488: Maurice Ashley | Chess Grandmaster Gives Life Insights

For those who are pursuing world-class caliber, today we’ll learn from my guest, Maurice Ashley, the Chess Grandmaster. This man lives his passion through his love for chess, and he not only made history as the first African-American Grandmaster in the annals of the game but he has managed to translate his love to others as a three-time national championship coach, author, ESPN commentator, iPhone app designer, puzzle inventor, and motivational speaker. Maurice has a wealth of experience from traveling the world as an ardent spokesperson of the many character-building effects of chess.

Let’s tune in together and grab some powerful life insights from the Grandmaster himself.

Things you will learn in this episode:

[00:0108:09] Opening Segment

  • I introduce today’s guest, Maurice Ashley
  • Maurice gives some background on his story
  • Early childhood 
  • Raised in Jamaica by his Grandmother 
  • Free-time activities 
  • Built a love for games 
  • The transition from Jamaica to the US 
  • Educational life

[08:1014:06] So Much More Than a Game 

  • Maurice talks about his story of getting into chess
  • Going into the chess club 
  • Chess finds you 
  • The brain for the game
  • How chess sharpens other areas 
  • It’s about making good decisions on every move 
  • Getting inside the mind of the opponent 
  • Patience and diligence 

[14:07 – 25:24] Pursuing the Elements of World-Class; Insights from Chess 

  • Maurice talks about pursuing world-class 
  • Being a humble learner 
  • Look at the best in your field 
  • Don’t imitate, emulate 
  • Willingness to fail 
  • Improving at the plateau 
  • Process over result 
  • The goal to become a grandmaster 
  • Maurice’s college experience 
  • Becoming better than Brooklyn
  • 15 years to get to that level 
  • Maurice explains the tiers 
  • The martial arts analogy 
  • Top of the food chain 
  • Beating the people with the title 
  • Takeaways from Chess
  • You can come in at every level 
  • So many resources online 
  • Having an opponent with real ideas 
  • The person you speak to have ideas 
  • Learn what others think 

[25:2533:04] Closing Segment

  • The importance of embracing failure 
  • Take the lessons and grow 
  • How to make decisions in life?
  • There is no system or sequence 
  • Every situation has it’s own process 
  • Look for the expectations as well as the rules 
  • Think about the other person first 
  • Stop and analyze 
  • Who are people that inspire you? 
  • Learning through books
  • Tim Ferriss
  • Jacky Robinson 
  • Fredrick Douglass 
  • Dr. King and Malcolm 
  • Sports stars and business leaders 
  • Final words 

Tweetable Quotes: 

“Chess finds you… it’s a little bit like a virus except it’s not looking necessarily for everybody who’s gonna get obsessed with it. There are certain people’s brains work a certain kind of way, and it goes, ‘ok, I got a Live One here!’” – Maurice Ashley

“I think anyone who wants to be world-class, there are certain elements that have to be in their tool-kit. The biggest one is to be a humble learner.” – Maurice Ashley 

“It’s much more important that you get inside the other person’s head, really parse out what they’re about every time we act…. It’s always we, not just me.” – Maurice Ashley 

Resources Mentioned: 

You can connect with Maurice on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Visit https://mauriceashley.com/ to learn more about his space.

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