Life Lessons from Speed Chess
I love the game of chess. I’m not particularly good, but I can usually win against a non-experienced player. I’ve been playing more online games recently to improve my skills. There are two kinds of games I play - games where each move gets 3 days, and speed games where each side gets 10 minutes on the clock for the game.
When I’m playing a speed game, I make a lot of mistakes that I wouldn’t make in a slow game. I would see the checkmate that my opponent is setting up with his rook and queen. I would notice the knight being maneuvered to fork my two rooks. I would spot the weakness in my opponent’s pawn formation that could lead me to victory. But in the moment, with the clock ticking, I don’t notice those things. And I get checkmated. Or I lose material that I can’t make up later. Or (most likely of all) I don’t pay attention to the clock and run out of time.
When I’m playing a slow game, the opponents are usually better. But then, I am better too. I can take my time and study the board. I can strategize. I can see the danger coming. And I often (but not always) win. And when I lose, it’s usually due to superior play by my opponent, not because I made a boneheaded mistake.
The life of faith is a bit like my chess game. If I’m constantly rushing, constantly hopped up on dopamine, I miss things. I am vulnerable to the temptation to spout off on social media, to let my gaze linger on the pretty coed in the coffee shop, to skip prayer and time reading my Bible because “I’m too busy.”
1 Peter 5:8 advises us to “be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” When I’m constantly distracted, when I never slow down, I make myself a target of the enemy. Just like in chess.
(P.S. Up for a game? I’m on chess.com. My username is “thatmoodyguy.” Send me a request!)