Lessons for mastering your life and career from chess Grandmaster Maurice Ashley

Maurice Ashley made history as the first Black International Grandmaster of Chess — he’s also a three-time national championship coach, ESPN commentator, app designer, puzzle inventor, motivational speaker, and the author of several books, including the recently released “Move By Move: Life Lessons On and Off the Chessboard.”?

According to Ashley, understanding that “mastery is a process, not a destination,” has been essential to his success.??

“From high school,” he said, “chess was my obsession, my passion. I wanted to be the best in the world at it.” Ashley dedicated thousands of hours to studying strategy and playing and became good enough to compete all over the world.??

“I was playing a game against Grandmaster Michael Bezold in Bermuda, and it was a game that if I defeated him, I knew that I would get the Grandmaster title,” Ashley recalled. “I felt like taking the rook was basically the safe way out. It was the guaranteed edge, and taking a pawn didn't seem that exciting. I took the rook, and it was the wrong decision, and I ended up getting smoked in that game.”

After the match, Grandmaster Alexander Shabalov approached the crestfallen Ashley and offered up this advice: “In order to become a Grandmaster, you must first be a Grandmaster.” Ashley said, “That was one of those Mr. Miyagi moments where you're like, ‘What are you talking about?’ But then I came to understand what he was saying… ‘you have to walk into the game with a kind of confidence and self-belief that whatever comes up, you'll make any decision necessary to go right into the brawl, and you know you're going to have all the skills necessary to fight your way out.’”??

When Ashley got another opportunity to become a grandmaster a year later, he told himself: “Everything’s gonna be fine. I may not win this game but I could do it at another tournament,” and a calm confidence took over. He triumphed and also won the U.S. Chess Federation’s Grandmaster of the Year.

Ashley’s takeaway: “In order to become great at anything, you have to expect that it's going to take time. You have to be ready for the long road, because the journey really never ends. You're always growing, you're always getting better, and that's what you want. Do you really want to stop growing? And so it's the work that you put in each day that is the real mastery, because it's the mastery you owe to yourself.”

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