Be the player, not the played: Advice for novice learners
What chess really teaches us about the path to mastery
5 min readJun 13, 2021
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Play is so often shunned in formal learning environments. The standard maths curriculum, for instance, is like a purgatory for student-novices; before they are given the chance to do mathematics proper, they have to consume a years-long diet of facts and procedures. ‘Play’ is the bit that comes after (if at all), once these supposed prerequisites are embedded.