I loved to play Chess when I was a child. This anecdote is from when I was playing a tournament that could have decided my future as a chess player.
I had a winning position, and my opponent, in despair, kept saying to himself a verse in the Sanskrit language: vinaash kaalae vipreet buddhi ( विनाश काले विपरीत बुद्धि meaning “when my end comes, my mind fails“.)
I was too excited as I was going to win a place to go for the national finals. There were very few pieces on the board and it was the type of endgame I remembered having won countless times.
Just then in my excitement, I blundered and placed my rook where a novice wouldn’t have. In my next move, I resigned without hesitation. He shook hands and said to me, (in Hindi) “You play very well.“
I learned my lesson that day to never celebrate until the job is completely done. Otherwise it ends with vinaash kaalae vipreet buddhi.
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