Welcome, kings and queens!

If you still don’t know BuddhaChess, this is a site where we decided to bring a Buddhist view of aspects of life that can be well understood with examples of the game of chess.

Control the center

Although the chess player has numerous possibilities to make his first moves, some are more efficient than others. If you don’t observe the correct development of your pieces, you may have difficulties in attacking and problems in defending yourself, as well. A principle that is followed by both beginners and experienced players is controling the center of the chessboard. If you quickly gain control of the squares in the center of the board, you will have a better chance of winning.

Strategies

It is common to find players with different styles of play. There are those chess players who are quite offensive, who tend to quickly advance with the queen and soon seek to make checks or traps on the opponent. This can be dangerous, as leaving a valuable piece like the queen early in the game increases the risk of its capture.

On the other hand, there are those who value positional play and spend a good part of the game strengthening the king’s defense. This posture is more observed in more experienced players, but it is important to remember that the victory occurs for the player who applies checkmate.

What is the best style of play? I believe it is important to escape extremes. Not having such an aggressive game, not too passive. It is what in Buddhism we call the Middle Way.

The Middle Way in Buddhism

Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama was a prince who lived in wealth and surrounded by material goods. He decided to abandon everything in pursuit of his spiritual development and better understanding of life. He went on to live only to meditate and fast, performing extreme religious practices. During this period he almost died for health issues.

After a few years he understood that virtue was in the middle way, that is, one should avoid extremes in life. From that moment he corrected his practice and attained enlightenment.

In teaching his disciples how to best follow this middle path in life, he structured them on the so-called Eightfold Path:

1. Right understanding 
2. Right thought 
3. Right speech
4. Right action
5. Right livelihood
6. Right effort
7. Right mindfulness
8. Right concentration

One who manages to follow the middle path will be closer to developing his buddhahood and being a winner in life. In chess or in life, take the middle way.

If you want to know more about Buddhism and Chess, download our BuddhaChess app, which brings daily encouragement quotes from chess masters and about Buddhism

Welcome, Kings and Queens!

If you still don’t know BuddhaChess, this is a site where we decided to bring a Buddhist view of aspects of life that can be well understood with examples of the game of chess.

Calculating in Chess

In chess there is a big difference between moving pieces and playing. There are numerous variables that need to be considered, such as opening, midgame, endgame, tactics, strategy, etc. If we make an analogy with life, it would be like the difference between surviving and living.

There is a necessary attitude that differentiates the player who just moves the pieces and the player with a great vision of the game: the ability to calculate the moves. Calculating in chess means thinking ahead in terms of moves, not just your own, but your opponent’s. Which move will give me the biggest advantage? Will I be following the strategy I planned? What obstacles will be in my way?

Calculating in life

Notice that each move (cause) can generate a series of strengths and weaknesses on the board, for you and for your opponent (effects). When we are unable to correctly visualize this relation, we usually choose poor movement options for the pieces, which in many cases can lead to defeat.
Buddhism recognizes this same characteristic that we observe in chess as a universal law: the law of causality. Everything that happens in the universe ends up creating an effect. From the movement of the planets in the sky, to the relationship between people, everything is under the action of the law of causality.

What a person thinks, says or does will create a direct or indirect effect, which can manifest itself now or at some future time (just like a move on the chessboard). Just as the ability to calculate moves in chess is important to achieving victory, Buddhism teaches that to live fully we must understand the law of causality and apply it to our lives.
A common practice in Nichiren Buddhism is the chanting of the mantra “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo”, which means devoting one’s life to the law of cause and effect. Incorporating this vision into your day-to-day makes you a person with wisdom in making decisions and relating to others.
This is an important life choice: continue as a beginner forever or become a life GM!

If you want to know more about Buddhism and Chess, download our BuddhaChess app, which brings daily encouragement quotes from chess masters and about Buddhism.

Welcome, Kings and Queens!

If you still don’t know BuddhaChess, this is a site where we decided to bring a Buddhist view of aspects of life that can be well understood with examples of the game of chess.

Chess is played on a board with 64 squares and 16 pieces on each side: eight pawns, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, a queen and a king. The objective is to checkmate the opponent’s king, that is, a threat of capture in which the king cannot escape or protect itself.
There is a hierarchy of value between the pieces, according to their power on the board, with the queen being the most valuable piece and the pawn the least valuable.

However, there is an interesting rule in the game: although the pawn is this piece with the lowest value, if it manages to reach the last row of the board, it will be promoted to queen. This is a fact that, when it occurs in a match, it usually generates a power boost so big that victory is almost always certain.

Buddhism similarly approaches the live conditions of ordinary people. According to Buddhism, all people have the potential for Buddhahood. Shakyamuni Buddha (Sidhartha Gautama) attained enlightenment after persevering in his Buddhist practice, achieving a life condition of great wisdom, insight and happiness.

This condition is not a privilege of the few, but an inherent condition in the life of all people. Ordinary people can go a lifetime without knowing Buddhahood (just like most pawns are not promoted to queen). Buddhist practice guides us on the path to this enlightenment. Thus, to reach the last line of the board, the pawn overcomes several obstacles and threats, but in the end the reward is worth it.

Can you imagine transforming your life condition – power, reach, influence – from pawn to queen? We can all develop this same grandiose condition of life of infinite wisdom, happiness and benevolence.

If you want to know more about Buddhism and Chess, download our BuddhaChess app, which brings daily encouragement quotes from chess masters and about Buddhism.