Chess is Real. Life is a Game.

In life we're all different. Born with different traits and characteristics. That's what makes us unique. However, Chess is quite the opposite. Both sides with the same pieces, with the same abilities on the same squares. Chess is real, life is a game.

Life has it's moments, but Chess takes crazy to a whole new level. I like to think of Chess as organized chaos. When I play Chess I don't think of it as a game. I think of it a a real life scenario. Chess is real. Life if a game.

If you find that you are going to fight someone in real life, what is the first thing you do? Think about it. Really think. Do you go in alone? Do you call your friends? I'm guessing you chose the latter. 

If you gather your friends and you arrive to the scene of the fight and see that your opponent also has the same amount of friends what do you do? You really want to win the fight, so you focus on taking down your opponent at all costs. So if everyone else falls and it's just you two, you're confident that you'll win the fight.

What can we take away from this?

64 squares, 32 occupied by pieces while 32 remain empty. It's an even fight, but a piece for a piece leads to a stalemate. No matter how strong of a player you are your King will NEVER be able to capture another King. Resulting in a draw.

So think of your pieces as your friends. In the opening activate them, and protect yourself from attack! If you fall, your friends have nothing to fight for. So your safety is very important!

When I'm in a middle game with both bishop pairs on the board, I imagine a fight in the jungle. Where people are swinging from tree to tree wiping out anyone in their path. When the bishop pair is gone I think of it like a jousting match with the knights. This allows me to empathize with my pieces. Perspective is everything in Chess, and in life. But life is a game, Chess is real.

It also helps that I have a Grandmaster Chess coach. You might learn something from this game we played together below. We do a live lesson on Twitch every Thursday from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST.

This way of thinking will lead you to more Checkmates, and more winning endgames. Empathize with your pieces. Be nice to them, and they'll be nice to you. Don't be so quick to trade them away! They're more valuable than you think. Chess is real. Life is a game.