The Game of Kings

The Old Indian defence, orang-utan opening or the Sicilian defence; all these have one thing in common. They are all chess openings. Long ago, chess was a game loved by the kings, that is why it is also often refered to as 'The Game of Kings'. Chess, originating from North West India in the sixth century, is a board game played between 2 players. Each player starts the game with sixteen pieces: one king, one queen, two bishops, two knights, two rooks and eight pawns on a board of sixty four squares. The main aim of the game is to trap the opponent’s king so that it is under threat of being captured but cannot move. This situation is known as a checkmate. In addition to it, chess is a simple application of the ‘game theory’. In simple terms, the game theory says that the success of one’s choices depend on the choice made by the opponent. Thus both players in a chess game are interdependent that is they depend on each other’s moves. This is what makes chess a complex and thoughtful game.

CHESS AS AN ANALOGY FOR BUSINESS STRATEGY

Many lessons can be learnt from chess. One of them could be business strategy. A business strategy is simply the strategies and tactics that a business will adopt to successfully compete on the market. A strategy is a long term plan while a tactic is a short term plan. In businesses the long term strategies are formulated at the strategic level while the short term strategies are formulated at the tactical level. There is also a third level which is operational planning and this deal mainly about control.

Strategy

In a chess game, the opening, i.e. how the pieces are placed at the start, is the most decisive part of the game because it will determine the strategy of chess player. A good strategy will help the chess player to gain a long term advantage over the opponent later in the game and it mainly deals about the positioning of pieces. After all, playing chess without strategies or plans is the best way to lose a game. The strategy is devised as the game flows. In addition to it, devising a strategy will require that the chess player forward thinks. In doing so, the chess player analyses all the alternatives and outcomes prior to making a move. This is not different to that of a business. At the strategic planning, the business (the Board of Directors) will analyse all the variables (government policies, level of competition or economic climate) and then will formulate long term strategies to enable their success.

Tactic

A tactic on the other hand is a short term strategy in chess. It usually results in the gain of a piece by putting the opponent in a situation where two pieces are under threat of being captured and he has only one move. As a result of this, on the next move, the opponent will lose one piece. Thus a short term advantage will be gained. This is not different to that of a business using tactics to compete on the market. A business tactic is where a business will act to gain an advantage in the short term so as to help in carrying out its strategy. For e.g. if a tactic was to prevent new entrants from getting into the market, the business may decide to lower its price below that of the new entrants to force them out of the market. These tactics are usually formulated by the various departments of the business at the tactical level.

Control

Staying in control of the game is as equally important as devising new strategies and tactics. This situation is where every move that the chess player makes, forces the opponent to make a predictable defensive move. Thus, to stay in control, good moves have to be made. A bad move can only result to losing time and wasting a turn. One can easily lose control of the match with one bad move and consequently losing the match. This is just the same for a business where a proper control system helps to monitor or adjust the performance of a business to get a positive outcome.

Life is like a game of chess

Another key lesson that is taught while playing chess is about life. In playing chess, one can see the different facets of life. These are planning, adapting to changing situation, sacrifice and temptation.

Planning

Just as for business strategy, one must always plan for future and devise strategies to reach those established goals. Always ask “What if....?” questions before making the final choice.

Adapting to changing situation

The only constant in life is change. Just like in chess, all opponents do not usually play the same sequence of moves all the time, so one should be able to adapt to changing situations. This means that one should not always play the same sequence of move he was used to, but instead play in relation to the moves of the opponent. This requires determination and willingness to adapt which are essential qualities in life.

Sacrifice

Winning chess games usually involve sacrificing the good pieces at the right time to benefit from it later in the game. Just as for life, one should do some sacrifices to benefit from them later.

Temptation

The opponent in chess will always try to devise tactics. This can be, for example, leaving a pawn unprotected. This might be a move to divert attention and try to expose one into vulnerable positions. Thus in life, one should not fall for such tricks and should remain focussed on his main aim. In chess, the main aim being to checkmate the opponent while in life, each one has his own aims.

In the light of the above, chess is a game where you learn to make plans and solve complex problems. Other skills that are learnt or developed include analytical skills, mental sharpness and problem solving amongst others. Analogies can be applied though, among which include business strategy and life as demonstrated above. Thus my advice to you is starting playing chess as it will only benefit you in a positive way. I will end by one of my favourite quotes "Every Chess master was once a beginner" so do not be afraid to start playing chess.