OLD WRITING PART 9

Salam pembaca yang dimuliakan Allah swt. Betapa besarnya kemuliaan seorang tetamu sehingga Rasululah saw bersabda:

Barangsiapa yang beriman dengan Allah dan hari akhirat, maka hendaklah dia berkata baik atau dia diam. Barangsiapa yang beriman dengan Allah dan hari akhirat, maka hendaklah dia memuliakan jiran tetangganya. Barangsiapa yang beriman dengan Allah dan hari akhirat, maka hendaklah dia memuliakan tetamunya. Hadis riwayat al-lmam al-Bukhari dan Muslim.

Saya rindukan chess. Abah selalu sahaja bermain chess dengan kami semasa kecil. Antara adik beradik saya, cuma Cod sahaja yang tidak pandai bermain chess. Dan tentunya pabila kami bermain chess, kami bermain mati-matian. Walaupun pisang goreng sepinggan disebelah, bercicahkan susu, akan dilupakan sejenak. Dan selalunya, Abah is unbeatable. Walaupun kami adik-beradik bersatu tenaga mahu mengalahkah Abah, even victory is nearly in our hands, he will suddenly makes a move that will totally change the rhythm of our game, and BOOM, he wins. We will stare at him, speechless, how could he change the direction of the game?

We are so sure of our winning, even smiling and laughing smugly. And when we lose, he will merely smile and make a move to surau. And leave us wonder, and ponder, how could he possibly overcomes the difficult, if not impossible, situations? Clearly, we are the novices compare to him.

Ada diantara kami yang akan menangis-nangis sekiranya kalah. Memang kelakar, tapi itu lah realiti nya, sehingga terpaksa dipujuk oleh Emak supaya si menang memberi peluang kepada si kalah. Masalah utamanya, si menang memang degil. Mana pulak mahu memberi peluang kepada si kalah itu. Terpaksa lah Emak memujuk si kalah dengan membeli sekerim.

I have a love-hate relationship with the chess tournaments. The tensions are never greater than being in the best team, and sitting and playing with enormous pressure to win. If I am to have a blood pressure test, I have no doubt that I am the worst patient.

Scary. Because I’m not a gifted players like the others. Who have thousands tactical moves. Who can beat me within 5 minutes, or even within 10 moves.

But I do know, when I play for fun, I could win.

Pressure ruins everything. Including your life.

Chess imitates real life. Play safely, play dangerously. Play nicely, play terribly. Play kindly, play mischievously. Play for fun, play seriously. Play lightheartedly, play treacherously. Play humbly, play deceitfully. Play sincerely, play wickedly. Play honestly, play awfully. Play genuinely, play riskily. Play respectably, play cruelly. Play maliciously, play fairly. Play nastily, play elegantly.

Play classily.

But unlike chess, when you are stumbling, it doesn’t mean you are falling. Play it beautifully then.