Chess is not a game...

A game of 64 squares. One against One. Mind vs. Calculative Mind.

A game with Kings, Queens, Knights, Bishops and Rooks. A game where a mere pawn can become an all powerful Queen.

Rapid. Classical. Lightning. Blind. Played in different formats. Swiss. Round robin. Knock out.

A game that very few people understand. A game that everybody who plays enjoys.

A game that people play sitting across a table. A game that can be as physically tiring as a gym workout. [Players lose twenty to forty pounds over a championship].

A game where there are no handicaps. Except of the mind. A game where a human still beats a super computer that processes billions of calculations per second.

A game where the top players are called Grand Masters. [ the term has a royal ring to it!!!]

A game which requires the highest level of concentration, persistence and patience.

A game which has every bit of killer instinct that, say, boxing has. Fischer used to say, “I like to see them squirm.” Kasparov stares into the eyes of his opponents and sees defeat. A game that rewards gentlemanly behaviour too. Vishwanathan Anand never does uses intimidatory tactics.

A game with millions of openings, middle game possibilities and end game twists. Tactics and strategies. Kings Indian, Queens’ Defence, Sicilian, English, French. Forks, Sacrifices, Pins. All within 64 squares.

A game which is played over 7 hours in a Classical tournament. A game which can be played in 1 minute Lightning format.

A game where women can compete equally with men, and vie for the top honours. A game where a six year old prodigy can beat a sixty year old veteran.

A game where players remember thousands of variations. V. Anand apparently remembers over a million (!!!) variations, and can recollect any position that he has played over his career.

A game enjoyed by a beginner. A game lived by the veterans. A game that is centuries old. Rich in tradition. Still surviving in the modern world.

Chess is not a game. Chess is Life.