Living Strategically: 50 Lessons Chess Teaches You

About Life
Posted on March 26, 2013by Sean Hampton-Cole

24 Votes
***
1. In chess, every move has a purpose. Life obviously cannot be lived with this much
unceasing calculation, nor should we want to live it that way, but there are times when
we must align our actions with a predetermined strategy, instead of bumbling through
it.
***
2. Play for the advantage. If you already have it, maintain it. If you dont have it, seize it.
***
3. Everyones playing. Sometimes its a friendly, often it is more serious. The problem is
that not everyone knows theyre playing even after they have made a move.
***
4. Seize the initiative. If you wait around for someone else to make a decision for you,
they will and you probably wont like how it turns out.
***
5. Learn to spot patterns. There are often clearly defined lines of success that work well.
Learn to see these when they repeat, and take advantage of them.

6. Dont get stuck on the formula. A little bit of creativity and lateral thinking can often
take you to new heights.
***
7. Ignore what your opponent is trying to do at your own peril. We often get so absorbed
in our own games and machinations that we ignore what is going on around us. Be
aware of threats and alert to opportunities.

8. Simplify.

***
9. If you only play patzers, you never really improve take on a few tough challenges,
and even if you lose, try to learn something new.

10. Cut your losses. Sometimes you are going to lose material. Try to minimise your
losses and move on.

11. Play the board, not the player. Dont target your responses at people, target what they
say and do. There is a difference.

***
12. Sometimes you get stuck in a position known in chess as zugzwang: where whichever
move you make is a bad one. This is just the way it goes sometimes, in chess and in life.

13. There is nothing more satisfying than a discovered attack: Pretending to do one
thing, while attacking somewhere else. Learn to play and live less obviously and on more
levels. This makes you less predictable and more interesting.
***
14. Be prepared to sacrifice material for position. Sometimes even the greatest material
sacrifice can result in a winning position later on.
***
15. If you spend all of your time chasing lowly pawns, you may be on the receiving end of
an opponent who cares less about small victories and more about winning the war.

16. A threat is best met with a move that improves your own position. Dont get trapped
into mindlessly trading moves and material in anger. Sometimes the solution is more
gentle and cerebral.
***
17. You dont have to be a devious swindler to win you just have to be better.
***
18. We all blunder from time to time. This does not mean we should give up and run
away. Often when youre sure there is no way out after a bad mistake, you will be given a
lifeline.

19. When someone makes a move that you cannot understand, dont read more into it
than you need to. Sometimes people just make silly moves thats all there is to it.

20. Have a Plan B. And a Plan C. If none of those work, youre probably doomed.
***
21. Play for the middle. Dont hold back too much, and dont push through too early.
Your opportunity will come.
***
22. How you start a game determines how you will finish it. Play wisely.
***
23. If an opening appears, seize it immediately.
***

24. Dont get pinned down. Where something more cherished cannot be brought into
play because it is stuck behind something trivial, make every effort to get it into the
game as soon as possible.

25. In the end game, attack the King by focussing your attention on his escape squares:
When you are in the final stretch, and about to win, anticipate what could go wrong and
plan accordingly.
***
26. Be flexible. It seldom goes the way you planned adjust and continue.

27. If you are feeling boxed-in, free things up.

***
28. Where possible, trade inferior material and positions for better ones.
***
29. The little guys on your side matter. Look after them.

30. Accumulate small advantages.

***
31. There are no foregone conclusions in life or in chess.

32. Ignore meaningless threats. Anticipate and deal with dangerous ones swiftly.
***
33. Never rest on your laurels. Keep thinking, looking for new opportunities and trying
to generate new ideas.

34. Dont be overly impressed with lofty words or titles. The only thing worse than being
overly diffident towards those who outrank you, is being dismissive of those inferior to
you.
***
35. Keep calm and move slowly.
***
36. Replace wishful thinking with action.

37. If you lose, do so graciously and try to learn at least one important lesson.

38. Sometimes a draw is as good as a win. But a draw is always better than a loss.
***
39. Keep your options open and always have an escape route.

40. Surprise and impress people with unconventional moves. But not with dumb ones.
Creativity always has a purpose doing something wild and crazy just for the sake of it
may be fun at the time, but ultimately has no value. Break the rules but only if it serves
a good purpose.
***
41. Appraise your position honestly. If it is bad, do something about it if it is good,
make it even better.

42. Dont get swept up by distractions.

***
43. Narrow down your choices. And then decide. Take your time, but settle on one plan
of action and then do it!
***
44. Sometimes you have to sacrifice in order to achieve a break-through.
***
45. Always consider the whole board when deciding on a move: decisions made with too
narrow a focus are often bad.

46. Connect your pieces cleverly. Collaboration and cooperation are the keys to success.
***
47. Look beyond the obvious.

48. Enjoy yourself.

49. Deep and meaningful is always better than superficially pretty.

50. If all else fails fake it.

8 Life Strategies That Playing Chess

Has Taught Me
Written by Cherie Roe Dirksen JANUARY 16, 2013 in Awake and Aware, Conscious
Living, Spirituality with 4 Comments

Being a Rookie
Chess is a game that I love to play with my husband. He is such an enviable
strategist. When I first started playing with him, I felt like a complete fool
every time he snookered my king and got me into check-mate.
When I let my pride take the back seat, I discovered a remarkable game that
I could undeniably learn from whilst enjoying some quiet, reflective, quality
time with my partner.
I found it a relaxing pursuit with red-hot moments of intensive brainstretching a great way to quantize your thinking. It not only takes the
grey matter for a stroll around the yard but also teaches you valuable
lessons in forethought, planning, awareness and defense tactics.
Has Anyone Seen the Bishop?
I started to see more spiritual truths in chess the more we played; in fact it
was beginning to be a remarkable representation of life!
It aroused me to apply these teaching to my own life situations and, if not
why not, to other peoples life circumstances too. A lot of people are already
either inadvertently or deliberately playing chess with their situations and
relationships.
It opened my eyes and taught me that there is usually either a way to slip
out of trouble or to catch yourself and your opponent by surprise with your
brilliant and calm maneuvering capabilities.
Be Your Own Knight in Shining Armor
Just when things start to look hopeless, you view your game from a different
angle or perspective and you move to the side and allow danger to pass.
What a great allegory for life!

Here are some of the life strategies chess has permitted me to

comprehend:

Multi-layers there is always more than meets the eye in any given
situation.

Patience slow and steady wins the race.

Side-Stepping there is usually either an evasive move or a counter-action

you can take when in the face of danger. Dont lose hope.

Shifting Views when things are looking dire for you, all you may need is a
shift in perspective that can open up new doorways.

Positive Outlook always try to stay optimistic and you will habitually
figure out a good move to make.

Acknowledgments congratulate your opponent on good moves you

can learn from them too. Dont let your pride get in the way of wisdom.

Grace be a good loser because you never really lose in life, you just start a
new game and learn from the previous one. So hone in on your skills by learning
from your mistakes nothing is ever in vain. Be a gracious winner too, there is
no room for friends in your life if your big head is taking up all the space!

Always Have Fun enjoy the process, the game of chess (life) is exciting,
invigorating and challenging all of which keep you feeling alive,
vibrant, polished and motivated.

Metaphors and Metamorphosis from Pawns to Kings

I love painting life experience with

intriguing metaphors and feel even more elated when such an analogy
becomes a bald-faced truth.
When we can become the observers of lifes smaller things, like an innocent
fixture of chess, and transform it into a fresh perspective of life, it changes
us. We start looking all over for these spiritual growth sign-posts and we
usually find them in the strangest of places.
Chess is the ultimate sport of existence and even though I know the
strategies have been used in more negative life experiences, such as war
and devious corporate obliteration, it can also be used to your advantage in
co-creating your reality.
Give yourself a game plan and be flexible enough to discern inherent
dangers whilst on track, this way you will be able to metaphorically duck and
dive bullets (just like Neo in The Matrix movie). Be cunning and graceful and

you will never be caught off guard. When you are, dont give up, learn from
it and reload your experience as ammunition for the next round.
There is never failure, only feedback.