We never give up!

In Chess, there are rules that govern moves and holds and those that we know less about. They govern the spirit of the game, the spirit of the player. One of them is:
Don’t be materialistic!

Do not suffer from losing a part in particular your Queen (The most powerful part) because you can have it again but especially as important as it is, once lost it leads you to use each part to the maximum of the possible combinations. The pawn becomes a precious asset when it is neglected, cannon fodder by neophytes. Alone it’s weak but in a chain, it’s structurally difficult to overcome and can dig into the opposing defense without a problem. He is perhaps the ultimate weapon, the soldier gone unnoticed, thought to be harmless, and the death knell for A reprieve king who will be left with whatever little territory he has left.

A Richard III who will fall from his greatness. The pawn can become queen and transfer to the room of choice as soon as the end of the board is reached. Don’t think of it as the last word, but as part of the strategy from start to finish.

I learned to play chess 38 years ago. Curious, I entered my older brother’s car and quite simply opened the glove box to discover various objects, including a rectangular one which caught my attention because never seen it before. My brother takes it and says to me:

My brother: “Come on, we have to go home, I’ll show you what it is.”
As we climb to the top of the building (I’ve always liked heights and conflicting relationships with hierarchy), I stare at the object.
Once at home my brother unfolds the object … a checkerboard? No

My brother: — “It’s a chessboard, and I’ll teach you how to play it. First here is the order of the pieces: rook, knight, bishop, and the queen always on her suit, the pawns in front of the first lines “
“Rook, Knight, Bishop (easy to remember)”
Then comes the explanation for the displacement, and my spongy brain absorbs the periods immediately. Immediately, my brother offers me a game. I put the pieces in Rook Knight Bishop. First game and first defeat. I like what just happened way too much to stop.

-Me: “another”

My brother sees that I’m hungry

Rule number 2: never lose sight of your goal!

The games follow one another and loss after loss. I’m not losing, I’m learning, I’m teaching myself, I understand myself, I educate myself against my opponent’s reading. The next day it was off again. I play alone this time because my brother is working. Alone against myself… I perfect myself. My brother comes home and sees that I am still hungry. He plays the same shots (I didn’t lose, I learned). I anticipate, I against.
I am on the defensive but to win I have to gain ground and especially the battle in the middle. Another rule of chess is to occupy the middle to the best, attack the opponent and invade his camp. I, therefore, focus on the opposing king.

I keep in mind that my goal is him.

I’m in trouble, but I’m hanging on. Instead of throwing all my strength into the battle, I deploy only what is needed. I take breaks.

Patience and silence are two of my strengths.

My brother has the same assets, but he has a day’s worth of work. He tires.
I continue my progress. He rocks, but he has this start and manages to checkmate me.

I want more. He says to me :

“Later. I am going to rest.”

Rule number 3: You manage your time and energy!

Rest, I’m practicing. I didn’t stop. This has allowed me to defeat him more times. These losses pushed him to step out of his comfort zone and get back to work for a nice rematch. On the latter, I felt him more involved, more determined that the competition is good, whatever the fields.

I always play chess with wins and half wins. I always step out of my comfort zone. I put on the right corner the chesterfield sofa that occupied my mind and that you tend to let your motivation, energy, and ideas rest on.

The last rule: You never give up!

You can turn around a lot of situations even with few parts. A small number of pieces is more devastating than a poorly used complete army.
These rules go beyond chess. These go beyond the playful. These are rules of life to be applied at all times.

We never lose, we learn.

If you feel up to it, I’ll be waiting for you on www.chess.com!

Abdelhamid NIATI

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