Chess..
I'm adding chess to my brand. Here's why;
I started playing Candy Crush in Uni, currently hit level 7,706. This is after hitting level 3,000 & restarting.
But last week, I realized something:
I was bored/tired of Candy Crush. The game had become too easy for me.
I’m a strategist. I love games that require thinking 10 moves ahead.
So I picked up chess again. I first played it back in high school, but it’s been an ON & OFF relationship. But since resuming, I’m seeing a lot of patterns in chess, football, business & hell even life.
FOOTBALL = CHESS
Chess opening = Football build-up play
Chess middle game = Football transitions
Chess endgame = Football final third
Pep Guardiola’s possession = The Italian opening (control the center, restrict opponent’s moves)
Mourinho’s counter-attack = The Sicilian Defense (let opponent attack, then strike)
Ancelotti’s flexibility = Grandmaster adaptation (no fixed style, read the opponent)
Strategy is strategy—whether on grass, on a board, or in business.
BUT HERE’S THE REAL REASON I’M ADDING CHESS TO THE EDMUND ORIS BRAND:
Chess teaches what you can’t learn from football.
1. PATIENCE
In football, you watch 90 minutes.
In chess, YOU make the decisions. You can’t blame the referee or the manager.
If you lose, it’s YOUR fault.
This teaches patience. Every move matters.
2. HUMILITY
In chess, even when you win, someone can beat you next game.
You can’t get cocky.
This is why Arsenal bloww the league regularly. They thought they’d already won.
Chess keeps you humble.
3. PATTERN RECOGNITION
In chess, you see the same patterns across different games.
Once you recognize them, you can’t unsee them.
Same in football. Same in business.
Patterns are everywhere.
MY GOAL in 2026:
“Edmund makes me love football, chess & makes me understand psychology”.
So yeah, I’m not just adding chess for fun.
I’m adding it because strategy is universal.
And I want to improve how I see patterns in EVERYTHING.
On Friday, I’ll share the ONE pattern that changed how I see relationships, business, and football.
Talk soon,
Edmund Oris
P.S.
I prefer 5-minute blitz chess over 10-minute games. Why?
Because I’m an INTUITIVE thinker (see patterns fast) not the most METHODICAL thinker (analyze step-by-step). If you’re a chess lover, reply this email with your Chess dot com username & I’d add you up so we could play.