CHESS: MY FAVOURITE BOARD GAME

My favourite board game is none other than the historical game of Chess. One reason
I say this is because unlike many board games, Chess is played among people of all
ages – the match between 3-year-old Misha Osipov and legendary 65-year-old
Anatoly Karpov is a perfect example. Besides that, Chess involves absolutely no luck.
Yup, the winner depends on who knows their theory, openings, tactics and
strategies, no matter if they’re playing White or Black. It also requires a high amount
of thinking, unlike conventional board games.

My mother was the one who taught me how to play Chess at an age younger than
I can remember. She actually represented her university as a Chess player and
grabbed second place. However, I never took Chess seriously in the past because I
taught I was bad at it and didn’t care much. It was only after witnessing games
played between my mother and my twin brother, along with the release of
Netflix’s 60’s themed miniseries ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ last year when I started to
watch many videos on Chess theory to improve.

I take Chess as a leisure game rather than something hyper-competitive because I personally do not want to
spend hours mastering this infinite game. I see it as a coffee shop, trash talk, chill game than anything else.
However, I do appreciate all the Grandmasters and amazing Chess
players. My favourite Chess streamer is Alexandra Botez whose live
streams are so funny yet educational. I also admire Levy Rozman’s
YouTube channel where he uploads quality videos on Chess theory,
strategy, openings, etc. Judit Polgar deserve credit too for proving to
the world that women can play Chess. She is considered the best female
Chess player of all time, and I applaud her for that.

Besides being a super fun and challenging game, Chess has a lot to offer. One
benefit of playing Chess is that somebody can feel victory without killing, feel loss
without dying. Trust me on this – you feel like you own the world when you win a
game. On the other hand, you heart will sink and make you want to cry after losing
a game. Another benefit is that Chess trains you to focus deeply. If you’ve watched
The Queen’s Gambit, you might remember scenes where Beth rests her face on
her fists and tries to foresee the many possible moves of a game. How deep you
can focus determines the number of moves you can foresee, thus preventing a
blunder, missed win, or wasted move. Lastly, Chess enhances your creativity. Theory aside, yes, Chess involves
creativity. What move to use next? Accept or decline the Gambit? Maybe a queen sacrifice will do the trick?
That’s what I mean, though often times the creativity is a lot more complex.

What I can say is that there are many reasons to love Chess. It’s a popular
pastime among kids and adults, can be played with plastic pieces at the local
coffee shop or with premium wooden pieces at the US Open. It can be just a
game, or the stuff you live and breathe. I think it’s really fun, can connect
people, improve the brain, and enhance creativity. If you don’t already know
how to play Chess, I’d recommend you do it right this second. No, you don’t
need to be a genius to enjoy it. Go get a board, and have fun playing!