Chess Psychology 101

Submitted by streetfighter on Tue, 11/18/2008 at 12:56pm.

Although opening theory, endgame study and tactics training all have their place in our battles across the board, there is an area of the game which seems to be largely forgotten by the vast majority of players-that area is psychology, and it is a facet of the game which can have a serious impact on our results if it is tapped correctly.

Knowing our opponents, gauging their strengths and weaknesses, their likes and dislikes, their desires and fears can make our own decisions so much easier-or at the very least more focused on what is relevant or likely to increase our chances of success.

The example I'm about to show you was played last weekend, in a very critical club match played in the 1st round of the Scottish National Chess League.

Now, 1st round and critical don't often go together (except for the psychological boost of getting of to a good start-or the reverse impact from a heavy defeat) but in this instance we were playing one of the strongest teams in the League, with the added 'trauma' of facing the previous years' winners waiting for us in the afternoon round. That 'previous year' had seen us lose both of these fixtures heavily on the opening weekend-after which we were basically playing for 3rd position at best-not ideal for getting the adrenalin flowing in the remaining matches, particularly as relegation was an unlikely scenario.

From a personal perspective, as top board I would be considered to be one of our main hopes of getting a result - in my way though was a very strong and improving opponent.

An interesting game I feel, and I was very pleased with my play and my approach to this particular opponent. I hope I have shown that there is clearly more to the game of chess than moving the pieces! Simply being aware that your opponent approaches the game in a different way to yourself is a start; picking out and playing against ANY weakness is the next step-even if this weakness is a psychological one!

Should anyone be interested in other aspects of practical chess psychology, then feel free to contact me and I can send a pdf sample of the 'Mind Games' chapter of my new book 'Streetfighting Chess' - thank you and hope you enjoyed this little article!

#This article first appeared as a blog posting last month.#

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