15 | Recognize Patterns
Life Lesson 16 | Use All Your Resources
Life Lesson 17 | Work Together
Life Lesson 20 | Down, But Never Out
I played one game of chess with Orrin Hudson. He beat me. But I’ve never had so much fun losing.
He was attending one of my workshops when he challenged me to a friendly contest. Orrin talked fast and played even faster, joking and jiving the whole way. Despite the outward show he put on, it didn’t take me long to see that Orrin truly lives within the chessboard. The pieces become his arms and legs, every tactic a step in a carefully considered plan, every move a serious commitment toward winning.
I was no match for him. Our game ended with a lesson: “I won because I sacrificed pieces, Jack,” Orrin said with a twinkle in his eye. “You lost because you weren’t looking at the big picture.”
“The big picture” is at the heart of Orrin’s work as a chess instructor. His goal is to do much more than simply give his students the skills they need to be better players. He builds a foundation to make them better people. His work is aimed at anyone and everyone, but he places a special emphasis on bringing direction to those headed down a dark path. Orrin’s belief that chess can transform lives has taken him on a mission to save some of the toughest kids in the toughest places, with enormously positive and inspiring results. Because of him these troubled youths are wielding Rooks and Bishops instead of knives and guns.
And if playing chess with Orrin is memorable, watching him with his students is unforgettable. Nobody brings this game to life as vividly as he can; it’s a uniquely creative method closer to preaching than teaching. He sings and dances his way through chess lessons in a whirlwind of energy, letting himself go in the joy of the moment. You can’t help but be swept up in the experience. The magic he works will soon have even the quietest kid in the room smiling and shouting.
Orrin is a special teacher, and One Move at a Time is a special book. You’ll learn a lot more than just how to play and win. Within these pages Orrin weaves rules together with ethics, and ties sound strategy to timeless wisdom. The life lessons he offers are powerful tools for developing perspective as a person and a player.
Whether you’re a newbie or a chess veteran, this book will help you make the most successful moves you can on the chess board – and even more important—in your life.
I don’t know when I’ll get to play chess with Orrin again, but now that I’ve read One Move at a Time, I have a much better chance of winning.
Jack Canfield
Co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul® series and author of The Success PrinciplesTM
I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to several very successful entrepreneurs who have caught my vision and aligned to support my work. Terry Stent, Lisa and Vic Johnson, Becky and Joe Moyer, Steve Harrison of Bradley Communications, Joan DuBois of US Chess, among others, have generously given of their time, expertise, resources and friendship to keep my work moving forward. These friends never cease to amaze me with their generosity and the depth of their knowledge.
I want to acknowledge the authors, speakers, and publishers, and the folks who work for them, who have given me encouragement and support in my journey: Tom Antion, Dr. Ellie Drake, Jack Canfield, Mary McKay, and Brian Tracy .
I am thankful for the support and encouragement of my family. I thank my seven beautiful children for the lessons they teach me each day: Orrin Jr., Keith, Jordan, Clairerencia, April, Amber and Jonathan.
I am grateful to my mother Margaret Hudson for having 13 children and being there for me.
My high school teacher James Edge mentored me for four years and bought me my first chess book—the only chess book I ever had for many years. Without him I couldn’t have ever written this.
I also thank Chris Psaros and Mahesh Grossman of The Authors Team for their help in organizing this book and getting it published.
During the last four years I have made tremendous strides in bringing the principles of my non-profit organization, Be Someone to the foreground. It took the help, support and generosity of many people. In particular, Chula Schlesinger has been a wonderful person I could always depend on.
Lastly, I thank God for my life and for placing me in the path of such stellar mentors and caring friends. God has clearly guided my steps to find my dream and has given me the courage and strength to pursue it against all odds, one move at a time.
With love and gratitude,
Orrin C. Hudson
Atlanta, Georgia
How to Play and Win at Chess
Say Yes to Chess
Long ago, in a faraway land, there lived a great king. His kingdom was beautiful, vast and full of riches.
But for all of his power and good fortune, the king was afraid.
He knew that there were other kings in other kingdoms who envied what he had, and wanted it all for themselves.
The king worried night and day about what might happen to his land if one of these kings invaded.
He didn’t know if he and his army would be prepared to defend themselves. He wanted nothing more than to lay his fears to rest, but he wasn’t sure how to do that.
One day the king had an idea.
He went to his most trusted advisers and said, “You are my wisest men. I am not a king who looks for war, but I fear that one day war might come to me. I want you to find a way to keep my mind sharp and alert and prepared for battle, so that I will know how to direct my army if my kingdom falls under siege.”
The wise men went off to find a solution for the king.
Weeks later, the king returned to the wise men again and asked, “Have you come up with an answer?”
They showed him a game.
At first, the king was angry. “I will not learn to defend myself playing a game,” he said.
But the wise men asked the king to trust them, so he sat down and they taught him how to play. They played many games, over many days, and soon the king understood that the game was exactly what he needed.
The king was impressed. He thanked the wise men, then went off to teach it to