Chess WITH THE KNIGHT
WHAT’S the difference between old, experienced and mature? And what has it got to do with chess? Well I think it is significant.
Stating the obvious, old is to do with ageing, something we have no control over. Maturing and gaining experience we do have some control over, if we choose to use it.
On Friday night at Forest Hall Chess Club there were people playing chess as young as five and as old as 86. They were all playing alongside each other with the same enthusiasm, same commitment, same will to win and same desire to enjoy the evening. The majority were home team players but they were joined by players from Morpeth and Tynemouth chess clubs for matches. The thinking skills of each were evident. The youngest were working things out as they went along, hopefully remembering basic lessons they had been taught: develop pieces, don’t make too many pawn moves early on, get your king safe, watch out for unguarded pieces, try to control the centre of the board etc.
The older players sometimes played routinely through the opening, making moves they had made many times before. But it’s not many moves into a game that a new and unfamiliar position occurs, even for experienced players. It’s here that the need for creativity kicks in, to assess the position, to choose to attack or consolidate or defend. Making the right decisions at this point frequently determines the outcome. A strong series of moves often leads to victory, a weak series to defeat. But even in a poor position it is worth battling on; it only takes one weak move by your opponent to give you a chance to rescue yourself. Win, draw or lose, at the end of the game you shake hands and often have a chat with your opponent. Confidence lifted or pride dented, nobody is hurt! It’s just a game. But it is a game with special features. It teaches self-reliance. It requires creativity and imagination. To play well, you need powers of concentration and persistence, and the ability to evaluate situations and choose the best way forward...and not to give up, if the going gets tough.
We all gain experience, some good, some bad, it’s just a product of ageing. Maturing is different. It is learning lessons from experiences, remembering them, and applying them to new situations. Numerous researchers into ageing have identified chess as a brilliant game, in part because it fosters these skills, enabling them to be retained deep into advanced years. It doesn’t matter what age you are, it is a game you can learn, enjoy and benefit from. You will receive a warm welcome at any of the clubs. Their details are on the Northumberland Chess website.
For the record, the results were: 1st Division match, Forest Hall B v Morpeth B ended in a draw. The winners for Forest Hall were Max Turner and Chris Goodall and for Morpeth, Bob Mitcheson and Martin Shaw. Zheming Zhang (FH) and Phil Eastlake (M) drew. 3rd Division match, Forest Hall F beat Tynemouth D 3.5-1.5. The winners for Forest Hall were Jeff Bentham,and Ryan Duff. Ian Toward (FH) and Richard Oxnard (T) drew. Paul Richardson won for Tynemouth. Fifth game won by Forest Hall by default.