The Stray Gambit.

Hello Everyone and Welcome to my third blog!

As always I post about motivation in chess.

Today I will speak about the relation between stray cats and chess.

Can stray cats or cats in general actually help us in chess?

In the late 90s a garage was on fire, firemen themselves were too scared to enter inside, but a stray cat was seen by firefighters go in the garage without fear, without second thoughts, she went in and out 5 times, each time carrying out a small kitten, each time, she was more injured than before, but she did not let go, despite the amazement of the firemen watching the scene, the stray cat, Scarlett, showed what sacrifice is really about, what is courage, what is bravery to the firemen and the bystanders watching the garage in flames. But why is she risking it? they probably thought, it is too dangerous, to her, it was just love.

That same stray cat, probably, to survive was always asking food from people passing by
And like some people do and yet are scared to admit, they ignore it.
How many times have we seen a cat meow for food?
How many times have we ignored it?

And How many times is the cat still standing there, days, or weeks later even though it knows, it wont get anything .
the cat doesn't give up, it keeps wasting energy to meow, even though it knows it might get nothing for it, it makes people angry seeing it there crying, day by day, they are annoyed by it, and sometimes they push it away.
the cat keeps having hope, and it never loses it.

But how can hope and bravery of the cat relate to chess?

Many times in chess, when we have a lost position, we tend to give up.

Like in life, we are often faced with positions that seem hopeless. A player may be down in material, trapped in a bad position, surrounded by threats much like the stray , hungry, ignored and unwanted. Unlike the cat, some of the players, stop the clock and resign. They are relieved it is over, But could they get more? The player can keep looking through the complications, for that one square, one opportunity, one misstep that can make a chance, a chance that sometimes leads to brilliance.

We should never give up, there is always a way for the one that searches.

Now consider the cat that ran in the garage 5 times to save her kittens, that is not calculation, it is not some crazy opening idea that gives us an advantage, it is not strategy , that is courage, believing in itself. The kind of courage we see in chess when a player sacrifices their queen for a winning attack, or a rook for a knight or bishop ( what we call exchange sacrifice) for a long term plan. That is belief in yourself, faith in yourself and faith in your vision.

The firemen ( the world) in chess watch amazed, just like spectators in a match who witness a sacrifice they don't understand yet. Why sacrifice? Why risk so much? but slowly move by move the truth emerges. Just like the cat emerging from the flames with her 5th kitten, the boldness was never reckless, it was necessary.

And that meowing stray , the one we try to ignore is like a losing position in chess that whispers to us '' Don't give up'' Keep going . Even when we are frustrated , even when we are tempted to resign, that meow is the position whispering us ' try again, look again' hope again.

Chess teaches us not just to calculate but to believe in resilience, in persistence , in the chance that the fire can be run through , that a lost game can be saved. that a starving cat might still be fed.

So the story of the cat is the story of the player,

The fire is the danger on the board,
The meow is the move that still exists.
And hope? that is what keeps both cat and player alive.

Scarlett's story is not just about heroism and courage it is about resilience and persistence driven by love,

The will to continue,
The patience to endure,
The focus to carry your vision to the end, even if you are burned along the way.

That's what Scarlett teaches us and what the greatest games often show us as well,

You don't give up just because the position looks hopeless,

You don't crack under pressure when your king is exposed,

You keep going ,move by move even when it hurts.

If you are here, it means you read all the way, Thank you for taking the time and effort.

If you liked this blog and want me to write more motivational blogs, please let me know.

I wish you all a great day and a nice summer!