"Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece." Ralph Charell
Unlike a game of soccer where you catch glimpses of players running around the field after a ball, chess is more of a silent sport. In fact, other than moving the chess pieces, there is very little movement that chess players have to make during play. You might think that the game of chess is quite dull since the players are only moving chess pieces, however, you couldn't be more wrong. The excitement occurring in the chess player's mind is enough to take all the dullness away from the game.
Are you still in doubt that chess could be anything other than the height of dullness?
Perhaps you need to start watching, "The Queen's Gambit," like everyone else. If you start watching this hit Netflix series, you might realise that there is surely more to chess than meets the eye.
As one of the characters in the show Alma Wheatley says, "I don't know why my body is so intent on sabotaging my brain, when my brain is perfectly capable of sabotaging itself." One thing that resonates from Alma's words is the brain's ability to sabotage itself, especially when it comes to your brain communicating with your hands about what the next move on the chessboard should be.
Have you ever thought about why chess players seem so quiet throughout playing the game? Well, perhaps chess players maintain silence during play as there is already so much conversation going on in their heads. Remember how well the fictional protagonist, Beth Harmon, could play chess in the series, "The Queen's Gambit?" Perhaps it was the fact that the main character was portrayed as spending her nights staring at the ceiling and visualising the chess pieces moving on the chessboard or perhaps it was the inner awareness that the main character experienced every time she played the game of chess that made her so spectacular at playing the game.
It is true that COVID has taught us to become far more in tune with our emotions and to be mindful of what is going on inside of our brains. Chess is one game in particular that expects both players to be mindful of their every move on the chessboard.
How does being mindful help you during a game of chess?
Well, as Beth Harmon has said, "The key is not to be tentative. You have to play with confidence." Perhaps its this mindfulness that allows you to be in tune with your emotions and once you are fully in control of what is happening in your head, you naturally gain that confidence that you need to play chess in a calm and composed way.
See why and how Chess is Considered a Sport? on Superprof
Chess and Mindfulness: Finding The Link
Was it not Deepak Chopra who introduced the world to mindfulness through those mindfulness meditation videos? Well, if you are a Deepak Chopra fan, you would know that mindfulness is one strategy to handle stress. Perhaps its time that you start to understand that if you find a way to deal with stress, you are already paving your way forward to having a better life and being the best version of you.
Learn about Chess commonalities and how it is a sport here.
Thus if mindfulness means being your best self, being mindful while playing chess would probably mean being your best and playing your best too.
Yes, mindfulness has over the years come to known as a technique that works to counteract the effects of stress, anxiety, and depression. That is why most sport players are encourages to start practicing mindfulness to ensure that their performance in the game improves. Focusing your mind, certainly is a way to get your head in the game and play to the best of your ability.
Since chess is a sport, it is acceptable to say that being mindful while you play chess will led to an improvement in your performance. Perhaps a better way to think of mindfulness is to define it as being fully present and engaged in the moment. It is quite obvious that if you put all your attention into one particular task that you are doing, you will produce a better task. In the same like, putting all your attention into the game of chess could mean giving off your all and playing your best game.
See why and how Chess is Considered Science? on Superprof
Is Chess Good For Your Brain?
A mindful chess player is one who contemplates the entire game from the minute play begins. The mindful chess player will be thinking of all the strategies and tactics that he or she can use while playing a game of chess. A mindful chess player may have memorized chess strategies and perhaps even remember all the important moves from past games.
The difference between a beginner chess player and a master chess player is the mindfulness that the master chess player has mastered.
A mindful chess player is one who has trained his or her brain to:
- visualise and see the next moves on the board before they are even made
- analyse the state of play
- be able change moves based on the opponent's moves on the board
- evaluate the opponents' weaknesses and realise how to take advantage of the opponent's weaknesses
- plan the next five moves in advance before even making these moves on the chessboard
- use intuition and guess what is to come next before it happens.
Being mindful does sound rather overwhelming, doesn't it?
Well, if you are keen on learning the art of the game, it is a good idea to follow in the footsteps of some of the best chess players. To be a good chess player, you must study past chess games, memorize chess theory , and have your head in the game when you actually play the game.
In short, start becoming more mindful from the minute that you start learning all about the game. Also, make sure that you take note of the many faces of chess from the onset.
The fact that when you play chess, you need to visualise, analyse, and evaluate, already means that chess is one game that is good for your brain. In fact, to be able to call a "check mate," you must have the brain power to do so.
Check out the Many Faces of Chess on Superprof
Is Chess Good for Your Mind?
For most, like the protagonist from The Queen's Gambit, the aim of playing chess is to win every game. However, for the majority of us novice players, it is not possible to win every game that we play. So for the most of us, the reason that we continue playing is to keep our mind stimulated.
The fact that with every game you are evolving and becoming better is reason enough to set up the chessboard and start playing. While you may argue that chess is not at all good for your body, chess surely offers you a great workout for your mind.
If you are the type of person wanting to become more mindful without having to meditate, perhaps chess is the best way for you to achieve the mindfulness that you seek.
For a mindful chess player, it is not all about winning the game but also about playing the chess pieces well.
"The moves they applaud the loudest are the one you make rather quickly." Alma Wheatley
You might be applauded in a game of chess for a move you made quickly but perhaps what the audience doesn't know is that there was much internal thought that went into making that particular move. So yes, chess surely is a game that is good for your mind and one that is just as mind boggling for those spectators viewing the game.
Read this article to know how chess is an art here.
Mindfulness Entails Living in the Moment
You need to learn that when you start playing the game while being more self-awareness, you are automatically living in the moment. Living in the moment could mean that you become more confident, closer to win, and more focused on the game.
Mindful chess players are confident
A mindful chess player surely is one who is constantly thinking up ways to improve his or her performance in the game. By sifting through tactics and strategies, the mindful chess player is also gaining the needed confidence after making one great move after the other.
Confidence doesn't mean being boastful and a mindful player knows how to be humble despite having his or her inner confidence build up as he or she plays.
Mindful chess players are close to a win but not after a win
A mindful chess player is so engrossed in the moment that he or she is making all the right moves and enjoying playing the game fully. In this way, mindful chess players are motivated to win but they will not feel angered if they do not win. They are mindful enough to notice bad moves made on the chessboard that may cause them the game.
Mindful chess players are focused
Mindful chess players remain fully focused throughout the game and by focusing on each chess game that he or she is playing, the chess player is becoming better at playing chess.
Eventually, the mindful chess player will become the master chess player. You have started to understand how playing chess entails being mindful, now explore how chess is a science too.
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