personalities.

Winning chase at home or on International level competitions depends only upon an individual player unlike other team comprised games, i.e. Cricket, Football or others. The victory depends on the whole team performance, and one player can compensate if the other one isn’t performing well.

But in contrast, while playing Chess, strategy making, playing the turn, remaining calm and focused are the task of only one person. So Chess teaches independence, and it mitigates the reliability of another person. It prevents playing from staying dependent on anyone else, unlike team games.

Apart from mental and physical benefits, Chess also has social benefits. The teenagers who play Chess are less likely to get in trouble as compared to teenagers who prefer violent computer games. Other device based visual games that contain graphic and violent content, tend to attract the teenagers to commit such violent acts, in reality, getting them in trouble.

The children or teenagers who play such violent games end up making friends who might be exposed to petty crimes, theft, and drug abuse.

On the other hand, children or teenagers who engage in playing Chess have a healthy friend circle. It provides them with a chance to avail the opportunity of having constructive character building and better personality development. Moreover, they are less likely to miss out on the joy and experiences that the real world has to offer in comparison to a highly fantasized world of video games.

Life is all about learning and experiencing new things every day. The participants of games learn from each other after winning or losing the game by observing the mistakes that other player has made. The learning is not just limited to finding out the errors; the players also learn from the strategies applied by the opponent to win the game.

It helps the participants to get upgraded, and the same goes for the practical life that people who improve themselves. They turn out to be better decision-makers and can come out from tough situations and difficulties in an efficient way.

According to the US Chess Federation; students who play Chess have higher I.Q than the students who play Computer-related games. Enrique Peña, after he became the President of Mexico, revealed that he applied the same strategy for winning the elections that he uses while playing Chess. Besides him, the following are the quotes of some famous personalities about Chess, who are known globally.

According To Benjamin Franklin, the founding father of America: “Chess teaches us not to lose our head in a bad situation and to explore the opportunities to get out of trouble persistently.”

While Albert Einstein comments about Chess that, “It is easier to break the atom than the prejudice in chess.”

In conclusion, it wouldn’t be incorrect to say that Chess is an easily affordable game. It is quick to learn and has no chances of injuries, unlike other outdoor sports. In short, Chess is a compact solution for many mental, physical, educational and social problems.