By: Somansh 9A

A king stands in his castle, stoic. A legion of soldiers rages forward on the battlefield, ready to defend their kingdom with their lives. Warriors on horses and elephants charge ahead, adamant.
All of this takes place on a chess board. A simple wooden board, consisting of sixty-four black and white squares for an onlooker is nothing less than a war ground for the two players on either side of the board. It is a game of Rooks, Bishops and knights, headed by a king and queen, tussling for supremacy in a model war.

Though my affiliation with chess has never been the same as that of a professional chess player, I have always enjoyed it deeply as a hobby. The exercise of the mind, developing strategies and trying to find any possible way to breach enemy defences has always been a thrilling experience. Hardly anything can trump the satisfaction of uttering the confident, final word in chess, “Checkmate”.
Quite obviously, such a sport requires great skill and strategy. Chess is simple to the eye, but is very challenging to master. And in this challenge lies the appeal of the game. A chess player deeply engrossed in his game is transported into another dimension, where he is the commander of his own army, moving each soldier after much planning and deliberation.
Chess isn’t only a fun and challenging game but since it demands much skill and strategizing, it is evidently a very helpful game in life. Playing chess sharpens the brain; a seasoned chess player is almost able to visualize everyday moments the way they visualize chess. Playing chess improves ones standard of life altogether.
Chess: a game, a war. Day by day someone new plays chess and someone new becomes the commander of their own army, a tactician. Obviously, not everyone becomes someone like Bobby Fischer on their first try, or like Viswanathan Anand, a former world champion who inspired millions of people in India to start playing chess. However, practice makes perfect and readily playing the game with determination can unearth anyone’s inner grandmaster.