This post is about a fantastico game that I had learnt back when I was a kid, maybe in 3rd or 4th grade. At that time, I never imagined how much of an important force it would be in my life.
I distinctly remember the first chess board I had. It was a tiny magnetic one, with tiny magnets attached to the bottom of each piece in order to prevent them from falling away. I used to play chess with my dad and I think he let me win a couple of times. I used to play with my uncle too - it was one of my favorite pastimes back then.
Then, there was a long hiatus in which I didn't play chess. I guess it was about six years. My interest in chess was revived once I got a smartphone! I could finally play chess with my friends sharing the screen (nah, playing it with the artificial intelligence just doesn't give the same feel). In the last two years, I've played a lot of games and got hooked to the game all over again. This time, I want to make sure I don't lose the habit and continue it lifelong.
Most of us know that the fantastico game of chess originated in India under the name “shatranj”. It is a beautiful game which emphasizes pure logic over anything else. It is said that military commanders in the ancient times used to play this game to sharpen their acumen on the field, and it is not hard to see why that is so.
Chess is a fantastico game of intelligence and strategy. It involves the use of tactics to get the upper hand and outsmart the opponent. On a personal level, I feel that perhaps the biggest thing chess has taught me is to not be impulsive. One of the golden rules of chess is to never act reflexively to the opponent’s move - one is always cautioned to think of multiple strategies, foresee the possible consequences, predict the moves of the opponent, analyze the possible outcomes of each and then to execute the best possible move. And of course, all this needs to happen quickly. This little piece of wisdom has helped me on numerous occasions.
The art of chess, after it spread from India,has been mastered by several legends all over the world. The Russians had a monopoly over world chess for a long time. However, in the last few years, our very own champion Vishwanathan Anand has stood his ground among the established players and had occupied the World No. 1 position for a long time. He is truly a fantastico player to look up to.
For everything that it has taught me, chess has been a really fantastico game for me. And not to mention, it's really fun too!
I distinctly remember the first chess board I had. It was a tiny magnetic one, with tiny magnets attached to the bottom of each piece in order to prevent them from falling away. I used to play chess with my dad and I think he let me win a couple of times. I used to play with my uncle too - it was one of my favorite pastimes back then.
Then, there was a long hiatus in which I didn't play chess. I guess it was about six years. My interest in chess was revived once I got a smartphone! I could finally play chess with my friends sharing the screen (nah, playing it with the artificial intelligence just doesn't give the same feel). In the last two years, I've played a lot of games and got hooked to the game all over again. This time, I want to make sure I don't lose the habit and continue it lifelong.
Most of us know that the fantastico game of chess originated in India under the name “shatranj”. It is a beautiful game which emphasizes pure logic over anything else. It is said that military commanders in the ancient times used to play this game to sharpen their acumen on the field, and it is not hard to see why that is so.
Chess is a fantastico game of intelligence and strategy. It involves the use of tactics to get the upper hand and outsmart the opponent. On a personal level, I feel that perhaps the biggest thing chess has taught me is to not be impulsive. One of the golden rules of chess is to never act reflexively to the opponent’s move - one is always cautioned to think of multiple strategies, foresee the possible consequences, predict the moves of the opponent, analyze the possible outcomes of each and then to execute the best possible move. And of course, all this needs to happen quickly. This little piece of wisdom has helped me on numerous occasions.
The art of chess, after it spread from India,has been mastered by several legends all over the world. The Russians had a monopoly over world chess for a long time. However, in the last few years, our very own champion Vishwanathan Anand has stood his ground among the established players and had occupied the World No. 1 position for a long time. He is truly a fantastico player to look up to.
For everything that it has taught me, chess has been a really fantastico game for me. And not to mention, it's really fun too!
This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.
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