As backhanded Christmas gifts go, a copy of 12 Rules for Life, must be up there with wrinkle cream or a nose-hair trimmer. One generous soul decided that Jordan Peterson’s bracing self-help book, published two years ago, was just the tonic I need to improve my life and character.
Who knows what advice to take, when feedback from the game of life is so wickedly fuzzy? Most decisions are inconsequential, and some which look good will come back to haunt you. But in the game of kings, results are unambiguous: win, lose or draw, and then you get reincarnated. So in the spirit of January resolutions, this is how those dozen rules might apply to chess.
1. Stand up straight with your shoulders back.
A good start: sit up straight at the board. I don’t do this, but I still win sometimes.
2. Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping.
It takes preparation and composure to play your best chess.
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