They say good chess players are patient.
But many times, transferring your chess skills and applying it in real life can be a bit challenging.
So in this article, we want to help you implement the skills you learn from chess into your real life.
We even have stories of two World Champions, one from China and one from Cuba, to inspire you.
Let’s get started.
1. Be actively patient like Jose Raul Capablanca
At our academy, we teach chess classics to our students. A legend whose games we show is Jose Raul Capablanca.
When you see enough of his games, you’ll notice a pattern.
Capablanca plays simple moves and improves his position. The opponent finds it hard to keep up. Soon, they make a mistake and Capablanca pounces.
It’s like Capa is patient and also alert to opportunities at the same time. He’s actively patient!
The same philosophy works in life too.
You take small steps every day that move you closer to the goal. Then at the right time, an opportunity will open up, almost as if it were magic. And then you pounce on it!
To the outside world, it looks like you got lucky.
But only you know the small steps you took every day without losing patience have got you there.
2. Understand sacrifice is short-term pain, long-term gain
In chess, there are situations when you sacrifice a Queen to deliver a checkmate. Or you give up a pawn to get a long-term advantage.
Chess teaches you not to panic when you sacrifice material. Instead, it teaches you to be patient and to believe in your analysis.
In life too, there will be moments when you have to sacrifice a few things to achieve your goals.
Like you may need to study for exams. That means, spending more time with books than with your friends.
Think of it like a chess sacrifice.
Don’t press the panic button and ignore the books. Instead, believe in the process. Believe that you studying is going to bear fruits in the future.
And you can always meet your friends later.
3. Keep hope even when things are hard
In Game 12 of the 2023 World Championship Match, Ding Liren was trailing the match by a full point.
On top of that, he got a completely lost position in the first 20 moves. A loss would mean his dream of becoming a World Champion would be over.
Did he give up hope? Nope! Did he get impatient? Nope!
He kept fighting. Then Ian Nepomniachtchimade made a blunder, and suddenly the tides turned! Ding was back in the game, even went on to win Game 12, and eventually the World Chess Championship!
But had he given up hope, had he ran out of patience when he was losing, maybe the chess history would be different today.
When things are hard in your life, have the patience to keep fighting. You never know when fate smiles on you!
