Maintaining Equilibrium: Chess Psychology for Beginners

Garry Kasparov

 Garry Kasparov and Bobby Fischer are two of the best chess players ever. Kasparov’s main strength was in the opening, where his incredibly deep level of preparation in the sharpest lines of his time enabled him to obtain dangerous initiatives very early in the game. Bobby Fischer‘s opening preparation was also fantastic, permitting him to challenge the soviet regime in the middle of the 20th century with unparalleled success. Fischer also happened to play the endgame with computer-like precision, capable of making even the most experienced grandmaster’s defense look flimsy and disorganized. Ridiculously deep and sharp opening preparation is great. Near-perfect precision in the endgame is definitely a good thing as well. But what really what really distinguished these two world chess champions from their contemporaries was their ability to recover from surprises and losses – taking everything in stride and patiently regrouping to regain their balance and play at an optimal level.

Chess is a unique cognitive nexus, a place where art and science come together in the human mind and are refined and improved by experience” – Garry Kasparov

It’s not a bad idea to take a few pointers from Fischer and Kasparov – if you take a good look at their careers you will undoubtedly notice that they almost never lost two games in a row. Now I’m pretty sure that’s not a coincidence. In fact, they were much more likely to comeback from a loss with a win in their next game. This is a great example of how a strong chess psychology and mental fiber can take your game to the next level. So just how can you start pointing your game in the right direction?

Baby Steps

The most basic element of mental balance is to focus on the position immediately in front of you. You must train yourself to ignore all external factors such as the tournament standing, whether you drew or lost a game in the previous round that you should have won, etc.. The only thing that matters is the next move that you need to make. You also don’t want to let high-pressure situations throw you off your normal game and style of play. Make sure you stand up in these tense moments and stick to the openings and types of positions you know best – play to your strengths. So the next time the road gets a little rocky and it starts becoming difficult to think straight, make yourself step away, calm down, and focus on the position in front of you and the next move you need to make. Clear your head and ignore all distractions, because a balanced equilibrium is sure to guarantee optimal results.