Similarities Between Contracts And Chess - Use Prophylaxis

• "It is important to draw wisdom from many different places, if you take from only one place, it rigid and stale." - Iroh

Similarities Between Contracts and Chess

It´s not uncommon when we come across ourselves with contracts in our day by day, to contract a service (as an internet, for example), a rent, a deal, etc. The contracts, by their turn, are composed of clauses.

Every time you be analyzing a contractual clause, independent of nature, don´t limit yourself to what is written in it. Ask yourself what´s the intention behind it. This way, you can reach the consequences that clause will generate to you, and then, this will help in the decision to decide to sign the contract or not.

This is a lesson I learned in 2016, my first year as a lawyer, recently graduated and full of appetite for knowledge, in a class given by professor Sólon Cunha, in the excellent course Company Union´s Leadership, from FGV-SP.

At the time, we were discussing unions' negotiation clauses, but, this wise council can be applied for all types of contracts. Just allow me an observation that the analysis of the clauses should not be done isolated but in conjunction with her “sisters”.                                                           

Chess and The Use of Prophylaxis

Approximately six months ago, due to the global pandemic caused by Covid-19, I got back to practice and study a sport that I had completely abandoned five and a half years ago: chess!

Because of the quarantine limitations, I discovered that a “chess boom” had occurred. In fact, the popularization of the game was huge, with a lot of new players in the principal chess online platforms, as well as the development of them to support this new wave.

To play chess with success, you don´t need to just think about your moves and plans, but, also, take into account the considerations that your opponent, someone who thinks, makes moves and plans too.

The Argentinean Grand Master Miguel Najdorf (1910 – 1997), used to say that the way someone plays chess reflects his character and state of spirit.

"For me, chess is my creative life. All my life were dedicated to the art of chess... Chess is the mirror of the soul. Look how a man plays chess and you will see his essence"  GM Miguel Najdorf

In this sense, I remember until 2015, the year that I have given up chess and devoted myself to law, I used to have a more solid style, based on positional principles. Nevertheless, the Otto from 6 months ago, by his turn, used to play unrecognizable chess, with unjustified and precipitated attacks, almost savage, being punished regularly by his opponents due to this.

The fact of being without training chess for almost 6 years has its price. Like a pianist, the ability of a chess player deteriorates without constant practice.

After “being beat” by 20 or 25 days in a row, I saw some videos of the Brazilian Grandmaster Luis Paulo Supi @LPSupi (actual number 2 of Brazil in the international ranking, with 24 years old), and he was streaming, where played with opponents with a very inferior rating than his, talking and explaining his ideas at the same time.

What impressed me most was that @LPSupi, who has even had beaten the actual World Champion Magnus Carlsen (just type in Youtube "Supi vs Carlsen", and you will see the game and Carlsen´s reaction, as he was streaming), always questioned himself what was the intention of his opponent during their moves, independent of their chess strength, without underestimating anyone, doing his moves in answer to the ones made by the adversaries.

GM Luis Paulo Supi (@LPSupi)

The way of thinking of this strong player gave a lot of points to him because it prevented that his opponents put into practice their own plans, utilizing, in this way, a very famous term used in the chess world, as well as in medicine in the same rational line: the prophylaxis!

I, myself, who had studied the games of the greatest reference in chess prophylaxis, the 9th World Champion Tigran Petrosian, nicknamed “Iron Tigran”, because of his style “hard to kill” and suffocating (people used to describe that playing against him was like facing a boa constrictor, that slowly wraps and suffocates his prey), got back to, gradually, utilize prophylaxis in my games. The victories and increase in rating were consequences.

"Some consider that when I play I am excessively cautious, but it seems to me that the question may be a different one. I try to avoid chance. Those who rely on chance should play cards or roulette. Chess is something quite different." GM Tigran Petrosian

            BKB99 (me) studying chess, now more calm and focused

In a nutshell, always when we have to make a decision that contains another “actors on the stage”, like a negotiation of a contract, in a chess game, or even in a debate, it´s important, or even unmissable, ask to yourself what´s the intention behind the proposition or the moves made by the person we are dealing. In this way, we increase our chances of success.

Additional informations

1. Grand Master Luis Paulo Supi streams regularly on his twitch channel: www.twitch.tv/gmsupi

Cheers,

BKB99