5 Life Lessons from Chess

The Universe is a University: Leadership Lessons from Life

This is a series of short articles based on Meta Mind Alignment, the new science of Leadership and Happiness, where I share some thoughts and ideas triggered by some select life experiences.

My father was an avid chess player all his life. We lost my father in April 2021. It has been difficult for all of us to cope with his absence. In our own ways, we, in our family, keep his spirit alive by engaging more in the activities he loved. One of those activities is playing chess.?

Having been recently introduced to the game, I am fascinated with the leadership and life lessons that can be drawn from chess.?

Chess is like life in many ways and we can learn many interesting and practical lessons by drawing parallels from chess. Here are some of those lessons.?

1) Conflict is inevitable, face it strategically.?

Chess is a game of wits where the end goal is to eliminate the opponent's king, so, of course, in this game, there is bound to be conflict. Similarly, in life, with each person being unique in their ways of thinking and acting, some conflict is unavoidable.?So we may as well learn how to engage in conflict when necessary and do so strategically towards our goals.?

Chess is a game of strategizing to win and, at the same time, preparing to defend against any and all possible attack. Sometimes it is better to tactically lose some of our chess pieces to strategically gain an advantage over the opponent. Of course, we need not indulge in unnecessary and mindless conflict but we must be prepared for and willing to enter into conflicts in the short term if we see that there is some gain in doing so in the long run. It even clears up the board and allows us to focus better on what's more important!?

Similarly expecting no conflicts in life is naive. We must improve our own conflict management skills and be better prepared to deal with conflicts instead of completely trying to avoid them.

2) Insight and foresight can be developed with practice.?

Anticipating the opponent's moves needs both insight and foresight. It is famously said that the best way to predict the future is to create it. With knowledge and skill, honed over a tremendous number of hours of practice, it is possible for chess experts to develop the insight to recognize patterns in chess, and the foresight to see where the game is headed, even before it gets there. Recognizing these patterns and what they could lead to is what a master does.?

Similarly in life, clarity of the present situation through a proper insight or understanding of the factors involved,?helps to project the future and have the foresight to even predict the next moves and sometimes even the end-game.?Insight and foresight are qualities often attributed to the wise, and wisdom can be developed through the experience of practice and the reflection and course correction as a result of such reflection.

This can be a lifelong process of learning and adapting. Insight is about understanding and observing carefully all the moves that can be played and understanding the pros and cons if we play in a certain way. Foresight is about anticipating what will happen in the next moves if we actually play a particular move.?

3) Early moves shape the end game?

Every move makes a difference. Especially our early moves. Time is an important factor. Each of our moves, both in chess and in life, is a decision. And decisions determine our destiny. The interesting thing about decisions is that every choice also becomes the foundation for our future choices which could either open up more possibilities or limit our future options.?

In chess, the moves that are played at the beginning of a game?are called opening moves. There are about 1,327 named chess opening variations. All of these can lead to different end games.?

Similarly, in life, if we strategize and plan our life goals well in the beginning, we have a better chance of shaping our future the way we want it. If we draw an analogy from the world of finance and investment, with the power of compound interest, if you begin saving money and investing wisely when you are young, you have a greater opportunity of acquiring wealth than if you begin in your fifties or beyond.?

There is a Chinese proverb which when translated, reads:

"The best time to plant a tree was yesterday."

Beginning right is a great advantage.?

To be able to begin right requires the discipline of learning. It is better to prepare and prevent than to repair and repent!?

4) Resourcefulness can be more powerful than resources.?

Regardless of the advantages that your opponent may have or seen to have, it is possible for the game to change in your favor at any time.?

Many times when I play against my godson Arnav, I have more pieces, more resources and so, I feel confident that I will win. Until he wins!?There was a time when he had only one queen, two pawns, and a king. But he was able to get one of his pawns to reach my side of the board?he made it one more queen.. and he went on to win the game.?I had more resources, but he played the game better and won... he had more resourcefulness. It is not always about what you have, but it is always about how you play the game.?

Resourcefulness is the ability to maximize and optimize our resources,?however limited they may be. It is about clarity and competence.?

Clarity comes by being focused and present... even one move can change the game. Awareness and Agility are also factors of resourcefulness. Carefully laid out plans can go awry if we are not able to adapt to changing scenarios of reality. One mistake, on either side, could lead to completely different and undesired outcomes.?

The resourcefulness of Competence comes from sharpening skills and building expertise with knowledge and practice.?

5) Psychology is an equally important factor for success.?

While playing against an opponent, it helps to be able to analyze their game-play to understand whether they are an aggressive player, a strategic player, or a cautious player. Knowing their psychology will help to adapt your own way of playing accordingly. For example, if he is an aggressive player, you could offer him bait and hope that he slips up! And, to avoid falling into any similar psychological trap set up by your opponent, you could remain calm, aware, and objective before you make your next move.?

In the 'Art of War' the ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu Zu said " If you know yourself and you know the enemy you need not fear the result of a hundred battles".?

The importance of knowing oneself and others applies not just to enemies and battles, but also to daily life and relationships, both personal and professional. In their management theory of Situational Leadership, Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard emphasize the need for a leader to alter their style of leadership to the types of teams and individuals they are leading. The key lies in knowing the values, interests, and aspirations of the people you work with and live with in order to respond to, bond with, and gently influence them better.?

Sometimes in a game of chess, your opponent can be more unnerved with your confidence than with your moves. This reminds me of how Mohammad Ali used to psyche his opponents into fearing him in the ring and simultaneously prime himself psychologically by chanting repeatedly out loud, "I'm the best!" While I don't recommend you do that, what I do emphasize is having and maintaining an empowering and positive emotional state of mind for peak performance in any sphere of life. Stress, distractions, fatigue, confusion and other psychological factors could lead to avoidable losses both in chess and in life.?

To conclude...?

While there is much to learn from these lessons, we must also be cognizant of the fact that chess is different from Life because chess is a finite game whereas leadership and life are infinite games.?

When we play finite games, usually someone wins and the other loses. Life is better played with a win-win mentality.?

Every new move can open up new possibilities in both chess and in life but in life the possibilities are endless. So the lessons from chess are good to learn however they need to be applied and transmitted contextually and with this awareness.