Compare-Contrast Outline

Thesis Statement: Despite the chaos and exhaustion of life, I think you can find that if you simply apply the rules of chess, life really can just be fun and games.

I. Chess and life share the rule that everything you do is final and cannot be changed.
A. In chess, “Touch-Move” dictates that once you touch a piece, you have to move that piece.
1. You can change your mind, but you’ve already acted, and have to go through with it.
2. You must find a solution to situation you’ve put yourself in.
B. In life, it’s a fact that once you’ve started something, you have to find some way to finish it.
1. You cannot just simply say, “I didn’t mean to do that, rewind, please.”
2. Your solution might not fix the problem, but you should try to find the best answer given your circumstances.

II. Chess and life share the rule that you must not neglect anything at any time, because sooner or later, you will need it.
A. In chess, you should never give your pieces away.
1. Each piece is valuable.
2. You cannot win without pieces to win with – one well-positioned piece won’t do much if you’ve lost all your other pieces.
3. You never know what piece you will need next.
B. In life, no area of your life should ever go completely ignored.
1. Everything you do is important and deserves as much energy as you can put into it.
2. Certain parts of your life will need more attention at certain times, focusing on one activity won’t make up for all the areas that suffer from neglect.
3. All of your life will suffer if one part collapses.

III. Chess and life share the rule that you should seize any opportunity you can before it is too late.
A. In chess, “En Passant” is a move in which a pawn can capture another pawn only if it moves immediately.
1. If the first pawn doesn’t capture it right away, it can’t capture the enemy pawn again later.
2. This can only happen, at the most, twice for each pawn.
B. In life, there are many opportunities that will disappear if you don’t take them right away.
1. You can’t always take the time to consider the pros and cons of every decision.
2. Don’t assume that another chance will come along – it may not.

IV. Chess and life share the rule that resources should be fully utilized.
A. In chess, no pieces should be left sitting their row.
1. Pieces can’t do anything if they only sit in their square.
2. A good player uses a piece to its full potential capture their opponent’s king.
B. In life, you should do whatever you are able to do to achieve your goals.
1. Everyone is born with a unique set of circumstances, natural talents, and opportunities that will never occur again – don’t waste them.
2. If you don’t use your resources to contact a person, those resources may never be used, or that person may never be contacted.

V. Chess and life share the rule that hard work is rewarded.
A. In chess, “Promotion” is a rule stating that a pawn, upon reaching the opposite side of the board, may be promoted to a higher-ranking piece.
1. Pawns, because of their limited mobility, are considered to be at a disadvantage.
2. Reaching the opposite side of the board, which requires crossing through enemy territory, is a challenge.
3. When a pawn, considered an underdog, achieves this, it is promoted to a more empowered piece, usually a queen.
B. In life, working hard despite disadvantages is likely to earn you advantages over others who did not work as hard.
1. Life is often discouraging, for various reasons, and sometimes pulling through it even one day at a time is challenging.
2. View it as a test, and work even harder – even if circumstances seem unfair.
3. Eventually, your determination and integrity will be noticed, and it will help you bypass future struggles.

VI. Chess and life share the rule that it’s important for you to be your own entity.
A. In chess, while you should always protect your pieces, you can’t always be on the defensive, because then your opponent will control your moves.
1. You have to keep your goal in mind.
2. Don’t abandon your pieces, but don’t forget that you have a job to do, either.
B. In life, you should make your own choices, even if others are trying to convince you that it’s the best decision
1. You know yourself better than they do; you know better what you need and what will help you in the future.
2. You are the one that is going to have to live with the choices you make, not them.

VII. Chess and life share the rule that you should depend on others when you need to.
A. In chess, “Castling” is a move that allows you, in one move, to get your rook into the game while getting your king closer to safety.
1. Keeping the king safe is number one priority, and a good player knows that.
2. A person who keeps the pretense of, “I don’t need to Castle to protect my king,” is prideful and stupid – the king is an important piece, but weak; he needs protected.
B. In life, you should know when to acknowledge that you need help, and act on it.
1. If you need something, ask; if you need help, get it!
2. Accepting assistance is not a sign of weakness – no one is capable of doing anything significant by themselves.

VIII. Chess and life share the rule that it is your responsibility to help another when you are able.
A. In chess, “Castling” is a move in which your rook is allowed to break common boundaries to protect your king.
1. The rook knows that the king can’t handle the game on his own; he breaks the rule to help him.
2. If the rook must choose between taking an enemy piece and protecting his king, he’ll protect his king – he is the only piece who can help his king.
B. In life, exceptions should and can be made to help a friend, and you should take advantage of these.
1. As a friend, and a human, you should be reliable – this also ties in with resourcefulness and opportunity.
2. Help everyone you can – you may or may not know if anyone else will be able to help them.

IX. Chess and life share the rule that there will be cases when parts of you will be vulnerable.
A. In chess, “En Prise” is a term for pieces that can be attacked but not guarded.
1. It’s impossible to keep every piece guarded at all times.
2. However, if your opponent comes after an unguarded piece of yours, they may leave an opening in their own line of defense.
B. In life, vulnerability is openness that makes it possible for you to be hurt.
1. There will almost always be a way for people to connect with you – it is part of what makes you human.
2. But in an attempt to connect with you, a person will have to make themselves vulnerable.

X. Chess and life share the rule that you should try to keep yourself safe while always looking for a way to connect with others.
A. In chess, protecting your king is just as important as checkmating your opponent’s king.
1. It doesn’t matter how close you are to checkmating the opposing king if you get checkmated first.
2. If you absolutely cannot checkmate your opponent, try to get a stalemate or a draw, where no one can win.
B. In life, you have to keep yourself safe at the same time as being able to connect with others.
1. Being caught in a place where you are vulnerable and someone else has power over you is not optimum; you should avoid it.
2. If there is no way to get someone to open up to you, don’t open up to them in hopes that they’ll return the favor.

XI. Chess and life share the rule that the most important thing is to find ways to reach other people.
A. In chess, you win by putting your opponent’s king in a position to be captured that he cannot escape from.
1. To do this, you’ll need to know and use all the rules and strategies mentioned before (and maybe some practice).
2. Once you’ve won, the king is yours – forever and ever, end of game
B. In life, you need to form connections with other people that won’t be broken.
1. This is done by applying all the rules and strategies mentioned before.
2. Once you’ve formed a strong connection with someone, it shouldn’t be broken – the only difference is that now you’ve gotten a connection, life is only beginning.