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Foreword

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 Principles^TM