Ladies and gentlemen, “Que sera sera”, whatever will be, will be.

That is how I played chess ever

since I was a kid. A half-baked mindset that lead my casual experience to some wins and more defeats.
It’s the first board game I ever learned to play, and although my commitment doesn’t match the bliss of a
challenge, chess helped me build some of my outlooks in life.

I joined my family in their hobby of chess at a very young age. A casual play against my brother
and other relatives taught me to recognize a challenger as a mentor, a friend and a rival all at the same
time.

Watching the classic design of board, a player must order his men of 16 pieces to move along the
field of 62 squares. The way the pieces moves are simple and easy to understand, but the strategies are
nothing but limitless.

I never considered myself as the king of the game, but I am a strategist trying to conquer The
party of opposite color, marching at the other side of the board. As a passive player, I prioritize the
survival of my men just before trying to pull a counter attack whenever I can. However, players of greater
ego would drive his men, towards the main goal of the war, to capture your enemy’s king.

Most of the pieces, like the queen, move quite simple, easy to read and easy to incorporate to
traps and game plan. They are strong pieces, but the drawback is that we are very wary of them. On the
other hand, the knight is probably the most peculiar piece, leaping with unusual steps around the field. Its
movement may be a bit odd for players to fully utilize, but its unique steps is its own edge in the world
full of rationality. Being the odd one, just means you are special.

Players on the professional scenes are evidently geniuses. The elevated levels of concentration
they can pull off under time pressure is no simple feat. Chess is a great mental exercise, it improves ones
memory, rational thinking, problem solving and decision making skills. These are gifts that is necessary
in dealing with our daily lives.

In this war of strategists, it took me some time before I learn the art of sacrifices. Accepting loss
to pave way for greater victory. Letting go of precious pieces in hope for the next line of defense to
achieve things I couldn’t before. “ad Astra” my friends. It means to the stars, and that’s how delightful I
felt with every victory I chased over many loss. However, sacrifices are sometimes just risks and doesn’t
always lead to victory. As I said before, my half-baked mentality gave me some wins and countless
defeat. I’ve taken more loss than success during my time, but what I’m proud of is that I’ve never
willingly resigned my king.

The great poet Dylan Thomas wrote “do not go gentle into that goodnight”, and while it may
mean something deeper than I can comprehend, I implied these line as motto in my life, that no matter
how inevitable the night or defeat is for me, ill never gently fall down. I won’t just give in willingly, and
it doesn’t matter how scared I am, if I should defend my king till I cant anymore, then so be it. Que sera
sera.

Through playing chess, I’ve learned to embrace differences, that time works differently for each
of us, that learning is limitless as long as were capable of trying. I now understand that some sacrifices are
necessary in achieving success and it is as noble as the act of refusing defeat, courageously thriving, thus
living the moment until the inevitable end.