Winning Chess Psychology: The Out-Gangster Effect

Building Character Isn't Easy

For one reason or another, a mysterious aura of excellence seems to exist around all advanced chess players. Beginner and intermediate chess players regard the advanced player with an incredible degree of respect, often resulting in an overestimation of abilities. I’m sure the following scene will be quite familiar to any chess player who’s attended a handful of serious tournaments – It’s a huge Swiss tournament and in the early rounds a young/rising 1700 player is facing off against the local Fide Master. The young player has prepared well for his experienced opponent, emerging from the opening with a strong initiative and a dangerous attack. The FM is able to push back the attack and the position becomes roughly equal, although both players are low on time after the complicated opening and middlegame – but there is still a lot of chess left to play. A crowd gathers around the board and even though the position is completely equal, everyone is whispering how the FM has got the kid on the ropes and how “He’s going to close this out just like always.” The FM senses a critical moment and plays more determined than ever. Looking at the body language of the two players, you can tell that the experienced FM feels very comfortable in this situation and is thriving on the nervous energy/anxiety of the young 1700. Soon enough, the nerves get to him and the kid starts making passive/defensive moves. The FM becomes even more determined to win, and just like that – the kid makes a few small errors that lead to sudden defeat. Now why does this always seem to happen?

Strong Chess Psychology Will Win You Games!

When the game is equal and dynamically balanced as you approach the later stages, the mental fiber of the chess player will be tested. Your objective playing strength becomes less important, as your psychological strength becomes the guiding factor to success. Understanding the importance of aggressive chess psychology can take your game to the next level, although you should be careful not to let previous defeats lead to continued feelings of anxiety/nervousness in such situations. Instead, you should feed off of these painful past experiences and learn from them. As my grandma told me when I was growing up and something really sucked “This is a great character-building experience.”

Scene from Batman Begins: "Why do we fall, Bruce? So we can learn and pick ourselves back up."

How to Be on the Giving End of the Out-Gangster Spectrum

Personally, I hate losing more than just about anything else. This happens to be a great motivating tool… to win! Learning from previous defeats should not include perpetuating the same maladaptive behavior. Giving due respect to a strong opponent is one thing, but overestimating him and constantly thinking in the back of your head that you know how bad he’s going to beat you in the end is quite another. Playing 75% of a game well does not mean anything – the most important phase is the 4th quarter. So the next time you’re entering the final phase of an important game and the stress is building to a maximum – this is the exact moment when you need to buckle down and become extremely stubborn in your mission to win this game at all costs, no matter who the opponent is.