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The Retreating Knight Move

Posted by George Parker on
<b>The Retreating Knight Move</b>

My youngest son plays Scholastic Chess, which means I often find myself spending weekends at chess tournaments. That’s how I ended up at the Holiday Inn in North Atlanta last weekend. Chess tournaments are a whole different world from running—interesting in their own way. Since I’m there for hours, I usually play a bit myself. I’m not very good, though. Honestly, I spend more time watching chess than actually playing.

A few months ago, I was watching the World Chess Championship on YouTube, and something from the commentary stuck with me. A grandmaster made a move where he retreated his knight—moved it backwards on the board. The commentator said something that caught my attention: “The retreating knight move is the hardest move to make in chess.” It turns out that when evaluating all the possible moves, most players—especially less experienced ones—rarely consider stepping back. We’re wired to push forward, to attack, to always be making progress. But sometimes, the best move is to retreat.

I think about that a lot when it comes to running. Whether it’s an injury, burnout, or just life getting in the way, I’ve made the mistake of trying to push through when I probably should have stepped back to rest and recover. It’s not easy—no one likes feeling like they’re losing progress—but I’m learning that sometimes, the retreating knight move is the smartest play.

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