MARK RUBERY CHESS

Dr. Shrirang Joshi is a well-known psychiatrist and counsellor based in Mumbai and he recently published an article on chessbase.com where he spent a lot of time studying the benefits of chess. Here follows an extract of his findings… ‘

‘Many people feel that playing chess is a waste of time. Only the chess aficionados can experience the pleasure that is gained by playing chess. The pleasure of finding the best move, playing in a competitive spirit, trying for a win, trying to recover from a blunder and finally winning the game can be perceived as a struggle but it is pleasurable for a chess enthusiast. Others may call it masochism. Is it only pleasure that can be gained by playing chess? No. The principles that we learn in chess can also be applied to our life.

Chess has three phases: the opening, the middle game and the endgame. Life also has the corresponding phases of student life, work life and retirement. A good opening play leads to better middle game positions and good middle game play can lead to a favourable endgame position. Every phase of chess play and of life is important. We need to make the most of each phase and also not get disheartened if some phase does not turn out good. We can make the next phase good. The play can turn out to be tactical or strategic. We need to be prepared to play in whichever way the game develops. Our choice or mood should not matter. Likewise what we plan in life and what happens in life is at times very different. We need to be ready to face life as it comes and not grumble about it. A good chess player uses his time wisely. He uses more thinking time for the critical moments in the game. We also need to use time wisely in our life by allocating more time to important and productive activities and not wasting much time on unproductive activities.

Chess teaches us to look ahead and plan. We can use this skill to progress in life.’