by Gary Maclean

Created on: August 28, 2009   Last Updated: January 20, 2010

There are many activities in life that can help us think, help us reason and help us make decisions. One of the most often overlooked is playing games. There are so many games that can teach us the ways of life; they can open our minds and can actually make us wiser. Not only video games but some of the most common and recognizable games that have been around for a very long time have a wealth of knowledge to share with us. One of those very valuable games is Chess.

Chess is an intricate board game with many different moves and strategies. It is played by two players using a checkerboard type of tableau. Chess is played by millions of people in all walks of life and in many different situations. It isd also played through the mail, by correspondence, tournaments, clubs, it is widely popular in many circles.

Unfortunately, fewer people, in everyday circles, play chess today than they do, perhaps checkers or monopoly. I seldom play chess any longer because my son is the only one I used to play with and he has grown, married and is off on his own. No one else in our family ever played chess. We used to keep a chess board set up in the living room. It has now grown dusty and has been ultimately put away some place, never to be seen again.

Chess is quite often viewed as a long boring activity that must be avoided. It is also looked at as a very difficult game, one of extreme thought and intuition. It really isn't; it is a game made up of a series of interrelated moves and thought provoking progression. All we need to do is remember the moves and who they belong to. In other words, we need to get to know our players and what they can and cannot do. We need to do the same with our opposition's players.

There is much to be learned from chess. There are a lot of different pieces, each with its own set of moves and capabilities. Many of the pieces and the moves can be compared to every day life and our pursuit of whatever goal we have set for ourselves. If we can play the game of life in any way similar to the way we play the game of chess, we may have a chance at getting through the game before we get checkmated.

A few ideas I might offer about playing the game of chess, that may reach over into lessons for life, that could help make us all wiser, may include;

10) FIRST MOVE MOBILITY: On your first move, whether you are offense or defense, jump right out there. Don't hesitate. This one move will be your safest and you must work at putting the opposition on the defensive.

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