Chess and Business

Sixty-four alternately colored squares, eight from top to bottom and eight from side to side. Two opposing armies, each consisting of sixteen men, standing face to face, ready for the strategic war ahead. When my father first introduced me to the wonderfully intricate game of chess, its complexity intimidated but also intrigued me. Because there were so many chessmen, each of whom could move in several ways, I was unsure whether I would ever master the game.

After learning the basic pieces and their moves from my father, I began to wonder how to strategize. How did my father know which moves to make? How did he always know what move I would make next? Eventually I discovered that he did not really predict my next move but rather forced me into making one that was beneficial to him. As my skills progressed, I became more interested in chess and how the strategies players use are mimicked in everyday life.

The parallels with the business world were especially striking. During my four years of high school, my interest in business intensified. I studied many areas of this field, including finance, marketing and accounting. Along with these classes, my father and I would often converse about current events in the business world. It was during one of these conversations that I realized the extent to which my two passions were related. In the game of chess, players must be aware of all of their options and anticipate future actions in order to succeed. Along with these abilities, they must be willing to take advantage of their opponent’s weaknesses. All of these strategies, which are indispensable to winning a chess match, are also essential in the business world.

After I recognized the connection between chess and business, real-life examples vindicated my discovery. One day my father explained to me how Microsoft, and Bill Gates in particular, conduct business. Gates built a successful company by first strengthening one section of the business and then using that section to support the next. While the competition had to begin at ground zero, Microsoft could expand on its current products.

The analogy to chess was striking. In this game, one concentrates as many pieces as possible on one crucial square. If your opponent attacks one of your pieces, you can then back up the attacked piece with your supporting men and organize them for a larger counter-attack. Microsoft created a similarly strong supporting structure so that it could continue to expand.

Like most seventeen-year-olds, I am not certain what I want to do with my life. However, I do know what fascinates me now. Late at night, when I am lost in thought, I am often trying to work out chess games or predict what the next big business will be. Although I can not ensure that my interests will remain unchanged, I know that I will approach my future endeavors with the same curiosity and fervor as I do chess and business.

點評：

作者巧妙地運用了自己對象棋的認識，聯系到當今的商業， 把兩者的共通點串聯在一起，使這篇文章變得生動有趣并有連貫性。

通過這篇文章，作者表現出了自己三方面的特點：

首先是通過下象棋這個愛好表現出自己對感興趣的事情的專注和研究精神。當父親把這么高難度的一個游戲介紹給他時， 他并沒有因為象棋的‘難’而產生抗拒。 反而被象棋的復雜性深深吸引了。 從父親那里學會了下象棋的基本玩法后，并沒有安于現狀，而是不斷的思考和研究下棋的策略，學會揣摸對手的心理，使自己上升到一個更高的階段。

其次，通過下象棋，作者把其中學會的策略與當今社會的商業世界巧妙的集合在一起，并舉出微軟公司的成功例子去論證自己的觀點。不僅僅表現出自己的思維能力，更體現出了自己對商業這一領域的興趣不是泛泛而談的，而是經過自己不斷的學習和思考形成的。展現給對方學校一個非常有思考能力并且對商業有著非常大的熱情的學生。

最后，作者重申自己僅是17歲，未來的路該怎么走還是未知之數。不單只給自己留下了可改變的空間，也讓對方明白17歲的孩子要現在就決定將來的事也是不現實的。 但是現階段自己最想追求的是什么作者卻是非常的清楚，因此能朝著自己定的目標努力。展現對方學校一個非常積極向上，好學的形象。

譯文：

象棋與商業

64個顏色一深一淺交錯排列的小方格, 橫縱各８格。兩方對陣，各持有十六個棋子，面對面地站著，為即將發生的一場戰爭做好戰略的準備。當我父親第一次把這種極其復雜象棋游戲介紹給我時，我不禁的被其復雜性給嚇倒，也同時感到迷惑不解。因為有這么多的棋子，每一個都可以用不同的方法移動，我不知道我是否能掌握這個游戲。

從我父親那里學會了一些基本游戲規則和移動方法后，我就開始琢磨應該如何去策劃每一步棋。我父親是怎么知道下一步該怎么走？他又是怎么知道我的下一步會怎么走呢？最后，我發現他其實并不能估計到我的下一步棋，只是他可以迫使我走一步對他有利的棋。隨著我的棋藝的進步，我開始對象棋越來越感興趣，并把這些下棋的策略在日常生活中模擬。

與下象棋非常類似的商業世界同樣的引起我的矚目。在我高中的四年里, 我對商業這個領域越來越感興趣。 因此我學習了這個領域的許多方面, 其中包括了財務、會計、和市場營銷。與此同時，我父親和我也經常談論到當今的商業時事。在某一次的對話中，我突然發現原來我的兩個最大的興趣居然有許多的共通點。在象棋游戲中，選手們必須知道自己的行動方案，并且能夠預計下一步的行動，這樣才能成功。同時，他們也要愿意去利用對手的弱點。所有這些策略，都是與贏棋分不開的，同樣也是商業世界基本要素。

當我意識到象棋和商業緊密聯系后，活生生的例子便證明了我的發現。有一天我的父親跟我在解釋微軟，比爾.蓋茨是如何進行業務的。蓋茨創建了一家成功的公司，原因是其首先是加強了商業領域的一個部分，然后再用這個部分區支持下一個部分。雖然在競爭中是從零開始，微軟可以不斷的擴展其現有的產品。

這跟下象棋有著驚人的相似度。在這場游戲，一方要在一個重要的方格里盡可能的專注幾個棋子。如果對手攻擊了你的一個棋子，你可以把其它的棋子組織起來，進行一個更大規模的大反擊。微軟正是創造了同樣強勁支撐結構，因此可以使其不斷的擴大。

跟大多數17歲的同齡人一樣，我不敢確定我將來想做些什么。不過，我知道現在什么最讓我著迷。每當夜深人靜，當我陷入沉思時，我常常會試圖找出贏棋的方法或者預測下一個大商業會是什么。雖然我不能確保我的興趣會不會改變，但我知道我會抱著跟對象棋的同樣的好奇和激情的態度去為我的未來而奮斗的。