Why I Taught My 6-Year-Old Chess

Two months ago, I taught my 6-year-old, Elliot, chess. I told him that if he truly learned the game and applied its principles to his life, that there was nothing in the world that he couldn't achieve. So far, this game is the most important lesson of his life. Why? Chess can change the game of life for you too.

Important lessons chess teaches us about life:

1. You can start a new game. The first few times my son played with me, he lost. I told him to be excited. “Excited?!” he said, “why would I be excited about losing, Dad?!” I explained to him that just like in life, when you lose something, you can start again. Failure is not final and I encourage it in my house. The more you fail, the closer you get to a big win. 
2. The big picture is essential. I explained to my son that if he got too caught up in the fancy moves of chess, he would lose sight of the game's overall basic strategy. I went on to teach him not to get flustered with the small stresses of life, but to focus on the end in mind.
3. Opportunity. It was fun to show my son how many opportunities were on a chessboard. He was amazed at how many options he had to move. I explained to him that he would have unlimited opportunities in life if he looks hard enough. 
4. Sacrifice. My son was amazed when I taught him to sacrifice some of his pieces for better positioning on the board. I explained to him that it was just like life. To position yourself for success, you have to be willing to sacrifice less important pieces of life to protect what’s truly important. 
5. Pay Attention. For the first few games, I had to continue to tell my son to “pay attention.” His mind wandered, and he continued to get distracted. I taught him that chess is just like his future goals in life; he has to focus on winning. 
6. Simplify. My son found it interesting when I was willing to lose pieces to clear clutter off the board purposely. I explained the strategy to him concerning chess, but I explained that simplification in life is equally important. We can not let unimportant pieces in our lives derail our success. 
7. Backing Up Isn’t Bad. My son was astonished to learn that backing pieces up wasn’t a bad thing. I had to explain to him that you don’t just move chess pieces forward all the time during the game. I explained to him in life; you can’t always go ahead all the time. Sometimes, you have to back-up, make a better plan, and then move forward. 

This is why I was excited to teach my 6-year-old chess. It’s a game that can teach us many valuable lessons about life. I will continue to work on these concepts with him to put his actions in a position to succeed.  

If you have kids, I encourage you to share the wisdom of chess with them. It will not just benefit their life, but it will enrich your life too.  

*Matt Zaun is an award-winning speaker and storyteller who empowers organizations to attract more clients through the art of strategic storytelling. Matt’s past engagements have catalyzed radical sales increases for over 200 organizations that range from financial institutions to the health and wellness industry. 

Matt shares his expertise in persuasion with executives, sales professionals, and entrepreneurs, who he coaches on the art of influence and how to leverage this for profits and impact. 

For more info, check out his video | https://youtu.be/pflQtzgP7X0