Lessons from Chess

It's Okay to Make a Dumb Move

Playing chess doesn't have to be scary.

When I learned the game as a little girl, I immediately loved it, but had no one to practice with other than the young man who taught me. Eventually, I stopped playing and didn't pick it back up until watching The Queen's Gambit on Netflix.

Suddenly, there were tons of people playing chess who, like me, had learned as a kid or who were brand new to the sport. My wish from childhood was granted: tons of new opponents!

However, I was surprised by how much fear I initially felt when thinking of playing with other people. I was even more shocked by how angry I would get when I lost a match. And it wasn't isolated to me. Many of my opponents' attitudes while playing chess were either fearful, angry, intense, or sometimes all three.

There was general panic over looking unintelligent if I blundered a piece or made a bad move. It was interesting to watch when people won, too. You could practically watch the egos skyrocket.

Playing chess has made me realize how deeply most of us struggle with insecurity and its fraternal twin, pride. But it's also helped me understand that those are things that can be greatly reduced, mainly through letting go of fear and admitting that there is so much that we don't know. Sometimes, our opponents are just better.

But I've also noticed from playing chess that there are so many individuals who are too scared to even enter the game. People who play chess often are so proud of themselves for participating in a mental sport that's associated with intelligence that they make the game sound harder than it is.

Sure, if you want to be competitive and win tournaments, you're going to have to study your brains out. But anyone can learn how to play and become a decent opponent without having to be a genius or buy private coaching lessons.

I'm tired of information arbitrage and the scare tactics used to keep others from participating. Chess doesn't have to be so complicated and intimidating, and neither does life.