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Make Your Move
Updated: Apr 28, 2021
Isn’t life similar to a game of chess…?
On one hand, you’re constantly standing your ground against the adversities of the day, on the other you got to catch the king…
The boy’s eyebrows frowned intensely, the moment his brother placed the bishop in the middle of the board. Check he whispered satisfied. The boy observed his pieces, trying to come up with a good alternative for what was about to happen. He was going to lose the queen, that was certain, but he still had a choice for what price. Scanning the board he calculated the potential of his move and tried to alternate the hypothetical future getting a few steps ahead of the game. He was in trouble. Alright, then he exhaled with a sour grin spread across the face and moved the queen to get rid of the bishop. His brother took out the queen instantly, check. Now there was the queen of the adversary threatening the king. Alright, the boy took a deep breath, letting his mind count the possibilities, goddamn whispered the ego within.
*
After the game, they played another one. Obviously. His younger brother won one of them, the boy won the second one. They shook hands on the draw and decided to take a break before going at it again. As his sibling left the kitchen, the boy picked up his notebook and wrote down an idea, which flashed across his mind’s screen during the game. Life is like a game of chess he noted, is it though…? He tapped the end of the pencil against the tabletop, as his analytical mind, warmed up by the two games of chess, grinding the idea with its flaws and advantages. Okay, let’s see his creativity exclaimed as he closed his eyes.
*
First, there is a king and queen. The king is the most important piece in the game, yet it is also the least able one, whereas the queen is not essential for victory, but without it, the army potential is heavily weakened. The boy’s brain analyzed the pieces as his hand-sketched phrases and sentences across the page in the endless movement of intuitive dance. The aim of the game is to catch the king of the enemy, which could be transcribed to the idea of chasing ones’ dream. In this sense, all of the adversary’s pieces and moves are nothing else but obstacles on the way to obtaining ones’ goal. The king can also be considered ones’ integrity and commitment to such goal’s attainment. Following this thinking, the queen could represent the skillful approach, as it is the ablest and most valued piece in the game. Without its range of motion and adaptability, victory is much more difficult to attain. The boy nodded his head a few times noticing a certain method in the madness of his creativity’s reasoning. Then let’s reflect on the bishop his mind whispered, due to its ability to move across the board, setting up openings and inciting the opponent’s reaction, the bishop could be seen as ones’ determination and courage to create opportunities in the space where there was none in the first place. Sounds easier than it is the boy murmured. Then the knight he continued, a definite ‘black horse’ of the game… Due to its out-of-the-ordinary pattern of movement, the knight is a great example of ones’ creativity and ‘outside the box’ thinking. With its help, we can set up a solid defense, as well as hidden attack patterns. Great asset to have up ones’ sleeve.
*
The boy straightened his back and grabbed the glass of water. Gulping down the rest of the refreshing liquid, he pondered on the validity of his mind’s ideas. There is no right or wrong when it comes to creative writing he reminded himself. Putting down the glass, he drew his gaze back at the page and decided to finish the discourse. So the next one to consider would be the rook he started, such an important figure both in the game and in life when seen from this thinking’s perspective. It can represent the strength and focus on ones’ goal, as it is a great piece to set the final strike with. The range of its movement is slightly restricted, but once unleashed in the appropriate situation, this asset is highly valuable. And finally the last but not least the pawn the boy noted, as simple as this piece can be, it is of great use, especially when supported by one another. This figure is certainly a symbol of persistence and discipline, his mind acclaimed, one step at a time, one step at a time, this little, seemingly insignificant asset, can over time become the next queen, as well as provide the necessary set up when used with patience and confidence. The strength of the pawns lies in their ability to support one another, the boy thought, and although it is the first one to spare when necessity requires, it is also the only piece out of all which can turn the game around once it reaches the far side of the board.
*
The boy observed the scribbles spread across the page for a moment, thinking of the reasons, which could undermine his words’ essence. He pondered on the lesson learned today, one that could be drawn as a conclusion from his early afternoon discourse.
Care for your integrity, use your assets wisely, and don’t ever underestimate the power of persistence…
He thought of the sentence, which echoed through his mind a few times before; one that he read in the book, which treated on the life of Abraham Lincoln. The good thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time he remembered. That is why we should always choose our move wisely.
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*art by Katarzyna Druszcz