The Wisdom Within An Emotional Moment
7, 2025
9:52 PM
Chess is one of my favorite hobbies. I don't spend much time playing my own matches, but I like to watch short recaps of the best players playing against one another. While I don't watch them for their emotions, at the end of last year, there was a very emotional moment at the World Chess Championship that I'd like to briefly share with you.
First, to give you some context, this story is about Vasyl Ivanchuk, a 55-year-old Ukrainian chess player who has dedicated his life to the game since he was 6. He is regarded as one of the world's best players, having been ranked internationally in the #2 position on three separate occasions (1991, 1992, and 2007).
Vasyl Ivanchuk has been playing chess his whole life and is no stranger to losing, but when he lost in the World Chess Championship last year, he broke down in tears. I can't tell you why, but I found a beautiful interpretation online that inspired this post. In summary, this is what they wrote.
"Ivanchuk didn't cry over losing the chess match, but in mourning for losing his former self and his genius that had been stolen by time. At his height, he was a former world champion and a nightmare for other legends of the game to play against. Yet, with the loss of this match, came the humbling realization that he was no longer as fast as he was, his intuition no longer present, and his memory no longer retentive. His cry was a yearning for his younger self and his earlier relationship with chess that will never return."
Here's what I thought. No matter how tall the mountains I climb, there will also come a day when I must descend. The sense of identity that I'm working so hard to build today will one day be taken from me. When the day comes for me to pass the torch, I hope to be able to cry for the life I will no longer get to live.
I hope this experience reinforces not only your appreciation, but your responsibility for your youth as it has for me. I believe the greatest challenge of life isn't overcoming the expectations of others, but cultivating a sense of fascination and wonder great enough to continuously pull you to new heights. Use whatever youth you have to climb the tallest mountains while you still can.
Chris X
11:00 PM
P.S.
Here is the original footage.
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The Mentorship Letters
