Chess is a mind game (mind = blown!!). When you sit at the board, it is just you, your thoughts and your emotions. In such a scenario, having the right psychology is of utmost importance to serious tournament players. You may polish your opening knowledge, endgame skills, combinational abilities endlessly, but if you are not able to get in the right frame of mind then improving at the game is very difficult.
Some food for thought:
“Our only limitations are those that we set up in our own minds” -Napoleon Hill
“When the negative thoughts come — and they will; they come to all of us — it's not enough to just not dwell on it. You've got to replace it with a positive thought” -Joel Osteen [this dude is an obnoxious preacher but I gotta admit I agree with this statement]
“I don't want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them” -Oscar Wilde
One of the most overlooked things in chess is the ability to manage our thoughts and emotions. This quality separates the pros from the amateurs. So anyone having a serious goal of becoming a good chess player cannot afford to ignore this.
1) Before the game
The quality and quantity of training: Before the game, we should focus only on our preparation. We should increase the quality and quantity of our training. No other thought apart from this is needed.
2) During the game
Finding the best move: We may be pitted against a higher rated or a lower rated opponent, a tactical or a strategic player, IM or a GM. We may be in a must-win situation. We may be under pressure from our own expectations or that of our parents and coaches. Irrespective of all that, during any game, we should be fully focused on finding the best move at each step. Being solely focused on finding the best move is the only thing that will help us withstand all pressure.
3) After the game
What were the mistakes? Only those players who will identify and rectify their mistakes will progress. Hence an honest and a dispassionate analysis should be done of our games to identify our mistakes. We need to uncover the pattern in our mistakes and take steps to strengthen our weaknesses. This will prevent such mistakes happening again.
How to acquire a psychological advantage?
[Player A vs. Player B] Let’s assume Player A knows that Player B does not like to take any risks, and comfortable playing solid chess. Therefore, to acquire a psychological edge over Player B it is necessary to take him out of the “comfort zone”. Player A should make the game sharper, possibly to sacrifice some material, where it is impossible to play without taking risk for both sides. Since Player B is not comfortable playing sharp, double-edged positions he is more likely to make a mistake and to lose a game, than Player A, who loves to walk on a razor blade. A piece sacrifice by Player A can be unsound if properly defended against, but, from the psychological point of view, very effective. A chess master who can better predict the opponent’s game and his strategy has a HUGE advantage. It means that a player who knows the strengths and weaknesses of his opponent will try to exploit those, creating uncomfortable positions on the chess board, generating the most wins.
Before a World Championship Match, each player may spend months making a very thorough study of his opponent’s game, searching for weaknesses in his opening repertoire, identifying the types of positions in which he is at home or ill-at-ease, assessing the tendency to over-optimism or pessimism, etc. A great example of home analyzes of the opponent’s strengths and weaknesses can be observed in the 2008 World Championship Match between 14th World Champion V. Kramnik of Russia and his contender, Indian Grandmaster V. Anand. Anand totally changed his opening repertoire and completely surprised Kramnik during the second game of the Match, when he played “1.d4” instead of the usual “1.e4”. Besides the time wasted by Kramnik and his team for preparing the responses against “1.e4” during the past six months prior to the Match, the gigantic psychological pressure on Kramnik could not be underestimated and played it’s decisive role. Kramnik has been taken out from the comfort zone of his home preparation and thrown into the darkness. In result, Kramnik lost the match “4½-6½” losing his title to Anand, who became the 15th World Champion!
Next time, try to steer your game into an uncomfortable position for your opponent! If you can toy with his/her emotions, then chances are the game is in your hands
Chess is a mind game (mind = blown!!). When you sit at the board, it is just you, your thoughts and your emotions. In such a scenario, having the right psychology is of utmost importance to serious tournament players. You may polish your opening knowledge, endgame skills, combinational abilities endlessly, but if you are not able to get in the right frame of mind then improving at the game is very difficult.
Some food for thought:
“Our only limitations are those that we set up in our own minds” -Napoleon Hill
“When the negative thoughts come — and they will; they come to all of us — it's not enough to just not dwell on it. You've got to replace it with a positive thought” -Joel Osteen [this dude is an obnoxious preacher but I gotta admit I agree with this statement]
“I don't want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them” -Oscar Wilde
One of the most overlooked things in chess is the ability to manage our thoughts and emotions. This quality separates the pros from the amateurs. So anyone having a serious goal of becoming a good chess player cannot afford to ignore this.
1) Before the game
The quality and quantity of training: Before the game, we should focus only on our preparation. We should increase the quality and quantity of our training. No other thought apart from this is needed.
2) During the game
Finding the best move: We may be pitted against a higher rated or a lower rated opponent, a tactical or a strategic player, IM or a GM. We may be in a must-win situation. We may be under pressure from our own expectations or that of our parents and coaches. Irrespective of all that, during any game, we should be fully focused on finding the best move at each step. Being solely focused on finding the best move is the only thing that will help us withstand all pressure.
3) After the game
What were the mistakes? Only those players who will identify and rectify their mistakes will progress. Hence an honest and a dispassionate analysis should be done of our games to identify our mistakes. We need to uncover the pattern in our mistakes and take steps to strengthen our weaknesses. This will prevent such mistakes happening again.
How to acquire a psychological advantage?
[Player A vs. Player B] Let’s assume Player A knows that Player B does not like to take any risks, and comfortable playing solid chess. Therefore, to acquire a psychological edge over Player B it is necessary to take him out of the “comfort zone”. Player A should make the game sharper, possibly to sacrifice some material, where it is impossible to play without taking risk for both sides. Since Player B is not comfortable playing sharp, double-edged positions he is more likely to make a mistake and to lose a game, than Player A, who loves to walk on a razor blade. A piece sacrifice by Player A can be unsound if properly defended against, but, from the psychological point of view, very effective. A chess master who can better predict the opponent’s game and his strategy has a HUGE advantage. It means that a player who knows the strengths and weaknesses of his opponent will try to exploit those, creating uncomfortable positions on the chess board, generating the most wins.
Before a World Championship Match, each player may spend months making a very thorough study of his opponent’s game, searching for weaknesses in his opening repertoire, identifying the types of positions in which he is at home or ill-at-ease, assessing the tendency to over-optimism or pessimism, etc. A great example of home analyzes of the opponent’s strengths and weaknesses can be observed in the 2008 World Championship Match between 14th World Champion V. Kramnik of Russia and his contender, Indian Grandmaster V. Anand. Anand totally changed his opening repertoire and completely surprised Kramnik during the second game of the Match, when he played “1.d4” instead of the usual “1.e4”. Besides the time wasted by Kramnik and his team for preparing the responses against “1.e4” during the past six months prior to the Match, the gigantic psychological pressure on Kramnik could not be underestimated and played it’s decisive role. Kramnik has been taken out from the comfort zone of his home preparation and thrown into the darkness. In result, Kramnik lost the match “4½-6½” losing his title to Anand, who became the 15th World Champion!
Next time, try to steer your game into an uncomfortable position for your opponent! If you can toy with his/her emotions, then chances are the game is in your hands