What Chess Means To Me - by Katherine Du

As the pieces clicked between my fingers, I asked myself what I was doing in the club at all. I could never have imagined at the time of my first encounter with chess that it would later have as big of an impact as it did on my life. On the contrary, I was absolutely convinced that the world itself was some kind of psychopath toying with me and seeing what would happen if it sat me down at a 64-square checkered board against an intensely passionate chess enthusiast.

...

Instead, in silence, players are left wielding only their thoughts as weapons against one another. In the midst of a chess match, status and gender simply melt away. The chessboard is a level playing field depending purely on the ideas of the two opponents, who totally absorb themselves in a make-believe world that in principle mirrors real life and is neck-high in analysis, risk, and calculation.

It suffices to say that this wonderful and enigmatic game has transformed me. It has given me psychological strength. It has made me proud to be the only girl in the room. It has taught me that there is usually more than one solution to a problem. It has made me into a player who views defeat as a greater gain than most wins, as learning from your mistakes is a sure path to self-improvement. For all these reasons and so much more, I thank you, chess.

See the article.