Chess & Reflection · 2019–2026
What I Learned from Chess
Chess taught me to calculate, but one lost game taught me something more valuable: good decisions also require self-awareness and a clear mind.
01
A move I still remember
In 2025, after finishing an exam, I spent the following day at a chess tournament. By an important game I was tired and tense. The position was balanced, but one careless move gave my opponent an immediate opportunity, and I lost.
I could not take the move back, but I could examine why it happened. The lesson was not simply to calculate further. I needed to manage my time and energy, recognize fatigue, and know when a short pause would lead to a better decision than forcing myself to continue.
02
Mistakes as information
In the 2023–2024 school year, I won second prize in the U15 standard chess team event at the Đống Đa District Student Sports Festival. In October 2024, I received third prize in a tournament celebrating the Physics Specialization’s 39th anniversary.
I value those results, but the habit that stays with me is reviewing a game honestly to understand what I overlooked. Instead of hiding from a bad move, I try to recognize the impatience, pressure, or assumption behind it. This has taught me to accept responsibility without allowing one mistake to define me.
03
The board as a place to meet
In 2025, I helped organize the HSGS Chess Championship with other club members. I enjoy listening as several people study the same position and notice different possibilities.
At the Gieo Trăng program, chess became another form of communication. Playing with a deaf student, I paid closer attention to gestures, eye contact, and moves on the board. What mattered was not who won, but that each move allowed us to share a thought.
04
Growing beyond the board
Chess has taught me to think before deciding, remain calm enough to recognize when I am wrong, and stay open to the perspective of the person across the board. It has also taught me patience with myself: a loss can be disappointing without becoming a defeat, and improvement begins when I am honest about what happened.
More than an academic or competitive activity, chess has become part of how I develop concentration, emotional balance, humility, and respect for others.
What stayed with me
“Growing is not about never making a wrong move; it is about facing mistakes honestly and making the next decision better.”