Chess is a well-known western-style board game in which two players use special black and white pieces and check-shaped boards. Each player has 8 pieces consisting of a king, queen, two bishops, two knights, two rooks, and 8 pawns and your ultimate goal is driving the situation that inevitably catches the enemy king. You may think chess is just a simple board game but actually, it is not.

As it is a game that tests human predictive ability using the characteristics given to each piece, your brain might sometimes be overloaded. Besides, many official chess games use a timer because you can't play chess all day long.  Other than that, you should make one move at your turn every time. 

These features make Chess even more difficult. If your opponent is as good as you, you will have fun with him or her because both of you will be able to catch each others’ blunders. However,  if your opponent is better than you, you can taste the emptiness of the game ending in a few moves.

As the game goes on, pieces are inevitably destroyed so you have to consider your and your enemy’s reduced pieces which again, overburden pressure on your brain. As you read this, chess sounds like a horrible game. You don’t have to be afraid because this is only applied to professional players. One thing you should remember is that both players are in the same condition.

Your opponents will be stressed like you so they surely make some mistakes and what you have to do is catch out those mistakes. Students who play chess tend to excel in creativity, as they look for different alternatives to win. In addition, through competition, attention and a sense of challenge can be improved, and as a result, a high sense of achievement can be elicited.  

Adam Iskandar Bahari, 12th grader at SRI KDU International School thankfully agree to interview. He started to play chess when he was 7 years old with his father and now teaching how to play chess for many students online. He is also the leader of the SKIS Gambit Chess club, which is a school chess club.

As a chess club leader, he bought some chess sets and placed them in some rooms so that the other school students can be interested in playing chess. He pointed out some important tips. He said that that you should be able to visualize the chessboard and positions in your brain.  He even pointed out that students who play chess tend to excel in creativity, as they look for different alternatives to win.

In addition, through competition, he said “You would be able to develop stamina if you face multiple people in competitions. Keep yourself calm, should not be confident or confused, and don’t give up until the end.”

He also indicated some life lessons of chess by saying “Life is a game of chess because it is full of possibilities and all about making choices and sacrifices. You can also meet awesome people and should be very creative. It’s just like your life. You can learn your life from chess.”

Jaeyoung Rhee
Grade 12
Sri KDU International School