Develop Mental Toughness by Playing Chess
Talking about opportunistic attitudes
“When I today ask myself whence I got the moral courage, for it takes moral courage to make a move — or form a plan running counter to all tradition, I think I may say in answer, that it was only my intense preoccupation with the problem of the blockade which helped me to do so.” — Aron Nimzowitsch
People have been playing chess for hundreds of years. For most of the part, it’s been a casual entertaining game.
The goal is clear, you want to checkmate the king.
But is the game that simple?
Chess can also be a tool for self-introspection.
When making moves on the chessboard, you typically have an intention behind each move, as there is a purpose guiding your actions.
It is this intention that helps you identify and execute good moves.
Learn to find opportunities
A chess game can last up to 5–6 hours, and it mostly entails a mix of frustration and heart rate fluctuation.
When starting the game, none of the players has opportunities to win.
Both of them have to create them.
Getting an opportunity in the game can take up to 80% of the moves. That means you could spend 3–4 hours finding and creating an opportunity.
In fact, winning is the last thing you do.
We are taught that opportunities are out there and you must take them.
But chess will show you, that they do not exist until you visualize them.
How does it work?
To begin, imagine your goal — let’s say you want to capture the king.
Next, try to explore potential scenarios that may unfold.
Your opponent blocking you on the king’s side, or attacking you on the other side, so you do not have time to act.
Gradually identify the strengths at your disposal and transform them into opportunities. Opportunities mean basically things that could happen but did not happen yet.
Let’s say you see a potential weak pawn on the king’s side or a great square for your knight. All of these are opportunities.
Great, one step is done. Now how do you get there?
Opportunities are not created, but rather discovered within your imagination as you explore the board.
Chess will make you feel more aware of the range of options that are out there.
It’s amazing what your brain can come up with when you offer it full creative freedom.
The chess idea of always being in search of opportunities will also enable you to adopt this mindset in your daily life.
At the first setback, you would not give up, but challenge yourself to see the positive. That’s because you have trained your brain to think so.
But here is one catch.
Even if you come across one opportunity, it does not guarantee you success.
You must either capitalize on that opportunity and turn it into a victory or generate at least one additional opportunity.
One opportunity is not enough
You think you got it all right, but your opponent can still defend, and you end up in a draw instead of a win.
In this case, you need to make sure you have a handful of advantages before you are ready to win.
“Stay flexible. Be ready to transform advantages from one type to another.” — John Nunn
Now you are going back into your “opportunistic mode” and search for more opportunities.
But then you realize the range of opportunities is smaller and smaller, and you do not know what you can do anymore.
Everything seems defended. Everything seems blocked. Where do you go?
You have to investigate each square and each piece and think of how you can make them weaker for your opponent and stronger for you. Let your brain think outside the box.
That is the key component of mental toughness. You do not stop. Ever.
There is always more area of exploration. Even when you are in a good position/situation, you have to push forward and improve.
Don’t forget, winning must be hard, otherwise, you would not go for it in the first place.
Explore, try, and then win.
Thank you for reading!
Make sure you check out my other cheesy chess stories:
