What do we know about our super villains? One thing for sure is, they make our heroes stand out. But, is that it? Do they just glorify our heroes and prove the dominance of good over evil? It is time we hail our supervillains too. Even if we do, their contribution to the movies are significantly greater and more impactful. If that wouldn’t have been the case, we wouldn’t have considered Heath Ledger as an outstanding performer and thus winning an Oscar.
Why chess is much like the movie, The Dark Knight?
The plot of the movie Dark Knight was not limited to saving Gotham city from the atrocities of The Joker, but also realise and recognise his past and what affected his psychological being. The movie was one among thousands because the character of the joker is layered. The storyline starts like a thud, a bank robbery, and the story builds up further to that. Similarly, in chess, the first action by a player can be the initial stage of a grave strategy. The player can change the course of his/her action accordingly with the flow of the game.
The Joker (Your best opponent)
Personally, I love to watch the same movie again and again. Some might say it’s boring and repetitive, also you don’t get something extra from it. I would say it’s untrue. When I first watch a movie, I tend to analyse the movie from the perspective of the leading man. While I watch it the second time, I make myself comfortable in the skin of various other characters.
Something similar happened for The Joker. I started watching the movie for Batman and gradually tend to love the character of Joker. Why I feel Joker can be your best opponent because of his human-like intricacy. Let us find out what makes joker so like your opponent over the chess board.
You can’t categorise him in Good or Evil, like other super villains. While in chess, your opponent might choose Black or White, but that doesn’t make him Good or Bad.
What led him to commit heinous crimes, is the circumstances in and around him. Your opponent changes his/her action according to the situation on the board.
He is great in mental strategizing. What makes Joker, the Joker is, nothing is off the plate. He has a specific goal, to WIN. What if your opponent has a similar objective? Your opponent wants to win and would give you a hard time keeping up.
One lesson that the Clown Prince taught us is that you don’t need superpowers to be powerful. The need to achieve something is the only driving force that keeps you awake at night. Here, Joker took the wrong path and did wrong, but you need to decide what should be done. You might be an average chess player, but if you work for it you might be the grandmaster.
Your opponent is not your foe, even if he is sitting across the board, you can learn from him/her. “BEING PREPARED DOESN’T NECESSARILY MEAN HAVING A PLAN”. Work for your victory, make mistakes but learn from them, adapt to circumstances and move forward. There is nothing that could hinder your spirit if you are determined. Joker could be one step ahead of Batman because he didn’t plan, he was disorganised. He moved with the flow. Thus, know your strategies but don’t plan ahead.