It is difficult to teach strategy in military schools.  There is never the best solution to a problem, so many students become confused.  In addition, schools use testing in which only one answer is correct.  As a result, few military men understand strategy, unless they are exposed to computer or board war games.  These provide an interesting and exciting educational experience as they take students out of the academic classroom and into the field of personal battle.

     One problem is that most games require several hours to learn the rules, many more hours to become competitive, and most games have flaws that experts learn to exploit.  In addition, computerized games require electricity and special equipment, while board games require unique pieces that are often lost.  The solution is a simple war game that most students already know how to play -- Chess.  For those who have never played, the basic moves can be learned in minutes, although learning the strategy involved is an endless task.  It is a game that students can play for years thereafter: at home, in base clubs, in the barracks, on ship, or at remote camps.  They can always find opponents, even non-English speaking locals.

     All military schools should involve chess competition.  A student's chess record should become a small part of his final score, in the same way physical fitness tests are often included to determine class standing.  Chess will teach a student that anticipating his opponent's strategy is just as important as what he wants to do.  It teaches that offense is required to win, but defense is required to block his opponent's victory.  It teaches to sacrifice a piece to save a more important one, and how to lure his opponent into a trap.  This will open the minds of many military men, and destroy the egos of those who consider themselves mentally superior to all others.  Chess can improve the mental agility of military leaders and teach them to checkmate their opponents in actual warfare.