The Tao of Chess

Fritjof Capra wrote in his extraordinary book The Tao of Physics  the deep similarities between the study of the modern  physics and  internal seeking of eastern mystics. 

Physics was a sharp change in the first decades of the twentieth century and ceased to be a purely rational science to become one in which common concepts of everyday life lose its meaning.

Capra explain that new paradigms of science are not limited to the physics, there are in the other natural sciences and other more like economy (1), then we can ask if we can apply these criteria also in the chess world.

The answer is absolutely YES, and we can imagine that Chess has more than one level to understand.

The first level and the best known  represent our common vision of the game is the huge theory and the scientific knowledge behind it, we can include in this category the chess software too, in other words,  all rational conception of the game.

Enter into the other side of chess is a much more subtle, this covers diverse aspects like psychology, art, its  ancient origin and its evolution to become finally into the modern chess, the mysterious magic squares with its ancient conception.

This investigation is so broad and deep as they do every day the GM to hone their skills, but each one looks very different aspects of Chess.

I end this article with a few words of someone who in some way can be called a GM in the subtle side of knowledge and referred briefly to chess.

All games are, well, tools that serve to perpetuate the initiatory education, were in the past, stylized symbols by teachers, these games are based on the esoteric and served to the Masters for his demonstration of his disciples. All these keys Initiatic have fallen into common use. For example: chess, which is among the most mysterious (...)  (2)

(1) Capra expose this temathic in other of his book  titled The Turning Point. 

(2) Dr. Serge Raynaud de la Ferriere, The Great Messages.