Chess Psychology: Play the Board, Not the Opponent!

Akiba Rubinstein

It is very easy to pay too much attention to the pairings, and specifically your opponent’s rating. Over-emphasizing your opponent’s rating is one of the most common mistakes a beginner chess player can make, potentially resulting in a lack of confidence, feelings of anxiety and hopelessness, and generally bad play. It’s OK to check the pairings and try to get a head start by trying to prepare against an opponent if you’ve played them before and are familiar with their style, but you never want to get too caught up in pre-game preparation – as it will be very easy for your opponent to diverge from your last-minute preparation. Getting anxious about playing a much higher-rated opponent is never going to help your game, so in many of my online chess classes I recommend my students a simple solution: when you look at the pairings, only check what board you’re playing on and completely ignore your opponent’s rating. This temporary solution will also help you avoid another dangerous beginner chess pitfall – underestimating your opponent.

Don’t Gamble, Play the Best Move!

From my brief experience in casinos, I know first-hand that the house always wins! The same principle applies in chess, in that the player who gambles by playing very loose moves against a lower-rated opponent and hoping his opponent doesn’t find the flaws is sure to get busted badly. It’s easy to look at the pairings and get nervous about playing against a higher-rated opponent, but it can be even easier to become over-confident about playing a lower-rated opponent – and even more dangerous. Playing sub-optimal moves against lower-rated opposition opens the door to embarrassing defeats and should not be taken lightly. The best chess players in the history of the game have maintained the ability to play the highest level of chess against all opponents, never permitting even the slightest chance of losing to an inferior rival.

Question to Rubinstein: “Who is your opponent tonight?” Answer: “Tonight I am playing against the black pieces.” – Akiba Rubinstein