Integrity Checkmate

Integrity is a paradox. It’s subtle enough that you don’t often think about it. Yet, it’s profound enough that trouble ensues when it’s missing.

Take, for example, the chess match between 33-year-old Magnus Carlsen, a grandmaster from Norway, and the 2,500^th ranked player in the world from Kazakhstan. Carlsen was expected to defeat his lower-ranked opponent with ease. Instead, Carlsen was blown out in just 31 moves. How?

Carlsen says his problems started early in the match when he noticed his opponent was wearing a watch. According to tournament rules, it is a violation to bring “forbidden gadgets” into the playing hall. This includes wallets, pens, and … you guessed it … watches. With today’s technology, players can secretly receive outside help during competition, including near perfect moves generated by artificial intelligence. Once considered a gentleman’s game, suspicion and paranoia now grip the sport.

In a statement, grandmaster Carlsen pointed out the negative consequences a sport, an organization, or a culture faces when integrity vanishes. Without integrity, personal and professional relationships erode, trust breaks down, and reputations become tarnished.

Integrity matters. It forms the bedrock of our character and is essential to our well-being as individuals and communities.