"What has chess given you in your life?"

Winners of the International Chess Day 2021 contest announced

The main aim of the International chess day contest was to know more about what chess has given you in your life. Though it seems like a simple question, we had a huge number of entries with each person having its own unique story and experience. And to find the best answer amongst 1800+ answers was not an easy task, but we had a great experience in knowing more about the impact of chess in your life.

Some of the best answers we liked!

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The below ones are the best ones chosen from the YouTube community post.

Kamal Sharma

How has chess contributed to my life?

I learned that:

1. Openings - If you are well prepared then you will get the initial push to excel in your work.

2. Middle game - Thinking deeply before making the decision and always end your plans after knowing all the interruptions possible. Standing on my ground and fighting for what I thought is better for me.

3. Endgame - Be 100% sure in each step as one mistake may result in more unfavourable conditions.

4. Sacrifices - To gain something, one may need to give up something.

5. Tactics - If you concentrate well enough, then you will definitely find a loophole to tackle the interruptions and maximize your excellence chances.

6. Blunders - Accept your mistake and find the best way to defend the decisions you took from that place and strike if you got the chance.

7. Promotion - There is always a hope that you will reach the destination you want if you have proper support.

General -

A. Make your best buddy(king) safe initially and he will help you to win in the end.

B. If there is a time to sacrifice. It's better to sacrifice the least valued and inactive member.

C. Make sure all the team members are happy with the work assigned to them and they don't fight for the same access. 

D. Never give rivals a chance to increase the pressure.

E. Excelling safely is better than excelling quickly.

What chess players taught me? :

Anand - Age is just the number. If you have longevity you will be in the hall of fame. (@51 years top 5 in blitz). Harikrishna - Not always the fastest way to reach you to destiny. Slow maneuvers and good final technique will take you through.

Magnus - If you think that you can still win, then grind the field till the end of the interruption. VD - You can concentrate at the level that you can be prepared enough for all possible hits.

AD - Attack is sometimes the best form of defense. There is no hard and fast rule for taking risks if you can play your decisions well.

Anish - There will be enough opportunities to get to be at the top. You must not be disheartened by defeats. Your effort will make sure that you will come on top.

Tal - Make the situation complicated enough that you only know the way to come out of it and the opponent will get stuck.

Fischer - One day you can break the existing emperor and make your own.

Youngsters - There must be no fear of making the water muddy if you are well prepared and believe in your efforts.

There are many more but the answer is going too long.

Ks

Chess has given me some very valuable insight into life.

1) It destroys the racial supremacy of society, it doesn't matter whether you are BLACK or WHITE if you have the capability you will win it.

2) It demolishes the Patriarchal mindset by showing, even though KING is the most imp piece but its QUEEN which has got all the power to protect and attack.

3) Whatever move you take in your life, every move has its own pros and cons.

4) Maybe you are the weakest (pawn) in your society but if you keep on moving, there is always a chance to get promoted.

5) For every imp decision to take you have got a very limited amount of time in your life.

6) You must help and defend your pieces (family and friends) so that they can help you to win the game (of life).

7) Sometimes sacrifice is necessary to achieve something big.

8) Never get too comfortable.

9) Every passing second is bringing you near to your endgame (death) so be creative and enjoy the game (life).

10) Winning and losing both are inevitable so enjoy the game (life).

Prem Kochita

Chess has not only taught me about PATIENCE, DECISION MAKING, GROUP WORK, IMPROVEMENT, FINDING MISTAKES but to be a great student it also taught me not to give up that easily and start working on your PRESENT to be BETTER at FUTURE. Just like CHESS PLAYER i sometimes make mistakes which makes me stronger after i find a stronger way to execute it. To be a student as well as a chess player I always work upon my mistakes and move forward. After cracking an EXAM just like beating an opponent in chess, I feel confident that helps me to improve my learning. And when I am not able to do well in my exams just like defeated in the game, I sit for hours and hours to find my mistakes and get better at it just like a chess player does after his/her game. It teaches me to not only study at the last moments of the exam but also explains to study throughout the year just like OPENING, MIDDLE GAME, AND ENDGAME. The chess board's 64 squares indicate that it's not about how many squares do you get out of your game but it's about how much you utilize those squares and gain out of it. Life is very big no doubt in that just like 64 SQUARES but the resources are few just like PIECES and you have to gain as much as an advantage that will lead you in fulfilling your dreams just like getting better POSITIONS. Different CHESS PIECES have it's different opportunities in the game just like your family, friends, and your mentors in your life. So utilize your resources well and make a win out of it. You are the KING, a determination is your QUEEN, learning is your ROOK, confidence is your KNIGHT, patience is your BISHOP and at last mentors, family and friends are your PAWNS which all help you in achieving your dream. At last, I want to thank Sagar Sir, Amruta Mam, Samay Bhai, Vidit Bhaiya, and all others who had helped in chess as well as in my life. I will not forget your immense determination to empower chess in INDIA and all across the world and to enlighten a beautiful way of living to me. Love you. ♥♥ #internationalchessday #chessbaseindia

COSMIX

Chess is such a wonderful game and I'm really happy to know that it is gaining popularity these days, at least Online chess! thanks to the Netflix series Queen's gambit!

The game of chess has taught me many things, firstly, the power to control emotions! After a humiliating loss, it's quite obvious to feel frustrated and desperate with the game! Initially, I couldn't control my emotions after a loss in chess but with experience in playing more and more games, I was able to overcome the feeling!

It created a new dimension of thinking and problem-solving! It helped me to think positively and face all situations with might! and be bold always! To learn from the mistakes I commit and move forward in life! It improved my decision-making skills and concentration power!

Time management is something which is really important in the game of chess as well as in an exam! so that's something to take home from this beautiful game! The game teaches us to take risks in life! just like how sacrifices are made in chess!

It has taught me to never underestimate anyone in life just like how pawns, the lowest valued pieces in chess can be so vital in an endgame and how an activated bishop or knight can be even more valuable than a passive rook!

The game also teaches us to never lose hope even during desperate times as there is always a better tomorrow! By playing chess, we learn to accept defeat and to learn from our mistakes to improve our strategy and tactics in future games.

We will learn to deal with failure constructively. Those who learn to manage their losses will understand how to pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and bounce back no matter the situation that is in front of them!

As an ending note, I would like to tell you all that by playing this beautiful game of tactics and strategy, I have learned many invaluable lessons in my life which no other game has ever gifted me with!

I wish you all a Happy International Chess day!

PS: Thanks to ChessBase India for giving us an opportunity to share our thoughts about this game!

Aayush Sharma

I first came to know about chess through Harry Potter. I was around 12 years old at that time and I was very excited seeing the pieces moving automatically. I wanted a chess set so bad and after nagging my grandfather for a week, he bought me a chess set. It was a cardboard board with plastic pieces. I didn't know anything about this game but I used to arrange the board (wrongly) by seeing the picture on the box of the chess set and play something. Then my father taught me how to play by reading the rules from the "how to play" pamphlet that came with the set. Even he didn't know how to play. Both of us started playing every night for fun. We used to play with rooks in the opening. I also started playing chess with my friends in school. There is a famous inter-school chess tournament called JOGA chess in my city Jamshedpur which is held annually. We formed a chess club and then requested our school principal to hire a teacher who could guide us. And that's how my chess journey started. I am not a very good player but I have been part of the chess community after that. Playing a sport like chess taught me the most wonderful thing i.e humility. I used to play on board 30-60 the most times and I used to watch games from other top tables after my game. I saw how these players talked to each other with so much respect even after losing. They discuss the game and talk about what they were thinking with so much ease. I mean no one used to get angry even after the opponent completely destroyed them on the board. Chess taught me how to win with grace and to accept loss gracefully. I don't think anyone would read this 150 words story but if anyone of u read till the end then you are awesome.

Akshaj Vishwanathan 

What has chess taught me in life?

Well a lot! Every aspect of it has given me a lesson which I'll share one by one.

The Game: On the face of it, chess is a strategy-based game, a compact representation of a war between 2 kingdoms! The goal: to defeat the opposition; which is represented by checkmate in the game until recently when time limit has been introduced. You have to strategize such that you can use your pieces to their full potential to secure a victory. Similarly in life, one has to strategize and use their resources to achieve their goals.

Decision making and the courage to take risk: Of course many times in games things don't go as planned and we get stuck in a difficult position but as it's rightly said, good positions don't win games, good moves do! And sometimes those moves seem risky but it's the belief on them and oneself that surprises the opponent and leads way to our victory. Similarly in life its not always the plan that leads to success but that on the spot Decision which does. Planning is important but immunity against variations is also necessary!

Perseverance and the will to never give up!: Often we get into positions which seem like lost and some resign right then and there as well but the will to not give up and keep fighting till the end makes the difference eg. Yesterday's game between Pragg and Krasenkov (sorry if spelling is wrong) atleast 3/4th of the game Pragg was winning but Krasenkov kept on trying until a mistake was made and he capitalized on it! There are those who resign the moment they lose the queen but as we have seen in many games that the one who lost the queen actually won in the end due to presence of mind and superb Decision making.

Discipline and focus: Obviously to make quick decisions one has to be focused and chess has helped the keep the mental state to focus for long time and so comes the discipline.

There are many more but yeah I think I have stated all the important lessons chess has given me and ofcourse the spirit of the game to always play fair and respect others. That is the purpose of Chess, teaching the art of peace through the art of War. Thats what martial arts also teaches but that's the combat of fists while chess is the combat of minds. I'll conclude my answer with a quote, "If you can't win, try not to lose! and if you can win, then don't lose! and if you do lose then get back up and try again!". Thank you and Happy International Chess Day. #InternationalChessDay #chessbaseindia

Hemila Patel 

Chess has taught me patience. Not how to make the move, but why to make the move. Not how to win, but why to win. It has taught me that even the most difficult situations can be dealt with, if you keep a calm head, but even a winning situation can turn into a losing one, if you do everything recklessly. Chess has given me a motive, something to look forward to, something to enjoy, something to live and experience. It's a love beyond understanding, even though I play just like an average player. It has given me the opportunity to celebrate my victories, and learn from my losses. It has taught me that everyone in your life is just as important as every piece in chess. There are so many more things which cannot be described in words. And last, but not the least, it has given me a medium to stay connected and enjoy with my family and friends during these tough covid times.#chessbaseindia #internationalchessday

Sunay Mukherjee

(Not for contest) I would like to share my story just in case Sagar and Amruta read this. I watched a guy called Samay Raina in pubg from where I subscribed to his channel. I then noticed how boring he was because he used to play chess day and night. When I was relaxing at 3 after studying I saw his notification Good Night Chess, on watching for 5 minutes he mated someone in 3 moves. I was surprised, he went on to finish another few games with ease. I then tried the 3 move mate and the joy I got after mating him was unreal, but ! After a few games this trick didn't work and I lost a few games. This hurt my ego and then started the love of chess within me :) Every loss to me was an insult to my smartness for a month xD. After reaching 800 from 400 I realised V Anand was going to play some Olympiad . I wanted to watch and found Sagar Shah. Then many memories came in my life including the Zimbabwe players stuck in the same meeting. Humpy's armageddon where she won with black !! I thought winning with black with lesser time is nearly impossible, only draw is what black can play for. Realising that some players are nearly stronger than Anand On the day of the finals I learned that Russians are extremely strong and chess in their country is a big thing unlike india where the players don't get much support :( My parents were going to the mall but without any second thought I responded "I am going to watch the finals and stayed home. I saw Divya's reaction after a poor game. I saw how emotionless Nihal was. I then saw how VD achieved a hard fought draw! But then we lost due to Chess.com being down! The faces of the players were very depressing then I came across KRAMNIK, absolute legend. After a few more minutes we were joint champs !! The joy in me was uncontrollable that day. I explained my mom everything I understood from the games but she was quite confused as to when did I start watching board games on youtube. My first ever game played was on August 3rd 2020, now I have played over 5000 games and thousands of hours invested in chess. Thank you Sagar Amruta and Samay for bringing me into this beautiful game :)

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varunraste

Chess gave meaning to my breath, it gave me those valuable lessons which helped me a lot in real life. I started playing chess since age 10 till the date,

Then I used to blunder queen on the board now lose in some tight pawn endgame. But thats what chess taught me, losing is okay giving up isnt !

You know What did I gain ? I did gain patience, patience to wait for sucess even when you had given your 100% and life isnt been fair with you, still hold back and keep on fighting one day your sun will shine....

Chess pieces move in a very unique fashion,talks a lot about how things shape in our lives.

Rooks tell me that go straight ,never ke unethical shortcuts, hit the obstacles in front of you.

Be wise as Knight,try to get over things by changing your horizons, do not get intercepted by anyone, when everybody assumes you are a waste keep on manuevering and when right movement comes surpise everyone by hitting multiple targets.

Keep your vision longer like a bishop covers a long diagonal.

Be dynamic as queen, Understand your strength and always try to achieve things by wise strategies..

Pawns are my favorite.. they taught me the most important part of my life,once started

on a tough path there is no going back, walk till the end to win,to conquer the world.

Chess has taught me the power of perseverance, remember those opposite color bishop endings, players keep on playing moves after moves, where everybody thinks that its a draw, one keeps on trying patiently and suddenly cramps opponent by pressing on the opposite squares and wooh! one who is patient, perseverant and had will to win actually won tats how opportunities in life should be tackled. Slow, steady,through failures sometimes but winning at last. Chess brought many people into my life,some inseparable friends without whom life looks impossible, some tournament friends who meet on ocassions and yet we share the same bonding.

Such priceless people, memories and tournaments journey of life has been going amazing let it be on the board or over the board the reason is one purpose :- "To Play

m_o_h_a_n_smart

In chess, the *Pawn* had taught me to stand in front of my family and my loved ones to protect them irrespective of how powerful you are. Because a well placed pawn could be more powerful than any coin on the board sometimes.

*The Bishop* had taught me to sacrifice when something great needs to be achieved *The knight* (my fav) has taught me to stay unique.

*The Rook* has taught me to head straight.....one direction, one goal *The queen* had answered the never ending debate of who is more powerful? A man or a woman? And the queen always protects a king just like someone said "Behind every man's success there is a woman".

*The king* had taught me to move in silence and speak only when it's time to say checkmate. Finally, Three life lessons chess has taught me:

1. Life is like a game of chess, you can't undo your moves but you can make your next step better and success will eventually come to you.

2. If we look chess in a man's perspective. They all protect themselves standing for each other and also sometimes sacrifice for their king and just like we all need to stand united and also be ready to sacrifice ourselves to protect our country.

3. After the game of chess, the king and the pawn both go into same box. Just like we all end our life in the same way. So everyone is equal and respect everyone. Becoming a grandmaster is my ultimate goal in my life. Though i come from a normal family, the dream of achieving it was never seemed out of my zone... Thanks to ANAND, MAGNUS KARPOV etc ....for making this game more beautiful. May i seek your blessings to become a world champion like you one day. #chessforever #chessforlife #lifeisachess.

_aadil.c

I believe it's almost impossible to convey my idea of Chess in mere words. But the most immaculate metaphor I would like to compare it with is, "The subtle line between the life that lives without me and the version of myself that is lifeless". I remember losing the queen once, right in the beginning, but I had to move on anyhow. I had to keep playing. That's when I found life again. And one time, I remember lying sleepless in the absolute silence of the night when there was nothing good enough to be done but again, there was chess to be learnt as its knowledge is incredibly infinite and as a result, I found myself in the middle of the moment, through the mode of that game. Do you see? It works that way oftentimes. There are times when my life loses the identity which is me and I lose my identity which is life. But Chess reconnects us. I am found again. Life is found again. The relation is re-established and the identity only keeps growing in the process of playing it. Chess is real-life dressed in black and white moments. And Chess is a real person dressed in a checkered outfit trying to tackle the same. You do not tend to depend on it. You just come across it and suddenly everything feels figured out like an important move to be made. That language in between the moments of sheer quietude is Chess in the most ironic way, given that, Chess itself is something that requires a sense of silence, focus and perseverance. But at times, its twisted ways speak louder in indefinite words. That's what Chess has rendered me and I am forever grateful for it's the mirror I look myself in and it's something that mirrors my life back. It's the fine art of endless wisdom!

Rainy days

#chessbaseindia #Internationalchessday

As vishy has said in his book Mind master "In any situation in life, being adaptable is the only way to grow and succeed". The reality is that circumstances change, and you can't be prepared for everything. Similarly we have faced the lockdown last year and i was also just graduated from college in 2019.

Not having a settled job, confused and looking for other options in my life rather than the path set by graduation degree. I had planned to spent some time with family at home and thought later will move to some bigger city but it's been 2years. Not having any friends back home and preparing for competitive exams all day and night in a single room cutted from the society takes a toll in both your physical and mental health. And at that time i got introduced to chess by you. It's something you can play whenever you have time with person from different parts of the world in real time. Something to which you do not feel guilty giving more time than usual. And i have participated in the ruchachess online tournament event on her birthday my first tourny. Filled with Adrenaline among very high rated players the result was as i expected but out of blue being 1000-1500 rated i beat a 2000 player that also in a plus position as his time runout. So my point is what chess can give is something like chess itself the more lines you think the better understanding of life it gives you. In this case i have learned Adaptability from both vishy and chess. And trying a more positive approach towards life.

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Viral M Parekh

Chess was just a time-pass and time-consuming game for me for long untill my daughter, Juhi started playing at age 7.

Chess became a bridge between us.

As she grew and started participating in competition at different venues, Chess gave me chance to meet and make new friends with parents waiting outside the venue like me.

Her love for chess was growing and we had to accompany her to various national venues. Chess gave us a chance to visit new places and explore. Chess gave us a chance to meet and interact with great names of this fraternity.

She is a grown up kid now and fully occupied with class 11 studies, her teen friends, web series and streaming videos. We almost lost her in a web of teen symptoms.

However, during this pandemic, her interest for chess ignited once again. Chess gave us the biggest gift, our daughter, back to us.

What can we ask for more.

Chess gave us

A reason to smile,

And travel long miles.

For many it's just a game,

But for us, a ladder to fame.

WFM, IM, GM titles are the goals not in sight, Yet, loves to live with bishop, rook & knight.

Cannot part with it even for a while, Chess gave us reasons to smile. Chess gave us reasons to smile.

#internationalchessday #chessbaseindia

Siva Kumar

Chess has taught me how to live my life...Chess is a game where you are given the same resources as your opponent and the person who makes the most of it is the one who triumphs.. Chess just like life can have bad positions, zugzwangs, pins, decoys, skewers and even deadly traps...But thinking before making a move just like every step in life is what is important.. Both in Chess and Life there is no losing according to me.. You only lose if you don't learn anything from your mistakes.. #internationalchessday #chessbaseindia

Raunak Sodhani

What has Chess given me in my life?

1. Determination - One of the earliest memories I’ve of myself is sitting on the side and watching my elder brother and cousin play Chess. As much as I requested, cried, shouted, complained, protested, or conspired, I was still not allowed to play as I was considered too young for the mature game. To rub salts to my wounds, none of the family members found anything wrong in this. When all my efforts went in vain, I vowed to myself that the day I start playing, I’d beat all of my family members at once. With this resolve, the 5-year-old boy silently started watching all the games played in the family observing each member’s playing style, attitude, preferences, strengths, and weaknesses to make a #Chessbase for his future encounters.

2. Strike the iron when it's hot - I believe, for a moment, Caïssa must have smiled at me! The same year my paternal aunt, who used to visit us every year from Thane, had brought with her a tournament size Chess set based on the theme of a blockbuster Bollywood movie. Now I was waiting for the right moment to unleash the beast (No offense to OG GM Adhiban). One day, I had returned from my morning school but my brother and cousin were still attending their day school. I tried to arrange the new board and was thinking how soon one can give his opponent a checkmate. After trying different combinations, I discovered what I considered my Eureka moment - The 4 move checkmate. It was not much later in my life that I got to know that it was well known as Scholar’s mate. After trying different lines and refutations, the Royal Bengal Tiger was awaiting his prey. When my brother and cousin returned from their school I went up to them and in my innocent voice, I requested that since we have been presented with a new and bigger Chess set, can they be kind enough to teach me how to play. Being older, they couldn't have escaped this trap. For many days neither of them could understand how a debutant could end up with a score of 12/12 against many experienced players like them.

3. Learning never stops - Since we couldn’t afford new books or hire a coach back then, we used to eagerly wait for the Sunday edition of the English newspaper so that we could study a move by move account of games of current world champion GM Kasparov and future world champion GM Anand. Being an early riser, my brother would read the outcome of the game much before me and then challenge me to play from a worse position. Oblivious to this, I accepted the challenge and more often than not would either defeat him or manage to get a draw. With this reputation now came the tougher challenge for “Akbar” to defeat the joint force of “Amar and Anthony”. The stakes kept on getting higher as now after every match their team would increase by one as another family member kept joining them - firstly my father followed by my uncle. This dream run eventually got broken when my younger uncle defeated me with his awesome knight play. That day I learned that I need to master all parts of the game if I have to complete my vow. The next three days were spent studying a few decades old Chess booklet lying orphaned in the mini-library of my family.

4. Leave your comfort zone - Few days after the demise of my grandfather's elder brother, my uncle brought a very heavy electronic device to our home for his office work as he couldn’t go to the office following the prevalent religious custom. Out of curiosity, I asked him if there is anything interesting we could do on the black and white “computer”. He showed me that there was only one program but he was not sure whether it would hold our attention for long enough. That evening I learnedlearn how to play Chess using just the keyboard because the mouse was still a cartoon character back then. I don’t know whether it was for fun or was he serious enough when he challenged me to beat the computer. I tried my best but I could only manage to draw and once the mourning period ended the professional computer was sent back to the office robbing me of the rare opportunity of having a rematch.

5. Man proposes, God disposes - The desire to become a professional Chess player was cut short by my father’s firm no to my only request for participating in a rated tournament conducted in association with the publishing house of our daily newspaper. Although I kept playing in whatever event I could manage at school, college, university, corporate, and community level, till today I cannot forget his discouragement to play Chess as a profession. It was only after his demise and following a life-altering accident that the 30-year-old boy lying on the hospital bed decided to serve as a coach to young minds. With an overdose of confidence gained by watching videos from a Croatian Chess player, I applied to all the schools and colleges of my city for the position of a part time or full-time Chess coach only to be rejected everywhere bringing my self-confidence to ground zero. Then, half-heartedly I uploaded my contact details on an online teaching community and to my utter surprise, I got many requests from parents to teach to their children in person. Slowly but steadily, the number went up enough that I hardly had any free time for myself. Out of these, few students reinforced the belief in my abilities when they brought many awards, medals and trophies at inter-school, city, district, and state-level tournaments. But one odd comment by a few parents kept haunting me, ``Sir, what is your FIDE rating?”. To answer this question once and for all I had made all the preparations to play the next rated tournament in my city. And then the pandemic struck.

6. Tough times never last but tough people do - For once, I had practically no work and I was not sure about my future. All I knew was that this is going to be a long fight. But within a fortnight of lockdown, I received an offer to work at an overseas Chess club that had to close down its centre for the time being and had now moved towards being an international online academy. As I had only this means of earning, I worked in multiple shifts to enrolledenrolle as many children as I could in that academy. What had started with just evaluating the incoming students, moved to take some private lessons, then group classes, demo classes, prepare test questions, co-author course content, and conduct feedback sessions too? Amidst all this madness my sleep cycle had gone for a toss so the only source of entertainment was YT. How can I forget to acknowledge the amount of knowledge, fun, and laughter I had while watching the epic streaming sessions by the most popular IM who couldn't be a GM, Blunder Master, Greedy Captain, and others. At the end of the year, someone pointed out that a bunch of my students had grabbed 1 Champion of the month and 11 Champion of the Week titles. And then I had to leave.

7. Success tastes best when it is shared - The next month and a half was nothing short of a nightmare. Amidst all the bad news coming from all sources, I too experienced health, financial, and personal issues. But I kept sending connection requests to people who are directly or indirectly involved in Chess. Out of the few places I had sent my resume, I was invited to a couple of job interviews. Luckily, I cracked both but chose to join where I was getting work during fixed hours. Chess classes, being unaffected by any number of pandemic waves, immediately consumed my time and I couldn't even realize when I had begun teaching a new set of students. Thanks to the parents and students who have rated me high enough that I could win the inaugural best educator of the month award at my new organization.

8. Above all, Chess has given me the power to hold the attention of my favorite Chess commentator for the last few minutes this #InternationalChessDay!

Thank You #ChessBaseIndia

“Sasta Ron Weasley”

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We received huge number of entries in the comments section of our article on the ChessBase India website. Here are some of the best ones.

Roshan Singh  

What chess has given me?

I think I could better jot it down in my poetic way

This poem deeply relates chess to our life and the perspective towards life.

I had recited parts of this poem to Sagar Sir in Pune as well, hope all of you guys like it as well.

Khel shuru toh hota hai,

Haatho ko mila kar

Jang to shuru ho chuki,

Ranneetiyan banakar.

Shankh bajane se pehle,

Jeevan ki shatranj ke

sartaj ko pranam kar.

Teri nayi tayaari se

Nayi tu shuruwaat kar,

Ya Dikha vishwaas firse

Tere pyaar carocan par.

Samay ko naap dhadkan se,

Ekagrata ki shwaas bhar,

Aankh me aankh daal kar

Zordaar tu prahaar kar.

Chuk toh hogi saamne se,

Chahe swayam baitha ho iswaar.

Vijai ki taraf fir kadam badha,

Iss mauke ko pehchaan kar.

Roke nahi rukegi teri,

shri raam si sena vanar,

Sagar ko tu paar kar,

Jeevan jaise tyaag kar,

mohroo me jasbaat bhar

khud pe vishwas kar,

ekagrata ki shwaas bhar,

Aur fir shah maat kar

Ham bhi toh shatranj ki mohre hain,

Fark sirf itna hai,

Ham sabhi ko bheja usne,

ek saa banakar.

Kathinaiyo ko paar kar,

Chalna sabhi ko aath ghar,

Ye jeevan ki baazi hai,

Koi bacha nahi jeet kar,

koi mara nahi haar kar.

Nikunj Patel 

I am a Medical Student studying in Georgia back to India now in 2021 cause of pandemic, I was in Georgia when Samay started streaming.... It was something that I think completely changed how I think about chess now. Earlier I knew how the pieces moved, nothing else, I got into chess cause let's be honest I had nothing else to do during the pandemic. I became a huge fan of Anish Giri as I started following chess more and more, he is now an idol in my life, the humour and courage of that guy is literally unbelievable. I really wanna meet him someday when the Batumi Chess Olympiads begin again. I wanna meet you and Amrutha next time you're there. I visited Svetiskhoveli Cathedral just because I knew Anish Giri had been there once in his life, and that place holds a really important place in his life.

My other friends who see me playing chess think that I have become crazy in the pandemic, but who's gonna tell them what they're missing out by not playing this extremely honorable and strategic sport.

Chess pieces in my life are like my 6 years of medicine study.

I came as a Pawn in the medical school, didn't know much, just followed orders.

In my second year I started feeling like a Knight, someone who is just very tricky, not always knew what squares were good for me and what weren't, and made my shares of mistakes like a new chess player.

In 3rd year I felt like I was a Bishop now, aiming like a laser towards my goal, learning a lot from my mistakes. I have finished my 3rd year now with a great score in my practice.

Now my aim for my 4th year will be to become like a rook because a new file is going to open up, I will start my Clinical and Hospital rotations this year. I hope I will be as solid as a Rook in it.

5th year will be a year of my promotion to a queen because that is the year when I will get my Dr. in front of my name.

And my aim is to become a King in my field by the end of my 6th year, with infinite points, and try to be the best in whatever I do.

That's my life on a chessboard and that's the importance of chess in my life.

Thanks for making my life better and more meaningful with filling it up with the game of chess Sagar Bhai.

Tanishk Khandelwal  

Thanks @Chessbase india for all the great initiative you have done for chess in india .

Personally I think the game of chess and life are so similar that you can learn so many great lessons from it .

Here are some that i learnt ........

1. Zugzwang Occurs in Life, Too

I think in life there cames some times in which you have to make a move/ take a decision where actually all moves are not so great or often bad but it's your move and you can't doudge it . It teaches a person to be flexible. Sometimes, things do not go as planned, so it’s an important life trait to be able to adjust to these situations and continue on in life. Dwelling on a move that another player makes, or a decision of another person, is often not a good option.

2.. Take Action and Stop Procrastinating

you may try to envision the opposing person’s next move, and when they make a mistake, you need to capitalize on it and stop procrastinating.

Otherwise, the other player may correct their mistake and win the game.

If you’re not taking action, you’re letting opportunities pass you by.

3. Small Moves Make a Big Impact

Life is a game of moves. You choose not to study for a test. Maybe you pass, or maybe you don’t. You choose to play video games and not exercise, and maybe you never achieve the dream body you hoped to achieve.

But small, precise moves are what make the game of chess so much fun.

Success often rides on these precise moves. In life, it’s often the small things, done consistently over a long period of time, that is life-changing.

4. Don’t Get Stuck in Regret

Chess, much like life, consists of a very limited number of moves. You need to make good use of these moves, but when you do make mistakes ” everyone does ” it’s important to let go of that regret. Learn to move on from your mistakes.

Life’s too short to regret what you did in the past and can’t change.

I learnt a lot more things but these are some of the things that I have experienced in my life. Hoping that will never leave chess in the future always be in touch with it .

And in addition, chess gives happiness to me, and to overcome my anger issues it helped me a lot.

Thanks again

Tanishk Khandelwal

Rajasthan

Gaurav Kalwani  

For me, Chess has given me countless memories!

Starting with probably my only achievement in life. From a very young age, I was always obsessed with chess, being one of the millions of children who Vishy has inspired, I also wanted to become like him. I was so obsessed with chess that I used to take the chessboard with me wherever we went and asked my sister to play with me in the backseat of our moving car! I also scolded my father every time he drove faster and the pieces would fall! My first tournament was an under 8 tourney( probably a local tournament) where I won all my matches got home my first chess trophy(my only achievement haha). Seeing my coach and family are so proud of me, I really thought I could make it big in the world of this wonderful game.

My journey in chess can never be completed without mentioning my backbone, my Grandfather. He, being more excited than me for my chess, never left a stone unturned in making sure I was on the right path.

But then came a phase that I would love to forget. My grandfather was diagnosed with a brain hemorrhage in 2007. For one year the family struggled for things other than this life-threatening disease which got worse as time went by and we, unfortunately, lost him in 2008. With all this going on, I did not even realize how my chess journey came to a halt.

With all the love that I had for chess, I continued playing it on Facebook or other android apps where I would even play it for 5-6 hours in a day, as a child addicted to a video game.

Fast forward to 2020 and I being a guy who 'used to play chess, with Covid happening and lots of people discovering their love for chess, I realized again how much I love this game!

ChessBase India, you made me love this game again so much that not only do I play chess regularly, I have also started streaming it! I might not be very regular but when I do, it becomes the best time of my day!

On this International Chess Day, I thank you for not only helping me rediscover my love for chess but also for asking this question which took me a trip down memory lane!

Happy International Chess Day!

Winner of the contest: Maheem Bista

I wrote a poem that attempts to answer this "simple" question:

The Perfect Refuge

"What is it that chess has given you in your life?

Answer this one simple question in the comments section below.

" Arre Sagar Bhai, Anish was right, your questions can be low blows.

How can a fish thank the water that has helped it grow?

Chess has made its way from representing Mughal battles to the tables of Emperors, to the hands of a Latvian Magician

And now in my empty home

The mess in my life seems like a present, I am able

To strengthen weak hands in a checkered land where I can Revel in the lovely stories I now know.

The Madras tiger who learned from his mother,

Saravanan's chess books and Ganguly's Archangel.

Chess has given me an escape square, I am no longer smothered.

It's given me a hook, to latch on to, my life was null

And void

Now I cannot bear to avoid

The highs and lows

And the joy chess gives me.

The lows: losing for hours

Refusing to analyze

The bar shows that I'm a coward

I nursed my sunken eyes.

The endless Draw-nish jokes

His "loss" at Tata Steel

The shattering of hopes

Rebuilding them piecemeal.

It's given me the highs: Humpy and Sarin and Prag and the Gold medals

A place to go to every night

Samay's sleep-deprived streams where dull Days didn't exist at all.

Chess has shown me that the puny

Pawn was a Queen all along

Lukasz Nowak is on his back but he

dons the cloak of someone strong

Esipenko's winning smile

Dubov's playing style

I think I'll

Emulate them all

Hello everyone

Everyone who found a better move

It seemed like our lives were paused

Chess gave me, and perhaps you, the perfect refuge.

It gave me the best gift, it caught me unawares renewed happiness

I have set

My cornerstone

On 64 squares

with these 32 pieces

In the stories of champions and tigers and pirates,

I will never be alone.

Thank you all

We want to thank all the viewers and readers of ChessBase India for taking part in the contest! It's because of you that the community we have built is so vibrant! Gratitude.

Maheem Bista, your poem was so beautifully penned. Please write to us at chessbaseindia@gmail.com to claim your prize!

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