Compare-Contrast Draft 2

There are very few places in which you might see a horse taking out a castle, and even fewer places where a knight would dare challenge a queen. But one of the few places you would find both of these scenarios becoming commonplace is a chessboard. For those who know what chess is, but don’t fully understand how it works, here is some clarification: Two players, each equipped with sixteen pieces each, move their pieces across a checked board in an attempt to corner their opponent’s king. If they can effectively trap the opponent’s king, it’s called a “checkmate.” There are many rules dictating how the different pieces are allowed to move, and many different strategies that guide players in their decisions when moving pieces.

In real life, a horse isn’t usually much of a match for a castle… and a knight probably wouldn’t attack a political figure. Face it – things are a lot harder and way more complicated in life than they are in chess. It would be fantastic if things were as straightforward as black and white squares, but in reality, we have to deal with the things that make us human. We possess a complex emotional quality that, unfortunately, sometimes defies the logic of rules and strategy – or the logic of chess.

So at first glance, chess and life look completely different. Chess is clear-cut and makes sense, and life consists of “human activities” – which, as we know, is far from making sense. Despite the chaos and exhaustion of life, however, I think one can find that if one simply applies the rules of chess, life really can be just fun and games.

One of the most basic rules of chess is called “Touch-Move,” which dictates that once you have touched a piece, you have to move that piece. You might immediately realize you’ve made a mistake, change your mind, and pull your hand back – but by touching the piece, you’ve already displayed the decision to move the piece. You have to go through with your decision. Similarly, in life, once you have done something, you can’t undo it – you have to find a way to finish it. Whatever solution you find may not be able to fix the problem, but you should strive to find the best possible solution given the circumstances you’ve put yourself in.

Something else you have to always keep in mind during both chess and life is that everything is or will be important. That means that you can’t ignore anything at any time. In chess, this translates to never “giving away” your pieces. Each piece is valuable, and you will need them in order to checkmate your opponent’s king. An eye has to be kept on them at all times. One well-positioned piece will not be able to do very much if all of your other pieces get captured. If you ignore and then lose pieces because you considered them to be of lesser value, you will later wish that you’d been more wary of their well-being. When it comes to life, there will always be certain areas that need more attention than others. Sooner or later, however, that area will change – and what happens if an activity or element in your life has suffered from neglect while you were focusing on something elsewhere? Everything in your life should receive as much energy as you can afford to put into it in order to avoid this kind of dilemma. The key here is to not get wrapped up in too many activities.

There is a move in chess called “En Passant,” which is French for, “in passing.” It’s called this because this move can only be made by a pawn when an opposing pawn has passed by it by moving two squares forward on its first move. It isn’t altogether very common situation, and you have to move immediately after your opponent passes you if you want to capture it. If you don’t, you lose the chance to capture the pawn, and it will continue across the board safely. The chance isn’t likely to happen again – a pawn can only have this opportunity twice in a game at the very most. There are many opportunities in life that will disappear if they aren’t taken right away, like a pawn in passing. A person can’t always take time to consider all the pros and cons of every decision; that time won’t always be available. You can’t always assume that another chance will come along, either – in fact, you can never assume that. Opportunities aren’t guarantees; they’re chances – and if by chance you get one, you should take it.

Resources should be fully utilized in both chess and in life. For instance, pieces do no good on a chessboard if they’re left sitting in their safe, black-and-white squares. A good chess player uses each piece to its full potential to capture their opponent’s king or other pieces. Even if there’s no way for a piece to get out of being captured, it should try to capture any other pieces it can before it gets taken. Everything that can be done to capture the opposing king or to stall the opponent from capture your own king is what is done. Life works in a similar way. Every person goes through life with a unique set of circumstances, natural talents, and opportunities that make up their resources. Like with chess, these resources can’t do anything if they only sit inside the person – they need to be used to their full potential. If you don’t use your talents, circumstances, and opportunities as much as possible, they’ll be forever wasted. Nobody else can use your resources. Who knows what could be accomplished through you if you try to reach your full capacity? Nearly any king can be captured if all the pieces are utilized correctly – so nearly anything can be reached through the gifts you’ve been given.

However, some pieces, such as queens, get more resources than other pieces, such as pawns. That’s why the rule “Promotion” exists. “Promotion” says that a pawn, upon reaching the opposite side of the board, may be promoted to a higher-ranking piece. This is very difficult for a pawn to accomplish because their mobility is limited, and they have little attacking power. They also have to cross through enemy territory in order to reach the other side of the board, which is additionally dangerous to such a restricted piece. Being promoted to a rank as strong as a queen, however, is very rewarding, as a queen has very few limits in her movement. This happens in reality, as well. If one works hard despite disadvantages, they are likely to earn advantages over others who did not work as hard. It’s often discouraging when you are struggling and others seem to be carefree. But even if the situation seems unfair, view it as a test, and work harder. Eventually, the determination and integrity will pay off by being acknowledged, and it will help you bypass future struggles.

A common struggle in chess, and in life as well, is playing the other person’s game. It’s important in both that you be your own entity. A good player does have to protect their pieces, but they can’t always be solely on the defensive, or else the opponent will be able to control their moves. Obviously, you can’t abandon your pieces, but you can’t forget that you have a job to do, either. Don’t let your opponent corner you – find a way to show them that you are the one moving your pieces and that they should stick to their pieces. Don’t completely ignore your opponent – otherwise he’ll slaughter you – but don’t let him manipulate you. Likewise, you should always make your own decisions when it comes to life. Others will try to tell you what the best decision is – but they’ll probably tell you what the best decision is for them. Remember that you know yourself better than anyone else, and you know best what you need and what will help you in the future. You will have to live with the decisions you make, not them, so don’t let them manipulate you into a choice that is going to make life harder for you. That doesn’t mean to turn down well-meant advice, or that you shouldn’t listen to the opinions of others before making an informed decision. However, don’t let anyone else’s actions dictate your own.

There’s nothing wrong with getting help when you need it, and that’s part of the reason why the move “Castling” exists. “Castling” is an interesting move that allows you to move two pieces at once, your rook and your king. Your rook is moved into the game, while your king is moved closer to safety. Keeping your king safe is number one priority – if you can get him into a protected location, you should. If a player is able to “Castle” but won’t do it in order to keep up the pretense of not needing to, then they are prideful and foolish. The king is an important but weak piece, and needs protected. In life, you should know when to acknowledge that you need help and act on it. There are a lot of people in the world who won’t ask for help because they are waiting for someone to offer it. If you need something, ask; if you need help, get it! Others will not always be able to tell that you are in need, or they may not know how to approach you. Accepting or asking for assistance is not a sign of weakness; no one is capable of doing anything significant by on their own. Everyone needs someone – even the king needs his rook to help protect him.

“Castling” is the only move that allows boundaries to be broken – more than one piece moves in one turn, the king moves more than one space, and the two pieces that do move, move through each other. Is it any coincidence that the only time boundaries can be broken is the time when one piece is helping another? I doubt it. The only time it’s acceptable to the rules is when it’s for the safety or well-being of another. It’s important in chess, and naturally, in life, to help others where you are able. When a rook “Castles,” he knows that a king can’t handle the game on his own, and he breaks the rules to lend him a hand. In some cases, the rook may have to choose between taking an enemy piece and protecting his king, and in this situation, he’ll protect his king. He is the only one who can do this. Exceptions to rules and boundaries should and can be made to help others in reality as well. Sometimes these will be backed up by others – sometimes you will be on your own. Sometimes you might have to make a personal sacrifice, like the rook having to give up an enemy piece. As a friend, and a human, you should be reliable – your friends and fellow humans should be able to depend on you for help. This will require you to develop an appreciation for human life, but reliability also ties in with resourcefulness and opportunity. Try to help everyone you can – the rook is the only person who can help the king, and you never know if there will be another person capable of helping someone the way that you can.
The term “En Prise” is used in chess for a piece that can be attacked but not guarded. This is because it is impossible to keep every piece guarded at all times. However, if your opponent comes after an unguarded piece of yours, they will probably leave an opening in their own line of defense. In life, this is similar to vulnerability – an openness that makes it possible for you to connect with others or be hurt. There will almost always be a way for people to connect with you; it is part of what makes you human. However, in an attempt to connect with you, that person is going to have to also open up and make themselves vulnerable.

Vulnerability may be inevitable, but it isn’t inevitable solely for you – it’s inevitable for your opponent as well. You have to keep yourself as guarded as possible while looking for openings in others. In chess, keeping your king safe is just as important as checkmating your opponent’s king. If you get checkmated first, it doesn’t matter how close you were to checkmating him – you’ve lost. If you absolutely cannot checkmate him, try to get a draw or a stalemate where no one wins – but keep your king safe! When you’re looking for openings in others in real life, you still should try to protect yourself. Being caught in a situation where you are vulnerable and someone else has power over you is not optimum; you should avoid it. If you can’t get someone to open up to you, then you simply won’t connect with them. Don’t continue to open to them more and more in hopes that they’ll return the favor – that’s how you end up in a manipulated position. Because life isn’t chess, the rules aren’t as clear-cut, and it’s okay to be more open with a person than with an opposing chess player. However, you still have to be careful.
Let’s assume that you have effectively applied and followed all the basic rules, strategies, and moves of chess to your game. You’ve moved every piece you’ve touched, kept an eye on all your pieces, seized every opportunity that’s come your way, used your pieces to their full potential, fought your pawns’ way across the board, played your own game, “Castled” when you got the chance, and protected yourself the best you good while looking for your opponent’s vulnerabilities. Odds are, you’ve won – Congratulations! You’ve checkmated your opponent’s king; he’s captured, and he can’t get away. He’s yours – end of game. Now let’s assume that you’ve also effectively applied and followed these rules, strategies, and moves to life. You’ve finished everything you’ve started, balanced your life as well as you could, taken chances, used your talents, worked hard regardless of any inconveniences, made your own decisions, depended on your friends when you needed to, helped others when you could, protected your vulnerability, and always looked for openings in other people. Things aren’t as black-and-white in life as they are in chess, so some of the results of these actions may vary, but hopefully there’s one thing that you’ve successfully accomplished. This thing would be that you’ve found an opening in someone and formed a connection with them – this is not the end of the game.

Both chess and life emphasize that the most important thing is to find ways to reach other people. There are only two differences. In chess, you want to reach someone who is trying to get away from you, while in life, we are all in need of connections. The reason it is so difficult for us to form these connections is not that the pain or fear of the bond itself, but the pain and fear of it being stretched or broken. However, humans do possess a complex emotional quality, and part of the complexity is the need for connecting with other humans. As spiritual beings, we will either have to take the risk and make ourselves vulnerable bit by bit, or live with this need forever. The other difference is that once you’ve attained the other someone in chess, the game is over. In life, once you finally find another person or few, you finally start the fun and games.