Shelby Lyman on Chess: For Want of a Nail
Sunday, November 16, 2014
(Published in print: Sunday, November 16, 2014)
Chess is an extravagant embodiment of the simple idea that life is a continuous parade of moments with a beginning and end.
In life, win or lose, there is always a new game, if not a series of new games that it is our destiny to play.
As in chess, we may momentarily put the pieces back in the box, but before we are able to think about it, a new struggle begins: “the king is dead, long live the king.”
Starting afresh, there is a new set of evaluations to be made and a new set of decisions to follow.
Life, itself, proceeds inexorably with successes and failures or most usually a measure of both.
Chess and other sports can teach us to optimize our evaluation and decision-making process.
There are moments when we can rescue victory from the jaws of defeat. Other times, we try to maximize what is left after what may be a bitter loss.
World-class performers tell us that they learn the most from their defeats.
We can learn to stay within ourselves and calmly plan our next move even when things look bad.
Full article here: http://www.vnews.com/lifetimes/14308887-95/shelby-lyman-on-chess-for-want-of-a-nail
A nail is good for chess.