With the Chess Olympiad underway, former players share key lessons to succeed

A game of kings battles and strategies chess has been considered a training ground for life since ancient times Royalty politicians and generals have turned to those 64 squares on the chess board to simulate real life challenges With the ongoing 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai the game has returned to home turf with a sense of excitement and promise for a new generation of champions But chess offers a lot more than simple mental acuity as chess players and coaches discuss the many life lessons and practices one could transpose from the game to their professional livesAngolarsquos David Silva draws with GM Levon Aronian at the Chess Olympiad in Chennai Pic CourtesyFIDE_ChessA game of disciplineFormer FIDE International Chess Federationranked player and cofounder of South Mumbai Chess Academy Nagesh Guttula describes the game as the best way to inculcate mental discipline ldquoUnlike a game of tennis where the first set loss can be recovered the opening moves of your chess game dictate everything that followsrdquo Mirroring life he says chess teaches you that the past cannot be changed or erased ldquoAs with time the pawns can move only forwardrdquo he says It forces individuals to rein in impulsive or careless moves and forces them to act only after careful thoughtManisha MohiteGuttularsquos opinion is shared by his brother Balaji another former player ldquoFor me chess is not only about the competitions It is about building a better individual who can foresee and face the many problems of liferdquo Balaji remarked that he has seen a number of young working professionals and entrepreneurs turn to the game after the pandemic ldquoWe have conducted quite a few workshops for people at the corporate level using the game of chess as a medium to teach strategising and adaptive thinkingrdquo he revealsForesight and perceptionProblem solving is another key lesson of the game Players are taught to think ahead of their opponents and come up with solutions the better ones manage to stay five to 10 moves ahead as they practise Nagesh remarks ldquoChess teaches you to understand the competition the threats and the advantages that might open up during the gamerdquoHe says that one of his coaching objectives is to help students anticipate moves and evaluate each of their actions Balaji adds ldquoAs players we were often taught to find multiple solutions to the same problem and then use logical elimination to arrive at the best possible solutionrdquo While a layman often associates the game with logical and calculated moves the brothers pointed out that this perception belies the creative thinking employed in the gameCreative rationalityFormer national chess player and journalist Manisha Mohite underlines that the imaginative process is a key facet of the game ldquoChess is very creative Where the layman would find one path to an objective a chess player will come up with multiple routesrdquo Mohite adds that this imagination also contributes to transforming dry and seemingly ordinary moves into dangerous ones by using unique combinationsNagesh Guttula and Balaji GuttulaMohite explains that years of playing the game have sharpened her memory and she remains thankful ldquoIt has improved my memory and the ability to think clearly in real life situations mdash to solve problems logically I rarely make hasty decisions that I would regret laterrdquo she admitsComposure in crisisThis sense of composure Mohite adds is the result of many hours of training and analytical thinking Balaji elaborates ldquoFor instance I can sometimes see a problem unfold in advance My mind immediately becomes calm putting forth alternative solutions to the situation at hand It unnerves a lot of people but this is one of my key takeaways from the gamerdquoFor Nagesh the game also carries the reminder of the hidden potential within every individual ldquoI always remember to not underestimate anyone A pawn might look like a weak piece but when it crosses over to the last square it can turn into a queen mdash the most powerful piece on the board It is an important lesson to remember through difficult timesrdquo he says