But remember, soccer is a chess game in motion. What if, the ball comes to me? - What if the ball comes to one of my teammates near me? - What if the ball comes to the opponent near me? By answering to those What if? questions, you’ll be far better prepared if the ball does come to you. The first stage of “What if?” will focus on you and the part of the field near you.

Just like in chess, if you continually ask yourself “What if?” - you’ll be better prepared to react to the constantly changing dynamics on the field.

What if? It’s a brilliant way to keep you connected to the game as a whole, and not just focused on the ball. However, when you’re away from the ball you can ask yourself: “What if?” ➤ What if? When you’re close to the action, sometimes the best you can do is simply being aware of your teammates and the opponents. This is why you have to be hyper aware of what’s happening on the field at all times. However, unlike chess, you don’t have all the time in the world to contemplate your next move. Just like chess, soccer is comprised of move, counter move - attack, defend - bait, trap - offer, deceive - maneuver, adjustment, and so on. Sound familiar? By causing the opponents’ Centerback to leave their area to pressure the ball while on the attack, it opens up space in front of goal where a stealthy midfielder can suddenly appear for a clean shot. This now enables the black team to launch an attack on another part of the board now that the stronger pieces have vacated that area. The white team may not recognize this tactic and over commit their defense to that side. The black “team” may attack the opponent on one side of the chess board in order to cause a distraction. What do they often do? They “switch the field” by playing a long ball from one sideline to the other, or work the ball over with a quick succession of passes and try to attack on the weaker side. Sound familiar? This is often what happens in soccer when the team in possession is met with strong resistance when attacking on one side of the field. With the space and pieces protected, the black team will then try to launch an attack on the other side of the board. The white team will counter to defend that side of the board. In chess, the black “team” may attack the opponent on one side of the board. That’s a very basic example, but there are more similarities as both games get more complicated. Same in soccer, when one team is attacking, the other team must defend. In chess, when one player attacks on their turn and puts their opponent’s Knight in jeopardy, the other player must defend so their Knight doesn’t get captured. Two opponents face off, each with players in defined positions that have specific roles, and try to maneuver over the playing field to capture the king, or in the case of soccer to put the ball into the opponents goal. In many ways, soccer is like a chess game in motion. The lighter color moves first and the players alternate moves until one of the King’s is forced into Checkmate, a position where it’s unable to avoid capture. Each piece has defined rules on how it can move on the board. The checkered board is an analogy for a battlefield where two medieval armies clash. Two colors of sixteen pieces, usually black and white, face off against each other. It is played on a square board, divided equally into squares of two different colors. It is one of the oldest and now one of the most popular board games, thanks to the Internet where games can be played online globally. Chess is thought to have originated in India about 600AD, where it spread to Asia, the Middle East and eventually to Europe. One way to enhance your soccer intelligence is to look at soccer as a chess game in motion.

Chess pieces soccer playerf names