what to play

this is a question around my head for so long,,,,  should black play to equalize or to win??    according to Bobby Fischer you should play to win instead of equalizing. 

I think it depends on your style as well as the conditions of the game. For example, if you are ahead in the last round of a tournament and even with a draw as Black you will take first place and the prize money then play for the draw. If its a casual game at a chess cafe with a stranger then nothing (but your pride) is at risk so play for the win. But trumping both of these "general rules" is your own style. For me, I play chess for the fight so I always play for the win. Some would quote the adage that the best defense is a good offense and I think in certain openings a healthy dose of aggression is the only way to equalize. My humble advice would be that if you find yourself in a game where the position would allow you to play conservatively for a draw or agressively for the win, just go with your instinct for the best move in that position and in that moment rather than defaulting to a prescribed general rule.

But that's just my opinion and I could be wrong. After all, half the fun of chess is proving the old ideas incorrect or inaccurate (for me anyway).

 phdezra wrote:

My two cents: Play to win.

Here's a stellar analogy from baseball that I use on my kids: In the early 1940s Ted Williams was batting near .400 and by mid-September he was at an amazing .413. Unfortunately, over the next couple weeks he went into a bit of a slump and on the day before the very end of the season his average was down to .39955, which we know rounds up to .400. His manager offered for Ted to take the last day off and he would finish off at .400, an incredible feat.On this last day, his team was playing in a double header. What would you do? Sit it out, thus getting to .400 anyway? Or play on to win?

Well, Ted really didn;t think much about it. He played and went 6-for-8 in the double header to finish the season at .406. Lesson learned.

good lesson, thanks

I play to equalize and then outplay my opponent.  I do not think that against careful play, playing to win is sound.  Equalize, then gain an imbalance, use it to your advantage, and convert it into a win.