Where do you think the world of sports will be in three months, ten months, or even a year from now? Are there going to be permanent changes due to the challenges we currently face? It’s obvious that this global pandemic has affected if not all, most of the athletes’ training schedules. Forced to adapt to a new normal, many suffer from this change, but chess players have an interesting way of taking advantage of the current situation.
Chess is infamously known for its lack of physical strain and contact. This makes it an ideal sport to train in even amidst a pandemic. A couple of months ago, players would normally sit down face-to-face and spar with each other on the board, but these days, athletes are looking to use online platforms to train instead. This way, athletes can still continue to train while having no physical contact with sparring partners. Sites such as Chess.com, Lichess, or Chess24 are some common favorites among chess players.
Unlike any other sport, chess only uses logic and strategy. Aside from knowing the basic rules, players need to develop their own unique styles at the game. There are infinite positions and possibilities and each has different aspects that make it special. Amidst the pandemic, chess players are still practicing as hard as ever and are exploring new ways to improve.
Technology is definitely on chess’s side. It has changed the training process quite significantly. Learning openings are now very convenient as a simple Google search can direct you to some of the best videos and books online; and, with the help of chess engines, it is easier to identify the best moves and analyze complex strategies. Technology helps broadcast major tournaments and the analyses coming from players about the games, which can help improve an athlete’s play.
There are platforms such as YouTube and Twitch where masters can share their inputs on the game with a wide audience, without any physical contact. What once started as a game for royalty is now one of the most popular games in the world. Streamers such as Hikaru Nakamura are blowing up on some of these platforms as they find new and fun ways of enjoying the game.
Chess is a game that you wouldn’t expect to be action-packed or full of adrenaline. Let’s face it, there isn’t much action going on on the surface but if we just dig a little deeper, much of the game’s beauty lies hidden beneath. The elegance in concealed variations and elaborate plans is what really makes the play of the game. As Marcel Duchamp once said, “In chess, there are some extremely beautiful things in the domain of movement, but not in the visual domain. It’s the imagining of the movement or of the gesture that makes the beauty.”
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