When I was young, I was pretty good at chess. Or, rather, I thought I was pretty good at chess.

I played for St. Stephen’s College and I played for Delhi University. I thought I was the big cheese. I entered the Statesman Open and got knocked out in the third round. I played in the Burmah-Shell Open and got knocked out in the second round.

That’s when I realized that I had an over-inflated opinion of my prowess. By the standards of true chess aficionados I was mediocre, at best.

It was a salutary realization and I moved on to other things.

But I retained a deep admiration and respect for people who were honest-to-goodness chess grandmasters.

Fast forward a few decades and I now have multiple chess grandmasters who are my coaching clients. One, Avetik Grigoryan, did a podcast with me. You can view it here.

Avetik is also a good writer, and he is very taken with what I say frequently. I say that my teachings change lives, but they are not really ‘my teachings.’ They are the teachings of great masters through the ages. I merely package them so that modern people can relate to them. I am the FedEx guy. He delivers the package, but the package does not come from the FedEx guy – it comes from elsewhere.

Avetik decided that he also wants to be a FedEx guy. And I think he could become a much better FedEx guy than I am.

Below is one of his ‘packages’. You decide if it is a good one.

Peace!

Good Thing, Bad Thing… Who Knows?

A small mindset shift that can change how you see failure, setbacks, and even your worst days.

At first, I didn’t get the question.

Is the Universe what? Friendly? What does that even mean?

I dismissed it… until I learned it came from Einstein.

Then I paused.

Not a theory. Not an equation…
A decision!
And maybe, the most important one.

Give Me My Ice-Cream!

What does a child want? A tub of ice cream.
What do loving parents give? Fruits and vegetables.

The child doesn’t want fruits and vegetables. She wants ice cream.
Getting fruits and vegetables feels tragic.

It’s only at a different level of growth and understanding — only at a later stage of maturity — that she can look back and thank her parents.

What If?

What if the Universe is friendly?
What if it’s our loving mother?

What if the things we rebel against… are exactly what we needed?
What if the Universe is giving us what we need — not necessarily what we want?

Can you think of moments in your life when it felt like the Universe was on your side?
Guiding you away from your worst impulses.
Protecting you, like a loving mother.

The Taoist Farmer

Once upon a time, in a small village, there lived an old farmer.
One day, his only horse ran away.

All the neighbors came to console him.
“What bad luck!” they said.
The old man simply replied,
“Good thing, bad thing… Who knows.”

A few days later, the horse returned — bringing with it three wild horses from the mountains.

The neighbors rejoiced,
“What great fortune!” they said.
The old man again said,
“Good thing, bad thing… Who knows.”

Later, while trying to tame one of the wild horses, the farmer’s son fell and broke his leg.

The villagers cried,
“How terrible!”
The old man calmly said,
“Good thing, bad thing… Who knows.”

Weeks passed, and a war broke out.
The king’s men came to the village to conscript all the young men.
They passed over the farmer’s son — his leg was broken.The neighbors wept for their sons who were taken.
“You’re so lucky your son was spared!”
But the old man just said,
“Good thing, bad thing… Who knows.”

Good or Bad?

When something happens, it isn’t good or bad.
It only becomes good or bad when we label it that way.

And most of the time, that labeling happens so fast, we don’t even realize the event and the label are two completely separate things.

Look back at your life. How many times did something feel like a disaster, but later turn out to be a blessing?

So… is it possible that something “bad” happens to you today, but it’s actually “good”?

My Worst Day…Or the Best?!

If you’ve watched the “My Best Games” course, you might remember — I also included my worst game ever.

It was the Indonesian Open 2013.
I played my worst game ever and lost to Elisabeth Paehtz in 27 moves with White pieces!

I came back to my room, and honestly, I still don’t know how I didn’t have a heart attack.

At that moment, it felt like the worst day of my life.

But that same day, I looked in the mirror and made a promise to myself to change all my life.

That was the day I decided to stop playing chess professionally.

Looking back now — at where I am, what I’m doing, the peace inside me, the meaning I’ve found — That wasn’t the worst day of my life.

It was the best!

How He Won Olympic Gold

He was a good swimmer. A very good swimmer. Training hard for a major competition.

Then — he slipped on a patch of ice and broke his wrist.

While his teammates trained furiously in the water, he sat on the sidelines. Day after day. Kicking.

At first, he was devastated. It felt like his career might be over.
But then… he buckled down. Did what his coach told him to do.
Kick. Kick. Kick.

Months later, came the crucial race.
His opponent swam the race of his life.
He was behind. He should have lost.

But all those weeks of kicking?
They gave him muscles he’d never had before.
He kicked harder. Harder.

And touched the wall — just a whisker ahead.

The swimmer was Michael Phelps.
The event was the 100-meter butterfly at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

He beat Milorad Cavic by 1/100th of a second to win his seventh gold medal.

Frame-by-frame photos showed Cavic gliding to the finish, legs trailing behind. Phelps? He gave one last explosive kick.

Without that extra kick, he wouldn’t have won.
And without that broken wrist, he wouldn’t have had that kick.

So when Phelps broke his wrist during the peak of his training…
Was it bad?

Or was it the best thing that ever happened to him?

Who knows?

Just Maybe…?!

You blundered. Lost a completely winning game.
At the time, it felt like the end of the world.

Then it happened again. And again. Each time, the sting was worse.

You hit a plateau. Then the free fall started.
Tournament after tournament… disaster.

Everything felt wrong.

But what if that was the turning point?

What if all that pain pushed you to look deeper — and you stumbled upon ChessMood, our courses and articles…?

What if that’s how you found a coach who changed your path forever?

What if that’s how you met a training partner who became your best friend?

Maybe those “bad” moments weren’t bad at all?!

Maybe they were exactly what you needed?!

Exercise

1. Think of a situation in your life that you labeled as “bad.”

2. Could it possibly have been a “good” thing in disguise?

3. What can you do now to turn it into something “good” — or even the best thing?

This simple shift in thinking can open doors you never imagined were there.

Good Luck

There are times when life hits hard.
You lose someone close.
In those moments, it’s not about finding the good.
Sometimes, there simply isn’t any.

But most of the time, in everyday life, this perspective does help.
It makes things lighter.
It protects your peace.
And it opens unexpected doors, quietly and beautifully.

***

With best wishes and love,
For your growth and fun journey,
GM Avetik (or Avo, as my friends call me)

P. S. The stories and the core idea in this article come from Dr. Srikumar Rao.
All credit goes to him.

As I told him during our call, “I’m going to share what I learn from you.”