By 
For many years I had wanted to play chess and two years ago my good friend Nabil Fakih offered to show me how to do it. I was a little reluctant at first but then I did see this opportunity for what it was and I decided that I would take him up on the offer. I had always heard about how chess could teach you a great deal about life but in reality I never really understood why. Once I started to play chess however, it quickly became clear to me just what people had been talking about. Here then is what I have learned as to what chess can teach us about life.
Table of Contents
Decision Making
Chess is all about making choices and making the right ones, at least to the best of your knowledge. Very often you will find that there are 3 or 4 moves which you could possibly make, and it is up to you to make the smart choice. This will teach you risk evaluation and planning like you never realized.
Strategizing
One of the core principles of how to win at chess, something which I understand in theory more than I do in practice admittedly, is the need to strategize. Those who play this game very well are those who are able to see things ahead of time, who can calculate an abundance of possible moves and then use those calculation to draw a conclusion as to what move will be made next. This is something which could help you in all matters of your life, be it at work, in your personal life or in relationships.
Sacrifice
Nobody wins a chess match with all of their pieces intact, unless of course you are playing an absolute noob, and it is important to understand when and when not to sacrifice pieces when you are playing. Sometimes you may have to give something up now in order to win further down the line and this I would say is one of the most important lessons which chess can give you. It is also about learning when and when not to trade, if you are a piece or pieces down, there is no point in trading like for like, so you have to get ambitious. For me this is a key lesson which chess teaches that can certainly be applied to daily life.
The Power of The Weak
Pawns are by far and away my favorite pieces on the chess board because although they may appear to be small and insignificant, they are in face far more powerful than you may believe. Pawns can take big pieces without a problem and in reality their only restriction is their movement. Pawns can make or break games and if they manage to get to the other side of he board, they are promoted for their efforts. This is very much a lesson of exactly what the smaller person is able to do in life.
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