Chess is a popular and perhaps one of the most ancient strategy games. Today, it’s known worldwide and played by millions of people. Chess promotes dynamic strategic thinking and planning. Both of these skills can be immensely helpful when applied to other aspects of life as well. The game played today originated in medieval Europe, and there are early versions that are of Indian and Persian origin. Moreover, other cultures have a similar variety of strategic games, such as backgammon.

Because of chess’s ease of learning and availability, it can be used as a way to develop strategic thinking from an early age. Chess can be promoted among kids as a hobby and be introduced into the curriculum. As players, chess takes into account many factors before making a move, such as board composition and playstyle of the opposing player. Care must be taken while making moves so the opposing player can’t exploit them easily. Responsible or careful thinking is another skill that chess promotes and can be translated into a real-life habit.

Chess also teaches a player when to give up and avoid further confrontation. Chess consists of two endgame states: a checkmate and a stalemate. A checkmate signifies a game is over; it is considered to be a checkmate when the king of the player’s team is in an inescapable vulnerable position. The team whose king is powerless is deemed to be lost while the other team is declared the winner. A stalemate happens when there are very few pieces from the players on the board. Because of this, it is not practically possible to reach any other piece on the board. A stalemate game never ends and can go on forever. Hence stalemates are usually considered a draw, and both teams forfeit. Therefore, chess can teach a person a lot of good real-life habits.