Chess, by Christian Dischler
Although there is no clear point of origin for the game of chess, it is believed to come from either China, India, or Persia. The game has evolved very much since it was first created. Names of pieces, how pieces can move, name of the game, and how pieces looked all changed as years went on, but the game was always played on a eight by eight checkerboard. Chess has taken a dip recently in popularity due to games that do not require any patience like Call of Duty. We live in an age where we need everything now and we want the easiest option, which is what the opposite of what chess teaches. Chess teaches people the important virtue of patience, and forces it’s players to think about things down the road rather than video games that only require little thinking about the present.
These very important skills can be applied in the business world too. Economist Kenneth Rogoff says “I think about chess all the time. In boring meetings. Or at night. Sometimes I think about chess to calm myself down, almost like meditation.” Kenneth gives credit to chess for his success, for he was a high school drop out and kept himself busy by playing chess. It also helped him by giving him the ability to anticipate things that were going to happen. Another grandmaster in Chess and a Certified Financial Planner, Douglas Goldstein, explains a scenario of what happened in a chess game with an interviewer, “I moved the protecting piece out of the way and she snagged my other piece. This is exactly what can happen with the protection surrounding [a client’s] money.” He then goes on to explain the analogy of chess to economics with,“Someone has an IRA and says, ‘I’m gonna take some money out and buy some cottage in Oregon by the Rogue River’. You’ve got to keep those key protections in place. The moment you move them [in this case, the tax-protective shell of the IRA] you’re setting yourself up for potential devastation.” Like Kenneth Rogoff, Goldstein has also been prepared to anticipate things and apply it to the business world thanks to his experiences in playing chess.
Although the demand for chess is not as high as it used to be, parents should try to teach their children chess and get them involved with the game at a lower age in order to help them out down the road. Chess is fairly cheap hobby that only requires basic equipment to play unlike sports which have high initial costs and new equipment each season as the wear down very quickly. It can also increase hand eye coordination as players experience increase. Players of chess can choose to play with a timer and play a type of chess called blitz where the player has a restricted amount of time to move and a restricted total time. Blitz chess not only improves hand eye coordination but will increase the players ability to think on their feet. If chess is cheap and can be played at anytime of the day why not get yourself and others involved.
Works Cited
Spence, Michael. "How Chess Can Make You Rich." Think Advisor. Morgan James Publishing, 21 Oct. 2014. Web. 5 May 2015.
Emmett, Ryan. "Kenneth Rogoff On Chess And Debt." Chess.com. Chess.com, 6 Feb. 2012. Web. 5 May 2015.
I use to love to play chess, I joined the chess club and everything. I was terrible at it though never really bother me I just kept playing for fun. I haven't played in years now and this story makes me want to play again. Chess is beneficial in so many areas as you said it teaches you to think ahead. A good skill for not only economics, but life too. Chess also just strengthens your brains get you thinking faster and harder with less strain on you. Chess is a great and helpful game.
ReplyDeleteI have never played chess, but I can see how it may be on a decline in popularity. With all of the other possibilities for games these days, many are drawn away from games like chess. There is becoming less of a demand for chess, and therefore less supply and promotion of the game board and pieces. People should be more open to games that they aren’t used to playing, because they may just find out that they like it. Chess could also be considered an elastic good, because if prices were to increase on the game board and pieces, even less people will show interest. Great topic!
ReplyDeleteChess is a fun game, and it is much cheaper than lots of other games like video games. I think that people are more drawn to video games because there is more to them, and like you said, everything is instant. Chess requires a lot of patience that many people just don’t have, so that could be why the demand is going down. (Personally, I think it is fun, but I’m really bad at it and I forget how each piece can move.)
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger I used to play chess every once in a while, but it has been a long time since I last touched a chess piece. The game itself is okay, though it can get boring after about 15 minutes. Although, I never thought about how this game can give you skills that are applicable to real life. After reading this though, it makes sense that it can teach about the business side of things; how to anticipate something or someone’s next move. Chess is also relatively cheap like you mentioned, which makes it very easy for parents to buy and then teach their kids how to play it. I take a business class currently and even though chess isn’t my favorite thing, it would still be cool if we could play in class.
ReplyDeleteI like the connection you made to econ. I think that thinking about the next move is important for econ and life in general.
ReplyDeleteI remember how almost every day in sixth grade my teacher would have the class pair off and play chess. Though I don't remember how to play, I do remember enjoying the game a lot. It does make you think ahead and problem solve, which are both very important in real life situations. It doesn't surprise me at all that there is a significant decline in popularity, seeing as the majority of chess players are older.
ReplyDeleteI like that the main focus of your topic was not how chess affects economy with money, but how it can help you, in whatever job you have. As you said, Chess requires a lot of patience that most do not have, which may be part of why the game is not as popular as other sports or games. In the end though, I agree with your statement that parents should have their kids play chess, so it helps them down the road.
ReplyDeleteWhile I personally have never partook in a game of chess, I understand it’s importance with teaching patience and strategic planning. As you stated in your post many individuals are becoming less and less patient and simply want instantaneous pleasure or gratification, which not only will affect chess but the popularity of all board games. Electronic devices have provided benefits for mankind, yet we simply can’t ignore the negative repercussions that it has had on other individuals.Patience must be instilled within an individual and board games such as chess, are the perfect tools to provide the stepping blocks towards this beneficial life skill.
ReplyDeleteI remember how almost every day in sixth grade my teacher would have the class pair off and play chess. Though I don't remember how to play, I do remember enjoying the game a lot. It does make you think ahead and problem solve, which are both very important in real life situations. It doesn't surprise me at all that there is a significant decline in popularity, seeing as the majority of chess players are older.
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting way to look at economics, Christian. According to the textbook we read, economics assumes people are rational in that they act according to the idea that they can further their own self-interest. But as you point out, this isn't always the case. Sometimes we sell ourselves short and don't act in this rational manner. Maybe chess could help us improve our decision making and help the economy.
ReplyDeleteChess is a wonderful activity. I agree that its required patience teaches children terrific virtues. Although the demand for chess has seemed to decrease as of late, I think this demand can easily be increased by further advertising its marvelous beauties. Maybe even if more celebrities started to play chess, and publicly, more people will notice the wonder of chess and will revive its popularity.
ReplyDeleteI understand the value that learning chess can have, although I haven't played the game myself in a few years and not being very good at the game. I agree in saying that it would be extremely beneficial for parents to teach their children a valuable skill such as chess that could give them valuable life lessons for later on in life.
ReplyDeleteI think that learning how to play chess is beneficial to developing more critical and strategic thinking. Today, society is all about quickfire thinking and fast paced activities. Substitute goods such as the Wii, Xbox, or other gaming devices have taken over as demand for board games in general has declined. Also, more people who do play chess most likely choose to play on a computer, rather than in person.
ReplyDeleteIt's cool to see something like a board game be related to making moves in the economy. It's definitely not something that should be impulsive or rushed and treating economics the same way is probably something that should be happening more (cough, we don't need that much invested in the military right now, cough). I never learned to play chess, but I think I could take some advice from this article and think about what I'm going to do more in depth before I make decisions! The connections are pretty good, though I can't see how chess directly effects the economy.
ReplyDeleteIt very is interesting how the skills that it takes to play chess are helpful in other aspects of life such as economics. Being able to think at least three steps ahead of the opposition can help in making investments. It can help in predicting cyclical turns in the economy.
ReplyDeleteChristian, I really liked how you strayed away from the usual "the economics of" style of blog post. It was interesting to see how someone could take a game like chess and apply it to their life. When people learn patience and how to work hard, it can help them earn jobs as adults. If people are more virtuous and patient, maybe they can get jobs and contribute to the economy and decrease the unemployment rate. The people who don't get the jobs because they don't have the skills or the abilities, because of their lack of patience, are the same people that contribute to the structural unemployment rate.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I have never played chess and don't really have any interest in it, I found your article very intriguing. As you said, chess teaches people how to be patient and how an important decision can affect you down the road. Those lessens aren't taught in Xbox games or Wii games where you can set certain settings to make things easier. Overall, I agree with your statement in that more people should learn to play chess so that they can learn--in a different way--the necessary life skills that are used daily.
ReplyDeleteIn things like video games there are sources of money from the expansion packs, the purchase of the physical games, the consoles, and all the complementary goods that go along with that video game. With Chess, its basically buying the 10 dollar board and you really never need to buy anything related to chess again. But chess still exists, so somehow it must be profitable. Maybe you are right in saying chess teaches all the subliminal skills that video games or even other board games cant teach people.
ReplyDeleteChess is a great game, however I think part of the problem with chess is that games can take a really long time, at least when you consider most people who play casually don't play blitz chess. The time that a game takes can be extensive and it's possible that a different game might be a better use of time, like Tetris or a Rubik's cube, which give a similar benefit to chess.
ReplyDeleteChess is a game that I never thought a lot about. I agree with what you said, that chess is one big thing that focuses on concentration and patience and I can understand why the demand over the years would go down for it. Games that are more interactive are becoming more and more popular. Chess however gets your mind going because it is all strategy. Also chess is a cheap game unlike GTA where you got to buy a counsel, controller, and the game. Chess the board is only $10 but videos games are inelastic because the demand for them will not change. Good topic, it was interesting!
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting to see how big of a connection there was between chess and economics. It was also interesting that some economists thank chess for their success. Having read your post, I now feel compelled to pick up chess as a hobby, knowing now that it had benefited others so much.
ReplyDeleteI never thought of chess as teaching children strategy or focus, but now I can see it! This topic is not one I would have related to economics, but I like the relationships you pulled together. If chess is so cheap compared to video games, and it only needs to be purchased once, why is chess making profits and is still available at any store that carries games? I can see where video games are still stocked at stores because there is so much money and options for just one game or system. I would love to see how much money is made from chess sales. I have never played chess and I do not know how to, but I want to try it now knowing that it can teach faster decision time and thinking ahead, those are traits necessary in every day life. Overall, great job! Thank you for sharing.
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