Patience: The threat is stronger than the execution

After a rough Chicago Open, I made a recovery in recent games, clinching 3 of my last 5 games and winning the blitz tournament at the Continental Class Championships with 7/8. I'm particularly happy with my 2nd game in the classical tournament against a newly minted NM, which I analyze below; in my next blog I will also analyze an interesting loss against an IM where I felt I had good chances before he instructively squashed my activity. I remembered to apply the concept "Put Everything Into Every Game" and my play improved as a result.

Grandmaster and famous chess author Aron Nimzowitsch was famous for writing, "The threat is stronger than the execution." This principle reinforces the importance of delayed gratification, of patience, in chess as well as in life. I felt that this game demonstated the importance of patience, one of the lessons I have learned time and time again throughout my chess career. By waiting patiently and simply building my position rather than entering into decisive lines that would have led to less clear outcomes, my advantages steadily grew, slowly but surely, with minimal risk. Of course, when the time comes, delayed gratification has its reward; and when applied successfully, it is extremely gratifying in the end.