What is Life without Chess?
Let’s begin with chess. After far too many chess games, I realized it was tactics; tatics is what matters, more than openings, endings, etc. There are free sites, such as chess tactics server and chesstempo, where you can play situations asking you to find the best tactical move. This practice teaches you pins, skewers, forks, double attacks, and other names for moves that takes advantage of the current situation.
And now life: what is the most important aspect of life. At one point I had asked my girlfriend what the most important quality a person can have to suceed in corporate, and she answered in one word–likeable. This corresponds to what to the chair of a college department once responded when I asked what the most important quality is when hiring–people have to like you. Reflecting on such answers, this seems true.
For one, there will be plenty of people with the skills to fill the role, and in fact, if there is a more qualified person, the more likeable person may get the job. Though, this isn’t always the case, since there are examples of a-holes getting the job or girl or education or favor when it doesn’t seem that person is likeable. How does that happen?
I’ve also heard a bit of wisdom that not everyone will like you. So that person who we thought didn’t deserve that something will have his or her critics, but at the same time he or she will also have his or her fans. For everyone who hates Broc Lesnar, there is always Dana and his investors who like Broc each and everytime he draws fifty or sixty out of your pocket because you need to see a freak of nature surprise you with his agile hulkiness.
What if we asked the bible about importance. When Jesus was asked to sum up his profession (I call it profession, but interpret it as you like), he responded with Mathew 10:10, to love your God with everything you got, and others as you love yourself. In a way, I interpret this as we need to be loving, otherwise people won’t like you, and if people don’t like you, you won’t have people who will like you enough to give you what you want or need.
If each and every day you are problem solving to get the resources you need, then the most important thing in this life is to get people to like you. The real truth I’m getting at is if chess is all about tactics, and chess is essential to life, then we must be tactful with people.
