Professional players (those who have a rating and play for prize funds) use psychology in chess a lot more than amateurs, both in online chess games or serious OTB. Let me explain the Psychology of chess weakness with an example.
There was a game between Fischer and Mikhail Tal, and Tal had sacrificed material since he was by nature very tactical. But Fischer had only one move that could refute the sacrifice, and he wrote the move he intended to play in his score sheet.
[Back then it was legal then to write the move, think about it, and play it. Nowadays you are not allowed to do it. You must first make the move on the board and then write it down].
When Tal came back after looking at other grandmaster games that were being played, he saw the move Fischer wrote and smiled slyly.
Fischer then played an inferior move compared to the move he wrote down and lost the game. When asked why he changed the move from what he had written, he replied that it was because Tal had given a subtle smile when he saw the move Fischer had written.
Had he not fallen to the psychological trick of Tal, Fischer would have had better results!
Psychology of chess weakness in the present day
Psychology is an indispensable component of one’s chess strength or weakness. To win a chess game one needs to have not just a bedrock of chess knowledge, but a strong psychological demeanor. Every sports arena has examples of players who could not overcome a terrible loss and lost their composure in the rest of the games. No wonder they would be at a loss trying to figure out what went wrong.
As a well-known translation of Sun Tzu puts it, “all warfare is based on deception.”
In our Online Chess classes at Golden Chess, one of the tools I used to check the chess kid’s progress is to see if he has any psychological weakness.
For example, when I play an online game at the end of my Online Chess classes, I use a technique, like a grimace or a simple frowning sound, to make my student think I had made a bad move. I am sure lots of fellow coaches do the same too! The student gets excited and gets lulled into a false sense of complacency. This makes him play without proper calculations and make a mistake after that.
Over the board, the psychology of body language also plays a major part, like for example, how you are seated, how you look at the board, how you move the chess pieces, how fast you play, how long you think (my favorite trick), staring at your opponent, etc.
If you feel confident, then you make your opponent feel uncomfortable. And one way to ooze confidence was to come late to the game board.
Fischer often came too late at the board if he knew his opponent was not strong mentally. I know of one Indian IM who would always come 30 minutes late and play fast, rattling his opponent.
Another glaring example of the use of Psychology of Chess Weaknesses is a famous game between Karpov and Miles which went 1. e4 a6.
Karpov must have felt strangely coerced to punish this move, as no chess player had played this move. Not even an amateur forget about grandmasters played this move. Result? Karpov stretched, overplayed, and lost.
Of course, a6 is very inferior to mainline defenses, but it’s not something a player of Karpov’s stature would have lost sleep!
In really fast time control chess games online, one psychological trick is to play very fast.
4 Tips on overcoming the psychology of chess weaknesses
1. Cover your shortfalls.
Find your most insecure area of knowledge and place all of your efforts into transforming it into a powerful force.
For example, if your greatest weakness is the inability to do deep calculations and analysis then this shortage affects both the tactical and analytical requirements in OTB gameplay.
And unless you improve these skills first, any future chess improvement will be difficult and results will be inconsistent.
You avoid or delay improving on your blank spots and this is the main reason you stagnate since you are not eliminating the problem that keeps giving you trouble on the chessboard.
Our prime focus in online chess classes for kids is to keep checking for the blank spots in the kids’ chess knowledge.
2. Your weakness will be your opponent’s strength!
Whatever your weaknesses maybe if you don’t turn them 360 degrees into your strengths they will be a constant source of pain.
Here are some approaches to converting your weakness into strength:
Unwavering Focus – Give priority to your chess training, and eliminate diversions when training.
Daily Practice – Practice regularly and daily. Keep a diverse training schedule that provides you with a fresh outlook every time you train. Your practice should be focused primarily on your blank spots. In our chess classes for kids, this is our prime focus.
Make it interesting. One day could be solving tactical problems, the next day could be endgame ideas. Choose as per mood, time, and energy.
Stretch your training – Always give the fullest involvement during every practice session, and do not hesitate to stretch yourself, during the chess training session. Each session should build upon the last while constantly revisiting the old lessons learned.
Having a serious game – Playing serious games at the academy or home (with a family member) allows you to reinforce the concepts and ideas picked up in your training environment to match play.
Integrate conceptual conscious thinking and note-taking into your daily practice.
3. Finding Your Weaknesses
The following tips might help you to isolate the weaknesses in your chess game:
Review your games, preferably with a coach or a stronger player. An experienced coach will immediately see the mistakes and separate the wood from the trees. This perspective though not free will help save a lot of time.
Ask your coach to regularly evaluate your skill sets by curated tests, to find your weak areas. We at Golden Chess Centre regularly conduct evaluations in our Online Chess Classes via Skype or Zoom.
4. Create a Training plan (with your coach if possible)
A good coach will create a plan based on his assessment of your strengths and weaknesses and this will help you in saving time and climbing faster.
Continue solving puzzles and tactics.
Another technique we use in our Online Chess classes is to play over master games using an analytical method.
Never try moving the chess pieces when analyzing or solving problems. Must treat training as a tournament scenario.
Conclusion
With your self-confidence boosted by regular online chess practice, you will slowly realize that Psychology of Chess Weaknesses will not pull you down.
Whatever efforts you put into mastering the game, the same quantum of self-confidence will be your strong point.
Last night I read this parable on Chess and meditation as told by Osho. A young man, who had a bitter disappointment in life, went to a remote monastery and said to the Master, ”I am disillusioned with life and wish to attain enlightenment to be freed from these sufferings. But I have no capacity for sticking long at anything. I could never do long years of meditation and study and austerity. I would relapse and be drawn back to the world again, painful though I know it to be. Is there any short way for people like me?”
”There is,” said the Master, ”if you are really determined. Tell me, what have you studied? What have you concentrated on most in your life?” ”Why, nothing really. We were rich and I did not have to work. I suppose the thing I was really interested in was chess; I spent most of my time at that.”
The Master thought for a moment and then said to his attendant, ”Call such-and-such a monk, and tell him to bring a chessboard and men.” But the attendant said, ”Sir, that monk does not know how to play chess.” The Master said, ”Don’t be worried. You simply call him.”
The monk came with the board and the Master set up the men. He sent for a sword and showed it to the two. ”Oh monk,” he said, ”you have vowed obedience to me as your Master, and now I require it of you. You will play a game of chess with this youth, and if you lose I shall cut off your head with this sword.”
Chess and meditation – the story continues.
And the monk does not know much about chess. Maybe he can recognize the chessboard, or maybe he has played once or twice when he was young. But to put this man against this young, rich man, who has never done anything but play chess, is simply a death warrant. And then the Master says, ”You have surrendered to me, and you have told me I can do anything I want with your life or with your death. Now the moment has come. If you lose I shall cut off your head with this sword.”
And a naked sword is there in the hands of the Master, and he is standing just close by. ”But I promise that if you die by my hand, you will be born in paradise. If you win, I shall cut off the head of this man. Chess is the only thing he has ever tried hard at, and if he loses he deserves to lose his head also.” They looked at the Master’s face and saw that he meant it: he would cut off the head of the loser.
They began to play. With the opening moves, the youth felt the sweat trickling down to his heels as he played for his life. The chessboard became the whole world; he was entirely concentrated on it. At first, he had somewhat the worst of it, but then the other made an inferior move and he seized his chance to launch a strong attack. As his opponent’s position crumbled, he looked covertly at him. He saw a face of intelligence and sincerity, worn with years of austerity and effort.
The other was a beggar – a BHIKKHU – his eyes were silent and calm. He was not disturbed even by the idea of death. He was playing because of the Master’s request, and he had surrendered himself so there was no problem in it. Even if paradise were not promised, then too, he would have to follow. He was playing calm and quiet. His eyes were very silent and very intelligent – and the young man is winning! and the monk’s moves are going all wrong! The young man looked at the monk – the grace, the austerity, the beauty, the silence, the intelligence.
Chess and Zen = Chess and meditation
He thought of his own worthless life, and a wave of compassion came over him. He decided: ”To let this man die is unnecessary. If I die, nothing is lost to the earth. I am a stupid man, I have wasted my life, I have nothing. This man has worked hard, disciplined his life, has lived a life of austerity, a life of meditation, and prayer. If he is killed that will be a loss.” Great compassion arose in him. He deliberately made a blunder and then another blunder, ruining his position and leaving himself defenseless.
The Master suddenly leaned forward and upset the board. The two contestants sat stupefied. ”There is no winner and no loser,” said the Master slowly. ”There is no need to fall here. Only two things are required, ” and he turned to the young man, ”complete concentration and compassion. You have today learned them both. You were completely concentrated on the game, but then in that concentration, you could feel compassion, and sacrifice your life for it. Now, stay here a few months and pursue our training in this spirit and your enlightenment is sure. He did so and got it.
A tremendously beautiful story. The Master created a situation and showed the whole path. This is DIRECT – showing the path. He showed all that can be shown!
There are only two things different – and similar – between Chess and meditation.
Meditation means being utterly absorbed into something, totally absorbed into something, completely lost. If you are dancing and only the dance remains and the dancer is forgotten, then it is meditation. If you are gambling and only gambling remains and the gambler disappears, then it is meditation.
It can be any activity. Meditation is not averse to any activity. Meditation requires only one thing: be absorbed in it totally, whatsoever it is.
For Zen all that matters is totality, utter concentration, absorbed, lost, drunk into it. So much so that you are not standing behind aloof. This is fundamental.
Chess players enjoy stunning victories, yet they also suffer harsh losses. Getting too bogged down in the lost outcomes can lead to depressing thoughts that will hamper your full potential – leading to a lack of confidence. And while winning can be good for instant gratification, too much happiness can lead to over-confidence.
I tell my students that, for me, Chess and meditation are both the same. Why they would ask?
Because, when I play, all thoughts from my ever-thinking clunky mind, disappear. All that remains are the 64 squares. Thoughts related to business or day to day activities vanish.
That is why many people who see professional players with poker faces, think it is boring because they cannot fathom the deep stillness that every serious chess player feels. But if only they could feel that moment of being there, watching only chess moves analyzed sub-consciously by the brain, they will understand what Chess and meditation are all about, actually.
Ref: Message from Masters ” Zen: The Path of Paradox, Vol 3 ” – Osho
Hey, I’m Kish Kumar. Over the last two decades, I’ve trained more than 500 students in chess, from India and abroad through online chess classes.
My experience helps me to identify the weak spots in the student’s chess armor, and that is where I provide help in making them reach their personal Milestones in chess.
Many of these students went on to become school champions, district champions, state champions and went on to participate in national and international level chess events having achieved a decent FIDE rating up to 1900-2000 and an online rating of 2300 to 2500. If you want to take private lessons, do drop me a line at kishchess at Gmail dot com.
To know more about online chess classes click here.
Why Blitz Chess is addictive – Dopamine effect of Chess Blitz
Have you ever wondered Why Blitz Chess is addictive ? Especially online Blitz and Bullet time controls? Maybe Neuroscience has an answer and can explain why Blitz Chess is addictive as any online player will testify.
Our brain records all pleasure experiences, whether they are coming from a soothing music, a good book, a mind stimulant drug, a cash reward, a tasty meal, or playing blitz or bullet chess. Blitz chess is that form of chess wherein each player has to complete the game in a time control of maximum 30 minutes or minimum 5 minutes. Bullet Chess is even faster and has a time control of lesser than 5 minutes.
Technically speaking, in the brain, pleasure has a distinct place called Nucleus Accumbens. Pleasure sensations cause the brain to release the neurotransmitter Dopamine in the Nucleus Accumbens, a group of nerve cells lying beneath the cerebral cortex . This is where the Dopamine release happens whenever we have a pleasurable experience.
Hence neuroscientists refer to the region as the brain’s pleasure center.
Most of the intoxicants such as the famous nicotine to the infamous heroin, and blitz chess (surprise surprise!) cause a particularly powerful release of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens.
Addictive drugs and Blitz Chess therefore provide a direct link to the brain’s reward system by providing the nucleus Accumbens with dopamine.
The Hippocampus creates memories of this rapid satisfaction dose, and the Amygdala creates a conditioned response to certain stimuli akin to the Pavlovian response.
So don’t be surprised when your mind craves for a blitz or two. It’s just asking for a good cup of coffee!
The effect increases manifold, the more you play – so Bullet chess is worse than Blitz because you get a dopamine dose every couple of minutes whereas a Blitz game usually lasts 10 or 20 minutes.
Suggestion: Play Blitz but don’t overdo it.
And don’t play Bullet too often either. Lest you may lose its educative aspect and get a high instead. Remember that too much of Bullet Chess or Blitz Chess may cause Adrenaline peaks that may not be good for everyone (may cause headaches for some).
Bullet doesn’t help much in understanding the strategic nuances of the game. But it helps building a pattern recognition base leading to better intuition, and to get a light feel of the opening. So all is not bad in the case of the Blitz Chess addiction.
After reading this article you will hopefully understand Why Blitz Chess is addictive and how to use it in moderation to help in your chess training.
The author Dr. C. P Jain is a psychologist and a chess aficionado. She lives in Jaipur and likes to play online occasionally when she finds time amidst 2 kids and family.
Willpower is the ability to resist short-term temptations to meet long-term goals.
Willpower allows us to ignore unwanted thoughts, feelings, or desires.
1. Commit to a goal at the outset.
Tightrope yourself with a shoestring so you cannot have a freeway with your temptations. Make sure that you are plugging all those temptation-pulls so that you are riding with your brakes released.
In other words, temptations and diversions are like a brake applied constantly while driving your car. Get the picture?
It won’t stop you completely, but it will make it increasingly difficult, to move away from your goals.
For example, buy a book instead of downloading it online. That way your conscience will not allow you to give it a pass. You will sit down to read it since you paid for it with your hard-earned cash.
Or carry only a fixed amount of cash when you’re on a tight rope budget, and leave your credit cards at home, preventing you from making ‘that impulsive purchase’.
in my experience, for example, a relative of mine felt she was going to the movies too frequently. To counter that, I told her to calculate all the money spent on the tickets and popcorn.
And when she saw that they amounted to a lot she stopped going to the movies that frequently.
By showing the total picture she saw the absurdity of her habits and now she is spending the saved money on useful books that are much needed to increase her expertise.
2. Meditate every day.
Preferably in the morning. It is one of the most difficult-to-start regimens, but once started it will help you so much that you begin to wonder – ‘what was I doing all these years without this essential habit’?
I know that it may seem like a waste of time which could have been spent reading the newspaper or going to sleep an extra 15 minutes but that is just your mind trying to avoid anything that tames it.
Read this tip from Headspace – a U.S. study found that people who meditated daily experienced improved willpower and focus. The researchers found that “those who practiced meditation on a daily basis persisted on tasks longer and made fewer task pullouts, as well as reducing negative feedback after task completion.”
So instead of reaching for your mobile phone or tablet, first thing in the morning and checking all your chats or messages, try spending 15 minutes meditating and reap the benefits of willpower training.
Although it looks simple, sitting still in a yogic posture like Padmasana or Sukhasana, and watching your thoughts in motion is difficult. But the benefits of meditating extend beyond the 15 minutes of quiet every morning. Meditating keeps the mind calm and focused.
3. Exercise regularly.
Cesar Milan training with a dog
If you watched Ceaser Milan’s ‘Dog Whisperer‘ where he documents his dog-training techniques (if you haven’t watched yet shame on you 🙂 ) you must have seen that he first removes all the negative pent up energy in a ferocious dog by taking him/her to a brisk walk or a run.
I remember how he even used one particular dog as a skateboard puller) and the dogs seemed to like it every bit.
After that, the dogs became calm and obedient after the exercise.
Now what transpired in this effort was that that run tamed all the energy overflow and the dog became submissive and calm after that exercise.
It’s the same with the human mind. A study in the Netherlands has revealed that a ‘quick’ workout correlated with better self-control, among other important benefits.
Going to the gym, not only strengthens your body muscles but also your willpower.
4. Get a good night’s sleep.
I use a fitness tracker that comes cheap at Amazon. It is called Mi Fit (or Mi Band in some countries). What it does is to measure your sleep pattern and tell you how much of deep sleep and light sleep you have had every night. This helps in determining what you are missing.
A deep sleep of more than 1 hour is recommended and if you are falling short try improving it.
A good night’s sleep* provides you, with the much-needed mental and physical energy to make it through the upcoming day’s events. If you miss out on your regular dosage of sleep, you’ll feel lethargic and your willpower would become weak. In fact, a lack of sleep can result in impaired reflex action speed and an inability to think clearly.
One study found that this fatigue-impaired state is equivalent to being drunk. So imagine what it can do to your chess!
“Proper rest improves our self-control power and provides a good environment for the brain to function,”
Ryan Clements writes. “Rest reduces the body’s need for glucose, and it allows the body to make a better use, of what we have.”
If you’re struggling to fall asleep, I suggest moving away from laptop/PC/Mobile screens and reading a paperback book. I do something different – I listen to some heavy meta-physical lectures that make me go to sleep in no time 🙂 But before doing anything make sure you are in bed and almost ready to doze off!
The light from these screens disturbs our body’s circadian rhythm, making our subconscious think, that it’s daytime when in reality, it is time for sleep.
*A good night’s rest normally means getting seven to eight hours of shut-eye for an adult.
Low glucose levels = weaker willpower. A study revealed that participants who were not fed or did not eat well before starting a project gave it up halfway, much earlier than their fully-fed compatriots.
“To keep (your willpower) high, eat regular meals having full of protein and good carbohydrates, like a sandwich of lean meat and cheese packed between two slices of whole-wheat bread,” Stephanie Booth writes in Real Simple. “And never start a challenging task on an empty stomach.”
Starting each morning with a hearty meal gives your willpower a much-needed boost. Small ideas help like the consumption of dry fruit snacks such as almonds, walnuts cashews, and yogurt, to sustain high-energy levels. Have them either one hour before or after your meals.
7. Read books on the mind and its secrets – (especially for parents of chess-playing children)
One of the most influential books about children ever published, Nurture Shock offers a radical perspective on children that tosses a library’s worth of conventional wisdom. Why are kids – even those from the best of homes – still undisciplined and aggressive? The answer is found in a rethinking of parental conflict, discipline, television’s unexpected influence, and social dominance.
The authors of Nurture Shock – Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman‘s New York Magazine articles on the science of children won the magazine journalism award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, as well as the Clarion Award from the Association for Women in Communications. Their articles for Time Magazine won the award for outstanding journalism from the Council on Contemporary Families. Bronson has authored five books, including the #1 New York Times bestseller What Should I Do With My Life?
With that we come to the end of what we started with – 7 Willpower tips to Maximize winning chances in chess – here is hoping we get better with these techniques.
The author Anshuman Jain is a chess coach at Golden Chess Centre, Nanganallur, Chennai. He is available for Chess training and is an expert in Digital Chess classrooms and training techniques. When he is not teaching Chess he likes to learn computer languages.
Things Chess players can learn from 2 year old baby
Amazing Things Chess Players Can Learn from a 2 year old baby!
Recently I came across a two-year-old child and after observing his daily activities, I was amazed at what we can learn from him.
Here is the list of practical tips, that I learned from the baby.
Chess playing is a habit that will not be easy to quit.
Because, apart from playing in tournaments, you can also play online with other players, not only from your country but the entire World.
Being a chess player is in itself a big achievement, because very few people in the world have the playing acumen and skill needed for Chess.
You can learn the tactics of Chess from your daily life activities like when watching TV or watching movies; all it needs, is just a keen sense of observation, that is!
6 Things Chess players can learn from 2 year old baby
1. Never complain.
Have you ever observed a two-year-old child going about his daily routines?
If anything, he’ll never complain. Wait… you’ll say, a baby could cry – but that is not complaining!
He is only expressing his emotions by either laughing or crying.
The same concept we can apply, in our chess growth process, – that is – we can take all our responsibilities for our losses (and wins) on our shoulders.
So that we never complain about any shortcomings or bad luck, for lack of success in Chess.
Friends, no one will spoon-feed you, even a good coach will not want to do this – he will and must, guide you.
The rest is your work.
2. Just One Target.
A two-year-old child has just one target – once he/she asks for anything, Then come what may – that ‘anything’ is the main desire for him.
When you started playing chess, what was your target and your dream?
Remember that, all the time.
There is an Indian mythological tale in the Mahabharata (revered lore in Indian tradition).
When the famous teacher Guru Dronacharaya asked his best disciple Arjuna, what he had seen when he ordered him to attack the target with his arrow.
Arjuna answered coolly – “The only thing I see is the sparrow’s eye”.
The same thing is also applicable to our chess pursuits – single-minded focus.
Have you ever wanted something desperately and after some time, not so much?
A child has a fixed time for getting up early in the morning, taking food at a fixed time, and then sleeping at a fixed time.
If you don’t have time for your chess training, then you won’t make any progress, which you were thinking at the start of learning chess.
This is all about doing the same thing daily – and – finally one day you become an expert in any field.
There is one good saying – “to become an expert in any field you need to put in just 10000 hours of intense practice”.
Do it daily and see the leap in your performance after 6 months.
5. One baby step at a time.
Have you noticed how a child is always living in the present moment? Babies demonstrate remarkable persistence when learning new skills.
Like crawling or walking. Likewise, chess players can learn to persevere through tough games, setbacks, and challenging positions, developing resilience along the way.
The child only takes one small baby step at a time and does not crave immediate success in whatever he wants.
If he observes a toy at the far end of the room, he does not run.
He takes whatever is possible in small steps towards that toy, and goes with a one-minded focus.
Babies learn by trial and error, repeatedly trying until they succeed. Chess players can adopt this mindset, especially in analyzing games, learning from losses, and refining strategies through experimentation.
That is how we must be in our chess preparation and training.
Small steps are needed daily.
Science has proved that anything done daily for 21 days in a row becomes a habit, and if you start small it is easier to create a habit.
A child doesn’t have anything to worry about. Like when to eat or how to eat, etc.
You should also not have any worries about whether you can achieve mastery or not.
At Golden Chess Centre, we ask parents and the students, not to look at the results.
Babies are fully present in whatever they’re doing. Similarly, chess players can benefit from focusing entirely on the current position on the board, without getting distracted by past mistakes or future possibilities.
The game quality, is what the coach looks into, not the match points.
Results will improve automatically if the quality of your game improves.
And looking at results will only add up to the pressure.
In Chess, results depend on just one last mistake and if the student keeps training persistently in a disciplined way, even that mistake will be removed by sheer dint of hard work.
Let not success excite you, or failure pull you down.
The Amazing Things Chess players can learn from 2 year old baby are worth keeping in your mind.
When the players see that they are not able to win a particular opponent then they go into a QUITTING mindset. Quitting is a very easy thing. But principle motto of life says – “WINNERS NEVER QUIT AND QUITTERS NEVER WIN.”
Golden Chess Centre conducts regular training sessions for dedicated and upcoming chess players in Nanganallur, Madipakkam, Adambakkam, Moovarasampet, Kilkattalai, Kovilambakkam, Puzhuthivakkam, Ullagaram and Pazhavanthangal – Chennai,
There are online sessions for serious chess players who live out of Chennai and if you need to join one, please click here.
Have you ever wanted something really bad and after some time, not so much?
When we were just children we had many small desires like buying a comic, a doll or a toy, and we nagged our parents really bad. As teenagers, we wanted to be highly popular and admired by all, an intensity that you may all still retrieve when you see your child doing the same or see your old school pics. Sure enough this desire to be popular, starts to ebb by the beginning of college years. So my thoughts started on what to do When Priorities and Desires Change. How to understand yourself ? How best to aim our desires in a positive direction and focus especially in the game we all love so much – Chess?
So yeah, our desires and their importance fade with time. For example, I am sure as teens, we day-dreamed about a fabulous looking partner. Then came the desire for passionate and intense partners. Even this disappears, albeit to muffled tones at times. Isn’t it a funny thing to talk about when we discuss the way our desires shift or diminish with time?
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Desire may be hugely interpreted as the push and pull of hormones and that is a conception that many of us have been having for a long time. However in due course of time, people understand that their lives are defined by striving for excellence, when we see other successful people and wish we had done something worthwhile when there was still time. Not that we have any shortage of time now but then at age 30 or 40 the enthusiasm fades off for the majority of us.
Everything happens in auto pilot mode and we enter the cocoon of routine.
Additionally, there is another problem that we as chess players, face. We have always wanted to be skillful at many things. We climb up the rating ladder. And after working hard to achieve some chess expertise, we have something called ‘stagnation’ creeping in. We now stop engaging in the activities as such, and this makes me wonder if we would have loved the process as much equally, as if the success we found, was easier to attain. I am also guilty of such stagnations in my life and it takes a great effort to come out of it alone.
Does desire equals a love for the process, for the journey or the attainment of the goal?
With things we never had, it’s harder to find out whether the desire will reduce with time, but core desires are much akin to the desire for love and happiness than the desire to master a skill, which is less of the heart and more of the mind matter – controlled by conscious thinking.
When asked during an interview how he managed to reach the top as a professional Chess Grandmaster, Botvinnik replied with a single word, “Desire!”
All great success ultimately begins with just a small idea, a seed, so to speak, but what makes ideas become reality, is the fuel of human desire. Just an idea alone can give you a temporary feeling of inspiration, but a burning wanting desire is what gets you through all the perspiration necessary to overcome the numerous obstacles along the path.
One secret to overcome stagnation is Clarity – or – refinement of desires. This comes from contrasting experiences, so if you want more clarity, invite more of the new by embracing and accepting new experiences. This is especially crucial for people in their teens and 20s. Your brain learns a lot from experience. If you lack any new experience, then how can your brain know its most important calling? Of course it cannot — you need to train it more.
How are you supposed to discover your favorite hobbies if you do the equivalent of doing just one chore every day? How are you going to discover your favorite food(s) if you are eating the same diet, every single day?
So my suggestion to you when Priorities and Desires change is – do anything and everything if it’s totally new to you.
Like playing a blitz game if you have never played it before or playing a slow time control if you not done it earlier.
The benefit is that you’ll give your brain a lot of experiences to compare and contrast. This will help you choose and fix your tastes.
Then the desire to learn will be long lasting and new everyday, every time.
Rethink about the ambitions/goals you’ve set for yourself. (You have set goals, haven’t you? If not, then do set them first). Before fixing your priorities and goals answer the following and act accordingly:
How committed are you to achieving these targets?
Under what conditions would you call it quits?
What if you could significantly increase your desire to achieve these targets?
What if you wanted them so badly that you would never ever give up chasing those targets?
When you are truly 100% committed to attaining your targets/goals, you move from doubt to knowing for sure. If you want something really bad, then quitting is simply out of your mind.
You either discover a way or make your own path to reach there. You are ready to pay the price, whatever it takes to reach your destination.
Some hugely inspiring books that have motivated me on my path –
Hey, I’m Kish Kumar. Over the last two decades, I’ve trained more than 500 students in chess, from India and abroad through online chess classes.
And it has to do with a chemical called Dopamine.
