by Caroline Fynn

Created on: August 31, 2009   Last Updated: January 17, 2010

The game of chess is so ancient that there is much disagreement on exactly when and where it originated. Some say its origins lie in India whilst others believe it derives from China, and many insist that it began in Persia. The fact is that no matter where it was born or how long ago it came into existence, chess remains one of the most thought provoking and challenging games in the world today.

If we were to live our lives in the manner that is necessary to be able to play chess well, then we would become wiser. This may appear to be an absurd statement considering that chess is a game, albeit a serious game, but it's true, chess will assist a person in becoming wise.

Firstly, we need to take a look at what it means to be wise. When we are wise we are in possession of sound judgement and are able to exercise that judgement with the ability to perceive and adopt the best means for accomplishing an end. To be wise means that we have the capacity for right judgement in matters relating to life in general and we employ proper conduct, we have good sense and we exercise prudence. Wisdom was a crucial element in the divine nature of Jesus, and actions stemming from wisdom have no basis in emotions.

Wisdom does not come easily; it is not something we are born with, it is the end product of much thought, contemplation, and practice. It comes when we learn to keep our emotions in check, we plan ahead, have patience, we learn to protect ourselves and others from possible danger and we are prepared to deal with all matters relating to life in general.

We need to employ all of these elements in order to play chess well, and with regular practice of chess we learn to adopt the same strategies in our everyday life. We now need to take a look at the game in order to see the parallels between chess and issues associated with life.

Chess is played on a chequered board consisting of sixty four squares. The game is designed for two people who sit on opposite sides of the board. The board is positioned so that each player has a white square to the right hand corner. Each player has sixteen chess men consisting of eight pawns, two rooks (sometimes referred to as the castle), two knights, two bishops, one queen, and one king. One player will employ the white chess men and the other uses black and each player takes alternate turns in moving one of the chess men. The chess pieces are positioned on the two outer rows of squares nearest to the players, the rooks are placed on the

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