Chess is a game that was created 1,500 years ago, but somehow it has become one of the most popular games in our century. Inspired by the military, every single chess piece represents a type of position, a rank with its own function and particular movement. Playing chess is a game of strategy, of predicting possible outcomes and how to increase the chance of winning. No matter whoever created this game, it must reflect the society of its time. Although thousands of years have passed, the names of the roles could be different, I believe we still have ranks, and human psychology stays the same. Each chess piece represents a type of person in society, who has a particular role, can only move in the way that’s already set up, and can’t do anything different from that. As if they’re programmed to be that way.

In this blog, we’re talking about the pawn. It’s the most numerous and weakest piece in the game of chess. It can move one vacant square directly forward, or one or two vacant squares directly forward on its first move, and can capture one square diagonally forward. Its movement is limited. Compared to other pieces like the queen, bishop, or rook that can move across the chessboard, or the knight with its special movement, the pawn is considered basic and lacking in power. Their large number on the board means they are usually sacrificed when it comes to one-on-one battles. People would rather lose a pawn than any other piece. So they are at the front, frequently make the first move, and are killed and sacrificed for a bigger plan. Who cares if one pawn is captured when you have seven of them left?

Who is the pawn in real life?

They are people without any special background, without money. They were born without any gifts or talents, not geniuses at birth. They don’t have famous or rich parents, they’re not nepo babies, just normal people. So, pretty much all of us. This is the type of person who has to deal with bullshit in the world, expose themselves to harmful, stressful, or even dangerous environments in order to make a living. They have no real power and are often used by others to achieve something.

Just like the pawns in a chess game, these people are everywhere. It’s not that hard to replace one with another. Therefore, this is the group that is often on the front line. They are used to test new strategies, new products, and it doesn’t matter if the plan fails. People in higher ranks can always replace them with a new one. Think about a corporation launching a new product. If it’s successful, the money goes to the CEO and the board. If it fails, the sales and marketing team usually takes the blame from both customers and managers. Even if something bad happens because of a bigger system, usually one person will become the scapegoat, the one with no money and no power to protect themselves. They are then sacrificed for a bigger plan. The corporation behind that one person sees it as an unlucky case and moves on to the next move. No one remembers that pawn anymore. The game keeps going, and that pawn has already been captured.

Being a normal person, a pawn means you could be killed by any move with a single mistake, or be sacrificed to save a more important person. Believe it or not, we’re all pawns on the chessboard of the elite, big corporations, and political groups. They’re testing on us, they control our behavior through social media, they make you think and act based on the information you absorb daily. They play the game of money and power. And if something bad happens, they just move on to the next game and leave the rest behind. Look at the mess big corporations leave after they’ve used up all the resources, damaging forests, oceans, ecosystems, and even countries that can never recover from their touch.

The pawns have no path; they follow the path of others. They change their way according to other people’s movements. Just like a small employee at a company, you can’t decide your own job or schedule, you have to follow company policy. If a new rule is introduced, you have to follow it no matter what. These people have no control over their journey. They’re the sheep, moving as the shepherd tells them where to go, eating where they’re led to eat, and sleeping where they’re told to. Their life is predestined by the hands of people in higher ranks. They are being used for a bigger purpose, one they have no idea about but follow blindly.

Since there are so many of them, they’re easily replaced. They get tested on, used, and then captured or ignored when they’re no longer useful. It’s not because the king, queen, or the one playing the game is cruel or has something against them, it’s just how the game works. It is the rule. Some of them must go to war between big corporations or elites. They were born as pawns; there is no other choice.

In the game of chess, half of the pawns are captured by one-third of the game, and you may even see no pawns when it comes to the endgame. This is normal. Since the pawns are the weakest pieces, players tend to sacrifice them in order to save more powerful ones. We don’t know which ones will survive and which ones will be killed. This is random; it’s a game of luck. Unlike the king, who always survives until the end of the game, we rarely see pawns at that stage, unless the player somehow leaves one or two of them for a bigger plan. But when the time comes, the pawn will have to go.

Pawns are the soul of chess

Although the pawn is the least powerful chess piece, it can be promoted into any other chess piece (except the king). It holds a power that no other piece has: it can become anything and anyone. Its future is open; it’s in its own hands. If the queen can only be the queen, and the knight can only be the knight for the rest of the game, the pawn can become any of them. A pawn might start from a lower position, but it has the potential to take over another piece’s position.

The journey of transformation is hard; it has many challenges along the way. Only when there is no other choice, when that position is open, is it your time to shine. If the queen is still there, you can’t become the queen. So, in order for a pawn to be promoted, many factors have to come together. The position is empty, the opponent stays too busy, you are resilient enough to reach that spot, and the universe needs someone to step up. If even one factor is missing, that pawn can’t transform.

One thing to remember, the pawn can only transform after it finish the whole journey as the pawn, it can’t happen in the middle of the board. So no matter where your starting point is, you have to complete your lesson from that position. You need to fulfill your purpose as a pawn first, then you can transform. In the famous book The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho wrote: “And then there were the others, who were interested only in gold. They never found the secret. They forgot that lead, copper, and iron have their own Personal Legends to fulfill.”, and “Lead will play its role until the world has no further need for lead; and then lead will have to turn itself into gold.”

If you were born as a normal individual, with no background, if you identify yourself as a pawn, there is still hope, still a chance for you to shine. You have so much potential within yourself to become whoever you want, but you have to try hard and go all in. Look at the chessboard, how difficult it is for the pawn to reach the position where it can be promoted; it’s going to be the same for you. You have to play with strategy, resilience, and a bit of luck to become the version of yourself you’ve always dreamed of. Do your part. Whatever is out of your control, you can let it go. If you try your best to serve your position, then no matter whether you can be promoted or not, you’ll feel good and fulfilled within yourself.

In the end, it’s just a game

Not everything will go according to your plan and strategy. There will always be someone new with an unpredictable move, and you’ll lose. You could go all in, but somehow still end up as a pawn. That’s when your mindset plays the most important part. Know that you did everything you could, and you fulfilled your path. If you’re meant to be a pawn, then be one happily. No need to complain about the unfairness of life. It is what it is.

Even if you can be promoted, the game still ends at one point, and nothing matters anymore. When the game ends, all kings, queens, knights, and pawns end up in the same box, none better than the others. Being a pawn means you have a higher chance of understanding that, so you no longer identify yourself with winning or losing, with status or position in life. If the queen and king are too caught up in the game, you have a chance to detach, to no longer stress about winning, but to enjoy the whole journey. You know the game will end at one point, and nothing matters anymore.

When you can have fun with the game, you are the one winning, no matter which position you are in. King, queen, pawn, just names, masks you wear, roles you play in the bigger picture the universe is showing. You don’t know when the game will end, when the lights go off and you’re back in the box, so why stress so much about doing something or being someone? If it’s meant to be, it will come without you lifting a finger. The pawn is miserable because it thinks it’s inferior, but it’s no different from the kings and queens. They are all being controlled by the player; they are just chess pieces. Enjoying being a chess piece should be their purpose, not trying to control the game, because they can’t. In the end, if you’re in the game, just have fun with it, no matter what role you are. It’s the secret of life.