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Chess Pro Reveals How the Game Can Improve Your Focus, Problem-Solving, and More

The game of chess is not merely an idle amusement. Several very valuable qualities of the mind, useful in the course of human life, are to be acquired or strengthened by it, Benjamin Franklin famously said. Life is a kind of chess, in which we have often points to gain, and competitors or adversaries to contend with.

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When you picture the concept of chess in your minds eye, what images do you conjure up? An elegant mahogany table overlooking a roaring fire, two glasses of whiskey at the side of the board, perhaps a pair of wing-backed leather chairs flanking the board Theres no doubt that chess is an intellectual game, something to be enjoyed in the same respect as a smoky nightcap or a good conversation with friends, but if Franklins theory holds even a minuscule amount of truth, learning to play chess might just be one of the most enjoyable ways to work on your mindset, and learn to accept lifes little nuances while having a lot of fun.

Whether youre completely new to the game or youve played a few rounds here and there over the years, the benefits of learning to play chess go far beyond what you learn on the board. Here, we spoke to Danial Asaria, 5-time national chess champion and current number one 19-year-old player on the West Coast of the United States, to get his insights on how the game will benefit you in all aspects of life.

Learning to play chess doesnt always come easy even seasoned professionals get frustrated after losing a well thought out game plan. The game teaches you to embrace losing and learn from your mistakes, Asaria tells AskMen. Ive lost over 5,000 games and two national championships in the last round, but I learned from those experiences and went on to win four national championships and represent team USA in international competition.

While it can be frustrating to lose multiple games in a row especially if youre a particularly sore loser learning from your mistakes and figuring out new strategies is directly related to your experience at home and in the office, as well. The more you become used to the idea of seeing mistakes and losses as a good thing, the better youll be able to shift your perspective and turn negatives into positives outside of the game.

According to Asaria, chess is a great way to work on your ability to plan for the future and plan for, and react to setbacks in a calm and collected manner. Chess teaches you to think ahead and envision your adversaries' plans before they have even come up with them, Asaria explains.

Chess involves meticulous problem-solving skills, and while figuring out the best way to protect your king or move your pawns might not seem like it will translate into your day-to-day life, youd be surprised by how much flexing this muscle can aid your problem-solving skills in real life. Chess teaches you to problem-solve like a professional, adds Asaria. No one has ever won a game by resigning You learn to fight and think of creative solutions in even the most hopeless of situations!

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I once played an 8-hour chess game when I was 10 years old, laughs Asaria. Like golf, baseball, and even Monopoly, a chess game can last forever quite literally. Being able to maintain an engaged attention span while waiting out for the other player to lose focus teaches you the art of patience and being able to wait for the results youre trying to manifest.

You might go into a game thinking you know exactly what plays to make to intimidate your opponent, but as much as you study the art of the game, youll never really know what theyre about to throw at you. In fact, there are more than 400 possible board setups, and by the third move, there are more than 121 million possible gamesno matter what, youll have to choose the best possible solution, even if it means making unwanted sacrifices along the way.

The game teaches you that there is no perfect solution to chess or life, says Asaria. You will never have it completely figured out and there will always be unexpected obstacles that come up. As long as you gave your all then you know youve done your part.

You can connect with people you have never met around the world in a unique way, Asaria says. I traveled to Bolivia for a tournament and played street chess next to farms with kids that didnt speak English.

Chess is a universal game that spans beyond language or cultural differences and has been bringing people together for more than 1,500 years. While playing chess for fun may not lead to far-flung travel on its own, being able to pull out a chessboard to play anywhere in the world, or logging into international games of virtual chess is a great way to break cultural barriers and learn about our neighbors from other countries.

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How Learning Chess Can Improve Your Life and Career - AskMen

There is a common notion that the Chinese Army is invincible even though they have not won any wars recently. Welcome to the Chinese Art of War.

China has mastered the art of unconventional warfare in which the opponent gets psyched out even before the first bullet is fired. The art cannot be explained, it can be only be experienced through a board game.

The Chinese board game called wiq or i gi or Go which is known as the game of encirclement, the core philosophy of Chinese military tactics. In wiq, the goal is to surround and capture the enemy and dominate the board through a series of complex, deceptive moves stretching out often for an entire day.

In Wiq or Go, the two players take turns to place white or black stones on a square grid with 19 intersecting points along each axis.

It is said the Sun Tzu (writer of The Art of War) perfected the game of Go in a real-war situation and defeated Kingdom of Chu, with a numerically inferior army. The same tactics were adopted by the Vietnamese Congs in 1960s and 70s against the US forces.

In the Art of War, Tsu shows how in Go you have to bring alacrity, surprise, deception and swift moves to create opportunities to secure political motives just like Chinese military strategy.

In India and much of the western world, the military strategy is guided by another ancient popular board game Chess. Chess is a popular Indian board game which originated in the Gupta empire and was popularised in the west via Persia. It has roots in the ancient Indian dice game of chausar.

Chess is a zero-sum game where the player has to kill or get killed. In conventional war the prevailing dictum is that brute force can only win the battle. Therefore, the best approach is to neutralise the opposition through a frontal attack attained within a limited time.

The objective of chess is to deliver a quick, killer blow by capturing or forcing the surrender of the King by eliminating its pieces. The Western civilization had always based their strategy on such an objective. On the other hand, Go doesnt generate a quick, straightforward winner. The player who ends up with the most territories at the end is considered the winner.

As per wiq, the best approach is to psyche out the opponent into believing that you are invincible. The idea is that the opponent will start giving in once encircled and there will be no need for a full-blown frontal attack.

China invested heavily to acquire companies or supply chains across the world. In the 1990s, the Chinese also started to use its global clout to buy out or steal industrial and technological properties of other countries. All of this was controlled by the state even when it was fronted by private companies or individual investors.

Chess is focused on positioning while Go prioritizes net balance calculations as players always lose something to gain something. In selecting where to play in Go you have to look at the balance between attack and defence, playing close or loose, territory or influence. Like in Go, Chinese military have the capacity to plan long term territorial expansion often a century in advance.

The Chinese have strategically placed their stones in Asia, Africa, America and Europe. The four continents represent the four quadrants of Chinas modern wiq strategy. The strategic stone placement over the past 50 years has helped China secure political clout, access to markets and raw materials, public support and the notion of invincibility.

The number of legal board positions in Go has been calculated to be approximately 2 10170, (Combinatorics of Go, Tromp and Farneback)greater than the number of atoms in the universe. Compared to that chess has finite moves. In chess, there are 20 possible opening moves compared to 361 for Go. Chess prioritizes mobility and relative strength while Go values territory and positional influence.

The Chinese strategy on Tibet is exemplified by the long drawn, calculated moves in Go. The plan is to legitimize the forceful annexation of Tibet by swaying international opinion in its favour. China has long pressurised the US administration and dissuaded them from taking any unilateral action that alters the perceived status quo. It has skilfully used its economic, military and diplomatic levers to curb any possible dissension or freedom movement in Tibet.

The international position in Tibet is that China should not use too much force to curb dissent. This is a Chinese victory as this is a tacit acceptance that Tibet is a part of China.

Last but not the least, wiq embodies Chinas top down, ruthless communist dictatorship. Chess has different pieces with different capabilities while in Go all the stones are of equal value. This is similar to the assumed equality espoused by the Communist Party of China (CCP). In Go, some equals have to die to give power to other equals, which is how the modern day CCP conducts itself.

Note: Article co-authored by Saptorshee Kanto Chakraborty.

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China has Weiqi, India has Chess Read how these board games also shape respective battle strategies - OpIndia

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US Chess will be facing off against the Irish Chess Union in an international friendly match of nations! The two countries plan to square off Saturday, June 27th at 1pm US Eastern time on chess.com.

Both teams will feature 12 players of roughly equal rating strength. The match format is a four game rapid match followed by a blitz playoff, should the score be tied, followed by an Armageddon game. The winning team will be the team that scores the most match points.

Check back soon for full rosters, streaming broadcast info, and more! For now, here is who is scheduled to appear for Team USA!

Board 1: Atulya Shetty - 2437

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Board 2: Eric Rosen - 2353

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Board 3: Tianqi Wang - 2256

https://ratings.fide.com/profile/2063824

Board 4: Gopal Menon - 2242

https://ratings.fide.com/profile/2017482

Board 5: Carl Boor - 2231

https://ratings.fide.com/profile/2017008

Board 6: Sabina Foisor - 2228

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Board 7: Karl Dehmelt - 2227

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Board 8: William Aramil - 2180

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Board 9: Gunnar Andersen - 2158

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Board 10: Elliott Winslow - 2150

https://ratings.fide.com/profile/2002523

Board 11: Julian Proleiko - 2131

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Board 12: Aakaash Meduri - 1925

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Team USA Takes on Ireland June 27th! | US Chess.org - uschess.org

In one of my recent articles, I called Magnus Carlsen a "born entertainer" and asked, "Who could forget the barbs he exchanges with GM Anish Giri on Twitter?" Our world champion never fails us. The very day after my article was published, we could witness the following conversation on Twitter:

I hope that a book will be published one day where all the Twitter exchanges between these two great players will be collected together. Besides the obvious entertainment value, such a book could teach people something about chess. Let's see for example what Carlsen and Giri are talking about in this particular tweet. Here is the game that started this rumble:

For most people, this game will be remembered for the grotesque blunder at the very end. This is what Giri is referring to when saying, "no more horse blunders in the knockout." But to understand the true meaning of "those types of positions" or "Julio Granda style," you need to know a bit of chess history.

For starters, let's go 74 years back. The world was just recovering after the horrendous war and the match Moscow vs. Prague was one of the first international chess events. As you can easily guess, there was not much intrigue in that match since the team of Moscow grandmasters could probably win the olympiad, let alone beat a team of just one city. So the match would have been remembered only by chess historians if not for two games won by David Bronstein. This is where the King's Indian Defense was officially born. This dynamic opening had many names in the first years of its development: "an irregular opening," "the Indian Defense," "the Ukrainian variation," etc... The two games of GM Bronstein turned what considered a semi-correct opening into a formidable weapon! Let's look at the key points of this new opening strategy.

Here is the second Bronstein game from the same match:

If you compare the game Carlsen vs. Dubov with Bronstein's masterpieces, you can see many similarities: the same "hopeless d6-pawn" according to Alekhine turned out to be not so hopeless, the h-pawn push which made the position of White King vulnerable, the powerful Bg7, etc. Now you can see the type of positions Carlsen and Giri discussed in their Twitter exchange.

The last mystery we need to solve is the "Julio Granda style" reference. I played the talented Peruvian grandmaster only once, but I always respected his unique talent. While he was never a true professional chess player (He even retired from chess for a couple of years to take care of his farm.), he could beat almost any player on a good day. He always had his special vision of chess and produced many outstanding games. What did Carlsen mean by saying "Julio Granda style." Fortunately, the power of modern databases helps us to easily solve this mystery by providing the following game:

Yes, it turns out that GM Granda beat Anish Giri in exactly the same kind of position in which Carlsen lost to Dubov. The whole episode gives us another opportunity to admire Carlsen's chess knowledge. Remember Magnus Carlsen's biggest secret? Does he really remember all the games played by grandmasters, or does he just pay extra attention to the games played by his frenemy Giri? Also, it is a fine example of chess karma when GM Giri's joke returned back to him as a boomerang.

I cannot wait for the next round in the Carlsen vs. Giri Twitter match!

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Carlsen Vs. Giri: The Trash Talk Edition - Chess.com

The Rwanda Chess Federation (Ferwade) general assembly on Sunday, June 14, elected a new executive committee to help steer the ship for an interim period of 12 months.

This came after the general assembly last week agreed to hold elections using any viable virtual platform due to limitations caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Elections to usher in a new leadership team could not be held in April when the outgoing team's four-year term ended because of the Covid-19 lockdown.

The last poll was held in April 2016.

The totally new team has Ben Tom Zimurinda as president, Valentin Rukimbira, vice president, Elysee Tuyizere, secretary general, and Eddy Christian Nkuyubwatsi as treasurer.

The outgoing team was led by Kevin Ganza, deputised by Rugema Ngarambe. Niyibizi Alain Patience and Christella Rugabira were secretary general and treasurer, respectively.

During the meeting before Sunday's poll, it was agreed that an interim leadership team be set up. Its job is to urgently, among others, help ailing clubs get their houses in order before another poll can be called in a year's time.

Zimurinda's team is tasked with designing a roadmap that clearly defines desired outcomes and the major steps needed to succeed.

"I thank everyone who voted. But I also wish to make it clear that taking on such responsibilities is not about prestige. It's a struggle," Zimurinda told the general assembly.

Zimurinda knows that his team has a huge task. But he is undeterred.

For the federation to function as a legal entity, at least three member clubs must be fully registered. But only one, Vision Chess Club, currently fulfills requirements. There must be at least three registered clubs for a proper election to be held.

So much will, therefore, depend on how the new leadership team manages to rally people with divergent opinion and interest as well as bringing clubs back to life.

"We will need to come up with an action plan, and that's urgent. In not more than 30 days we must have a clear roadmap."

Besides contending with the problem of dormant clubs, Zimurinda must also mind major characteristics of good governance such as transparency and accountability if he is to succeed in steering the ship in the right direction.

jkaruhanga@newtimesrwanda.com

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Chess: Interim executive team elected to run federation for a year - The New Times