In chess, a player can make a wrong move and loses the game. Sometimes, though, one can make a wrong move and still be in the game.
When I first started playing, if I made the latter kind of mistake, I was quick to give up. The more advanced players against whom I was playing would always say “Play it out. That’s how you learn.” I always rolled my eyes at this. I knew I was finished - what was the point of prolonging my humiliation?
As I got a little better at the game of chess, and as I worked through my own anxieties, I started heeding this advice. And lo and behold, I would sometimes make a terrific comeback, even after making a seemingly fatal “wrong move.”
Of course, it still stings when I accidentally lose a valuable piece in the game. And it often does mean I lose that match. But I always learn and I always enjoy the game.
Do you give up when the game isn’t going your way? Let’s work together to learn to “play it out!”
