An Uncertain Chess Tournament

By : Jaden Cheung

I am pacing up and down in the bathroom on the third floor of the Mechanic’s Institute in San Francisco, knowing that my clock is ticking. I come out with a clear mind and continue my chess game. Although I am in a strong position, one slip-up might make all of my work for nothing. I give up my knight, believing I have won the match. I get out of my chair and start spectating other boards, ready to tell my parents I won my second match. However, when my adversary plays an inconceivable move, everything falls apart. 

Earlier, I started panicking, and quickly sat back down in my seat. I calculated multiple outcomes, and each outcome was losing. I made the decision to move my queen and crossed my fingers. My adversary had swiftly relocated his queen to shield his rook. This time, he was watching other games as I was preoccupied with attempting to reverse my losing streak. While the remaining time on my clock was quickly running out , I was still searching for the best play to win this game.

I began to think of a memory. My chess master told me, "Whenever you are stuck or losing in your game, you must focus and calm down."

“But how would I go about doing that?” I queried.

“There are two simple methods. The first is to drink water, and the second is to use the restroom," my teacher retorted.

But how does that work? I inquired about my teacher.

My teacher replied, "It helps you focus and be peaceful because your mind is at ease."

I went to the restroom and drank some water once I had grasped what my teacher was attempting to convey. I made a move on the chessboard after returning there. I had at last discovered the winning move, and I shocked my opponent. This time, I prevailed, and my opponent was forced to resign. Although it was a good accomplishment, I had to overcome numerous challenges. But I had to refocus because my next battle was in a few minutes.

The following game began and remained largely unchanged until the endgame. My rival and I both possessed a queen and a rook. He had a lot more pawns than I did, though. Knowing I would lose, I moved my queen across the board ineffectively, but I didn't completely give up on my hopes. Every attempt I made to attack him or trick him into making a mistake took some of my hope away. Then, it happened.

I had discovered a weakness in his resistance. I checked his king by charging my rook up the board. I was aware that this was an improvement in my position as he carefully drew his king away from harm. Additionally, I moved my queen, which caused my adversary to get a little uneasy. He was still unaware of my deadly assault, though. The game has really changed now. He had to give up his rook to thwart my assault. It was still a tough battle, despite the fact that I was suddenly winning. His pawns were edging closer to the board's edge to form a queen. I was able to eliminate one of the pawns using a cunning move. After that, winning was much simpler. He had stopped making any attacks, yet I was still winning.

In the end, I won both of my games. In addition, I took away a valuable lesson. I discovered that even when I am in a losing position, if I stay patient and concentrate on the game, I can overcome my opponent. Since then, I have used concentration to win a lot more games.