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Argumentative Essay
Chess has been played in all corners of the world for centuries. It is a universal
game. A game of strategy, a game of wits, and a game of war. As a game founded on
the principles of war it begs the question: Is chess a game of war or is the game a force
for peace? While chess is based on military strategy and has elements that would lead
many to contend that it is a game of violence, the themes of chess are a driving force
for peace. The strategy that is learnt in chess teaches people to act rationally. One must
learn to sacrifice and always think about what is best in the long run. Chess teaches you
not to be impulsive. Chess is a game that brings people together. You sit down with
your opponent and you play a game. It brings people closer and forms a bond of
friendship, not feelings of aggression. The skills of chess are skills that can be used to
achieve peace and keep it. Chess is a game that teaches the skills which are found in
diplomacy, not in war. The ability to think rationally allows people to make good choices.
Having the skills to think critically, coming together with your opponent, and learning the
skills of diplomacy are what make the game of chess a driving force for peace.
When you play chess you become a better thinker. Unlike most sports, chess is a
game of wit not a game of bronze. The game allows you to develop a particular set of
skills. In chess you have to think to solve your problems. You think ahead and don’t act
impulsively, two things that often stop conflict. Child psychologists believe that when
children learn chess, they develop critical thinking skills (Dauvergne, Peter.). When
children can develop such skills at a young age they're able to use their minds to solve
conflict in their lives. Chess gives people the strategy to solve their problems through
thinking them out. Chess requires players to always be thinking ahead. You have to
think rationally and do what’s best in the long run. This is what makes chess a game of
peace. When you have the ability to think before you act, you're much more likely to
make better choices and do the right thing. Chess is a force for good in the world
When you play chess you pick up life lessons. One lesson I’ve taken away is that
to achieve a goal you can’t be impulsive. The great world champion Garry Kasparov
once remarked that “Chess helps you to concentrate, improve your logic. It teaches you
to play by the rules and take responsibility for your actions.” Chess teaches people to
control your emotions and do what is logical, not just what your gut tells you to do.
Whether it’s a fist fight in the lunchroom or the First World War, conflicts often start
because people act impulsively and don’t think about the long term implications of their
actions. When people have the ability to think critically and think for themselves they
make better decisions. Chess is a game which teaches people to use their brain. It
forces people to look at the bigger picture and do what's best. You always have to be
looking ahead and planning for the future. Chess is game for peace because it teaches
people to act rationally and solve their problems with their mind.
brother and father play a game of chess. For all they argued and all the fought, their
conflicts would be washed away through a friendly game of chess. Often what causes
war and conflict is a lack of communication. People simply don’t talk or won’t come
together and work things out. They let petty disagreements drive their violence. With
chess you have to come together and sit down at a table and talk things out. Chess is a
game in which you are forced to sit with the person next to you and play. A conservative
estimate given by the United States Federation of Chess is that chess is played by over
a half a billion people in the world (Allen, Nick). It is a universal game that spans
continents and transcends language. If half a billion people in the world took away the
values that chess teaches, the world would be an inherently better place. Chess brings
people together at all levels. From old men in central park to school boys in Tehran,
chess is played across the world. It brings people from all walks of life together to
engage in a civil game. Chess is not a game of war, it's a game which encourages you
to come together with your enemy and play a friendly match. It has been played by all
people in all places. It brings people together to work out their differences through the
element of sport, not war. Coming together to work out your differences is what makes
While chess brings people together and teaches them to think critically, a major
reason that it can be used as a means to achieve peace is the element of diplomacy
players learn. The pieces of chess may be instruments of war, but the themes of chess
are instruments of peace. The game teaches its players to always think about their
actions and the implications their decisions will have later on. The English writer Charles
Buxton once remarked that “In life, as in chess, forethought wins.” Chess gives its
players a number of life lessons, but none more important than being able to think about
your actions. When you are forced to look at your actions, you evaluate what you're
doing and why you're doing it. While the ultimate goal of war is to win, you often don’t
think ahead. You focus on one battle at a time and act on impulse rather than doing
what's best to achieve your ultimate goal. Chess instills in the people who play it the
concept that being able to take responsibility for your actions makes you a better player
(Ericsson, K. Anders). Thinking about your actions and creating an environment where
thoughts come before action is the very essence of diplomacy and a key element to
making peace. Chess is a force for peace because its themes teach its players how to
be rational human beings. You may be playing a game of war, but you're learning how
to control yourself, how to use your mind to win out, and how to use rational thought to
achieve victory.
Chess was founded as a game of war, there’s no denying that. The elements of
war are easily visible by watching the game. The goal is to overthrow another king and
capture those who guard him. Chess has been viewed as a violent game which over the
years has led many parents and social activists to view it in the ranks of violent video
games (Goldstein, Jeffrey H.). Chess was invented as a way to play war. It captured the
elements of war and placed them on a board. One had to use the strategy of a General
to obtain a surrender from their opponent. If one purely watches chess even the pieces
are militarized. The knight, king, and queen were all fundamental parts of armies. They
were centerpieces in battles and represent what war was, a struggle of one power to
defeat an opposing one. In chess one seeks to overtake their opponent and in a sense
overthrow their government. You're constantly looking to see how you can pounce on
your opponent and how you can take advantage of their weaknesses. Chess appears to
be a ruthless game which aims to kill people. Your goal is to corner a king and defeat
his army. Chess was founded as a game of war that encourages people to use the
same strategies one would find on a battlefield and apply it to the game. Chess was
founded on the principles of war and could be describe as a simulation of war itself.
Many contend that chess promotes conflict, shows violence, and is nothing more than a
game of war.
Chess may have been founded on the principles of war, but its themes give
players a different message. Chess is a game which forwards the ideals of peace. The
objective of chess may be to overthrow the opponent, but the lessons you learn are
lessons which achieve peace. Chess is not a violent game. It may be based on war, but
it is a game of wits more than anything else. Chess doesn’t teach you how to kill
someone, it teaches you how to think. In chess you don’t develop skills that you can use
in war, rather you develop the skills of a statesman. You're able to think about your
actions and the implications they have on yourself and others. You can analyze the
moves you make and take into account their long term implications. Chess teaches you
strategy which you can apply to your daily life. It makes you a problem solver, not a
problem starter. Chess gives players a skill set which develops their minds as rational
thinkers. In schools teachers use chess as a way for students to pick up skills which
make them not just good chess players, but better thinkers (Bailin, Sharon). Being able
to think rationally and avoid making judgments based on emotion tends to make one a
better decision maker than those who succumb to acting on their emotion. Chess is not
a game of war. The themes of chess make its players better people. When you develop
critical thought, you grow as a person and make better decisions. People who make
better decisions do not engage in violence, they engage in debate and negotiations and
use their mind as a weapon to achieve their goals. Chess is not a force of war, it is a
comes next and anticipate how others will react. You have to promote yourself while
always being aware of what your opponent is doing. Chess makes people critical
thinkers. It teaches them to use their mind to solve problems, rather than engage in
violence. The game of chess brings people together. Chess is a universal game played
by people across the globe. When people are able to sit down and play a game, they
are not enemies, merely opponents engaged in sport. The themes of chess teach
people the principles of diplomacy. When you play chess you develop a set of skills
which prepares you to face conflict in the world. Chess teaches you to solve your
problems by outthinking your opponent rather than fighting them. Many say chess is a
game of violence and a game of war. While chess may have been founded on war, the
themes of the game are rooted in peace. Chess teaches its players to be statesmen,
not soldiers. It instills in players the ability to use their wits to fight their battles, not their
fists. Chess is not a game of war, it is a game which forwards the ideas of peace.
Citations
1. Dauvergne, Peter. "The Case for Chess as a Tool to Develop Our Children’s
Minds." The Case for Chess as a Tool to Develop Our Children’s Minds. University of
5. Bailin, Sharon, Roland Case, Jerrold R. Coombs, and Leroi B. Daniels. "Common
Web.