Business is often compared to poker. You need luck. You need to do well with the hand you are dealt. You need to bluff every once in a while. However, I think that there are more similarities between business and chess.

Looking a few moves ahead

For one, in chess, unless you are looking a few move ahead, you are doomed to fall into your opponent’s trap. With each turn, you need to anticipate the moves that your opponent can make and the various options that you have.

Similarly, in business, if you know the road ahead, you can anticipate industry changes or alterations in customer behavior. You can then build your business to outlast your competition and you can make the correct bets early, whether that be on platforms, distribution channels, or product feature choices.

Concentrate, but not too much

In chess, if you don’t concentrate on the game, you will lose. You must dedicate your entire attention to each move, whether it is your turn or your opponent’s.

Ironically, the more you concentrate on the game, the more likely you are to miss larger shifts that are occurring in the game. You can spend too much time paying attention to the trees rather than the forest, which is why all great chess players and businessmen can move from the microview to the macroview easily.

They can shift their perspective and think outside the box, both when calculating their own moves, and trying to understand the strategy of their opponent.

Each piece has limitations. Teams, not pieces, win.

Solo creators may be able to build products that become popular, but it’s impossible to build a successful business alone, without any employees, advisors, or partners.

The strength of a business is in its people. The people that sell, market, dream, and create within the business. Even if there are pieces that stand out like the queen, it’s the army behind those pieces that allow them to make big changes on the board.

In addition, employees or partners in business also have limitations in the same way that pawns can only move a few spaces and bishops can only move diagonally.

It is the pieces working together as a coherent team that leads to success, not the all-stars trying to take on an army on their own.

You can’t win if you don’t understand the rules.

If you don’t understand the rules of chess, your chance of winning significantly decreases. If you don’t know the different ways the pieces can move or how they can be used in an attack or defense strategy, you can’t plan ahead.

In the same way, if you don’t understand the rules of business, you are doomed to failure. Your revenue may be growing and you may be experiencing high profits, but then you are hit with a message from the government saying you owe $50k in unpaid taxes, forcing you to close down.

Research different attack and defense strategies. Become comfortable with the layout of the board. Learn what the common checkmate tricks are and how to avoid them. Get a feel for how the pieces move and how they can be used in a cohesive strategy.

Conclusion

Yes, there are some similarities between business and chess. However, there’s one big difference. With chess, you can play a 5 minute game, a 10 minute game, or a leisurely 30 minute game. After that time period, you can rest your eyes and your brain. All that concentration is a lot of work!

With business, it’s a 24/7 365 day a year game that lasts for years. Every moment demands your laser fixed attention and a few slip-ups can make the difference between success and failure.

It’s time to ask yourself which game you want to play.