Chess: The Great Sport of the Mind

Chess has been around for more than 1500 years. Seen as a way to observe one’s intellect and strategic prowess, chess has amassed an active player base of over half a billion people around the world. I believe that knowing how to play chess is a wonderful skill and that everyone should be allowed to learn this beautiful game.

Now, being skilled at chess won’t automatically raise your IQ or open your third eye, but it can help you develop your pattern recognition and critical thinking skills. Chess requires you to build strong opening strategies to throw off your opponent and gain the upper hand, but you also need to be quick to adapt and change the way you think to keep up with the unpredictable moves of your opponent.

This reveals the captivating ways that a game of chess unfolds. On the first move alone, a player has 20 different moves that they can choose between. That means that once both players have made their first move, there are a staggering 400 possible positions that they could have reached.

Nearly every chess game ends up unique, though the base strategies may remain the same. Even if we assumed that you started your games with the same 4 moves every time you played, it would be impossible for you to learn every outcome that could be reached. The unpredictability of chess is a core reason it is held as highly as it is even among modern games.

Many people see chess as a confusing, boring, or complex game for nerds, but I would argue that chess is only as complex as the strategy of the player and that no matter how much experience you have with the game, you can still find a way to have a wonderful time playing. Some people learn the game when they are young, but might stop playing as they get older, while others may not discover their affinity for chess until they are well into their life.

Some people may currently be curious about chess but not know how to approach it. Due to this, I have introduced chess to Galileo’s Gaming Club. Hosted by Mr. Horwath, the club meets on Thursdays twice a month, with one week focusing on video games and the other week being geared toward board games and chess.

Every meeting I welcome anyone and everyone that attends to sit and enjoy some chess. Whether you are a seasoned player who wants a nice match, a less experienced player looking to learn or refine your skills, or even if you just want to watch to appease your curiosity, I encourage you to talk to Mr. Horwath about attending our next meeting.

No matter how young or old you are, it is never too late to start learning chess. I will give anyone reading this the same guarantee that I have given to fellow students before. If there is anything you want to learn or try regarding chess, please approach me. You can talk to me at a meeting, during lunch, or even just send me an email. My promise to those who are interested is that I am here to help. I am more than willing to show anyone how great chess can be, and I would love to share all the joy and experiences that it has brought me.