Mastery

Most of us feel like we are always a little below what we need to know; after so much experience and practice these masters feel like they are above the battlefield, looking down. With this perspective, they make better decisions. This superior vision and intelligence resulted from a process one that transcended their field and related to how the human brain operates.

Knowing this process could be of immense benefit to almost anyone. It would help us take the right career path, make better choices, and go through an ideal apprenticeship in which we understand how to gain and combine skills. Mastery was not something genetic, or for a lucky few. It is something we can all attain if get rid of some misconceptions and gain clarity as to the required path because we are living in unusual times.

On the one hand, with the unprecedented accessibility of information we have incredible opportunities for knowledge and the power it can bring. On the other hand, we are all more distracted than ever. It is harder for us to think long term, to be clear about the direction we are heading, to be focused and disciplined. To have some clarity and direction, and to gain mastery of our field would help us manage the complexity of our times and the pressures of a highly competitive, globalized work world. This superior intelligence is well within their reach.

The secret ingredients are desire and time. We all know how much more deeply we learn when we are motivated. If a subject excites us, if it stirs our deepest curiosity, or if we have to learn because the stakes are high, we pay much more attention. What we absorb sinks in. If we find ourselves in France needing to learn the language, or suddenly in love with a French woman who speaks little English, we can learn more in a few months than four years of French classes, no matter how good the teacher. In other words, our level of focus will determine the depth of our learning.

If we multiply such deep concentration over enough time, we can master anything. There are dozens of incredible historical examples of this: Darwin and the development of his theory of Natural Selection, Einstein and his theory of Special Relativity, Thomas Edison and the development of the electric light bulb, Henry Ford and the Model T, John Coltrane and the revolutionary music he came to produce, Martha Graham and the creation of modern dance, etc. In all of these cases, these masters were impelled not by a desire for money or fame, but an intense interest in problems, ideas, and the nature of their work.

A great contemporary example would be Steve Jobs. What fascinated him since early childhood was the intersecting point between technology and design, how technology interacts with people and changes their way of thinking. This subject obsessed him. He went through a lengthy apprenticeship with his first period at Apple and then with NeXT. He had many failures and learned invaluable lessons. By the time he returned to Apple in 1996, he had accumulated an incredible depth of knowledge about the design of technology. It was the function of close to twenty years of experience and thinking on the same problems. He had come to master something almost intangible: the ability to sense trends well before others. This formula of desire x time can be applied to artists, athletes, chess players, inventors, biologists, and any other field.

Not only do passion can turn into expertise or mastery, it is absolutely essential. To not follow your passion in life is a recipe for failure and unhappiness. Most often people choose career paths that diverge from what really interests them because of pressure from parents and peers, or motivated by the desire for money. What ends up happening is that in our twenties and maybe even in our thirties, we can do pretty well in our work, even though it is not a passionate interest. We are young and have energy; we get satisfaction mostly outside work. But eventually our lack of deep connection to the field catches up with us, often in our forties.

We feel increasingly disengaged and not challenged. Our natural creative energies have gone fallow. We fail to pay attention to the changes going on in our field because we are disconnected. People younger, more creative and less expensive quickly replace us. We find that we cannot shift or adapt because we have not built up the proper learning skills or the requisite patience. It is funny, but the people in life who are primarily motivated by money or security often end up losing whatever they gain, whereas those who follow their passion end up making far more money than they ever desired.

To really become an expert or master requires the infamous 10,000 hours, or even 20,000 hours: perhaps the difference between being a chess master and a grandmaster. To apply yourself to a field or to a problem for that long a time means there will inevitably be moments of boredom and tedium. Practice, particularly in the beginning, is never exciting. To persist past these moments you have to feel love for the field, you have to feel passionately excited by the prospect of discovering or inventing something new. Otherwise, you will give up. Known as the primary law of the creative dynamic, your emotional commitment to what you are doing will be translated directly into your work.

If you go at it with half a heart, it will show in the lackluster results, in the laggard way in which you reach the end. If you are doing something primarily for money and without a real emotional commitment, it will translate into something that lacks a soul and has no connection to you. You may not see this but you can be sure the public feels it and will receive your work in the same lackluster spirit you created it in. If you are excited and obsessive in the hunt, it shows in the details. If it comes from a place deep within, the authenticity of the task will be communicated. There is no getting around the law. There is no mastery or power without passion. This is not to say that money and fame are never considerations for masters. For many of them it has relative importance. But it is almost never their primary motivation.

Everyone is made to do something exceptional. Biologically, we have all inherited a brain that is more or less the same size, configured in slightly different ways. This brain is a miracle of design, the work of millions of years of evolution. It is built to bring us in deep contact with reality, with our environment, making us able to see things not immediately visible to the eye. Through focused attention on a problem, we can pierce to more and more profound levels of understanding. The human brain is a dual processing organ. It constantly takes in information and compares it to other information, finding connections between ideas and sensations.

At the highest levels of intelligence, at the level of an Einstein, we are witnessing a brain that is making rapid connections between an incredibly wide range of ideas and thoughts. This dual processing brain is latent with creative energy. We all sensed this creativity as children; our minds were much more open then as we were hungry for knowledge and we would intuit all kinds of interesting associations between ideas. It is our greatest need and desire to somehow express our natural creative energy, and the highest form of expression of this energy is in our work, whether in the arts, business, politics or science. In general, we use only a small percentage of the potential power of the human brain. Masters are those who go further with this potential. If we follow the mastery process long enough, inspired by a profound interest and curiosity we cannot fail to achieve something exceptional.

One of the masters is Temple Grandin, a professor of animal studies at Colorado State University, the world’s leading designer of livestock facilities and expert on autism. Temple herself was born autistic. At the age of three a doctor had suggested she be institutionalized for the rest of her life. Through the help of speech therapists, she was able to avoid such a fate and attend regular school. She slowly developed an intense interest in animals and in autism itself. This led to a career in the sciences. With her exceptional reasoning powers, she has been able to throw light on the phenomenon of autism, and explain it in a way no one else has been able to. If a person like Temple Grandin can achieve mastery, with so much against her from the start, then certainly almost all of us have the same capability.

The key to high level achievement in any field is to connect with the Life’s Task, our vocation, what we are meant to do in this short time we have to live. We all experience in early childhood an attraction to certain activities, usually called primal inclinations. This could be physical activities (sports), games of strategy (chess), visual patterns or mathematics, music, words, and so on. These are indications of what is unique about us. This uniqueness can be expressed by our interest in several things that we want to combine. Most of us lose touch with these inclinations as we get older. We listen more and more to parents; we enter career paths that seem cool or lucrative. Masters stand out by their ability to stay true to their earliest inclinations; they have an exceptional connection to what they were meant to do in life.

This does not mean that we quit your jobs and take up the guitar because we love music. We have to be practical and earn a living. What we need to do is find ways to adapt our career path, slowly direct it towards fields or problems that spark our keenest interests and curiosity. It’s an evolution. But if we take the time, and eventually find our way to the right path, we will know it is right by how it feels. Work will come easier because we are engaged and committed. We rarely feel bored. We experience momentum, as we see and seize one opportunity after another. There are countless stories of masters that demonstrate this idea in action.

Do not consider anything you have done in the past as a waste. Even the most menial jobs will teach you lessons and skills you can later exploit and combine. In one writer's career, he worked for years as a writer in journalism and then in Hollywood. In the film business, he also carved out a niche as a high–level researcher for feature films and documentaries. This work really helped him develop organizational skills as well. When he had the opportunity to write books, he could now combine the skills he had cultivated as a researcher, to write books that are different and play to his own strengths. You need to diversify and always be thinking of expanding your skill base.

AN EXAMPLE OF TOP THREE PIECES
OF ADVICE ON HOW SOMEONE CAN 
BECOME A MASTER AT CHESS


1. Look inward. You have to think deeply whether the games or skills you are learning are suited to you. If you feel only half interested, if you find yourself more excited by your leisure time, then most likely you have not chosen a field that engages you. Think about the subjects out there that stir your curiosity, bring you back to that feeling in childhood in which you wanted to learn. The games, opening, middlegames or endgames you are mastering have to in some way stir your interest and make you excited about the future. If not, you need to slowly shift direction. You need a plan for five years down the line, how you can combine the skills you already have with something new. For instance, if you studied Sicilian and you discover that it bores you to tears, you do not simply turn your back on the skills you have developed. You find your way to something in which you can use what you learned as a Sicilian player in a direction that appeals to you more: French, English, Benoni, etc. Build and expand on the skills you have, but move in the direction that ultimately suits your interests.

2. Have faith in the learning process itself. A lot of people start out excited and motivated but when it comes to the practice or hard hours that are necessary in the beginning, they seem to lose interest. In fact, they are losing faith in the process itself. They no longer believe in the great rewards down the road, the powers and skills that will come to them through practice and discipline. It is a critical life skill to be able to postpone your need for immediate pleasures and satisfaction, keeping your eye on the future. There is a US Air Force fighter pilot Cesar Rodriguez. He is nicknamed “The Last American Ace” because he had the highest number of kills in air combat since the Vietnam War. Cesar was not a golden boy. He was not a natural at flying. In fighter pilot training school he had to practice twice as hard as others to master the same maneuvers. He saw a lot of more talented pilots fall out of the training program because they became discouraged at all of the criticism they had to endure. Cesar had played quarterback for his high school football team and knew that through practice and repetition the human brain can learn almost any skill. With this faith, he outworked the others, even the golden boys. As the golfer Ben Hogan put it, “I always outworked everybody. Work never bothered me like it bothers some people. You can outwork even the best player in the world.”


3. Develop as many skills as possible. The future belongs to those who can combine forms of knowledge and different skills. All of the modern masters exemplify this. For the entrepreneur Paul Graham it was visual arts and computer science; for Santiago Calatrava it was engineering and architecture; for Freddie Roach it was using his experience as a boxer and combining it in a new way with his work as a trainer; for Yoky Matsuoka it was mixing neuroscience, with robotics, and the design of green technology. The reason for this is simple: we now live in an era of incredible access to information. Mining the area between various fields will allow you to carve out a unique career path, one that is custom fit to your own interests and inclinations. Even if you are forced to specialize for whatever reason, you must continually explore other areas and expand your knowledge.

The Center and Space with Pawns

There are five basic types of pawn positions in the centre and there are fairly precise plans of attacking and defensive play for each of these positions.

1. Closed Center with Fixed Pawn Chains. These arise after the Ruy Lopez, the French Defence or the Kings Indian Defence openings. The game moves to the flanks. Attacks take place on the side with open lines or where superiority of forces can be created in the shortest time. In the cases of Opposite side castling, the attack always occurs on the side where opponent's king is located. 

2. Static Center with Central Pawns fixed in pairs. Characteristics are a manoeuvring battle for the central squares and switching of the attacks to the flank at an appropriate moment. We need to keep in mind that a peaceful center is a necessary condition for flank attacks on the opponent king. 

3. Dynamic Center where final position of the pawns is not yet fixed. These arise after half open openings and Sicilian Defence games. These can transpose to any of the other four pawn positions. Thus we need to keep a careful eye on the center and to forsee upcoming changes. In fact, we shall convert this position to a position which suites our playing style or the playing situation (we want sure-shot win or draw is also acceptable). We need to be cautious towards opponent's flank attacks too.

4. Mobile Center where any of the central pawns can move. This is a feature of Evans Gambit, Alekhine's Defence, the Grunfeld Defence and some other openings. The main method to handle a mobile center is to blockade it. An attack on a central pawn forces it to advance after which it should be blockaded and the weakened squares in front of the pawn shall be occupied with our pieces.

5. Open Center where there are no pawns in the center: These arise after the Ruy Lopez, the King's Gambit, the Slav Defence and the Queen's Gambit Accepted. Absence of central pawns in this type of center takes the game to sharp active tactical piece play. Action plan is to take possession of central lines and important central squares. 

Pawn Structures

The position of pawns has always directly or indirectly influenced the choice of plans, actions of both sides and finally the result in chess. Pawn structures created in the opening to a large extent determines the course of the game. One of the most popular pawn structures is the Carlsbad structure which arises in Queen's Gambit declined (1.d4 d5, 2.c4 e6, 3.Nc3 Nf6, 4.Bg5 c6, 5.e3 Nbd7, 6.cxd), Grunfeld Defence (1.d4 Nf6, 2.c4 g6, 3.Nc3 d5, 4.Nf3 Bg7, 5.Bg5 Ne4, 6.cxd Nxg5, 7.Nxg5 e6, 8.Nf3 exd), Nimzo-Indian Defence (1.d4 Nf6, 2.c4 e6, 3.Nc3 Bb4, 4.Qc2 d5, 5.cxd exd) and with colors reversed in Caro-Kann defence (1.e4 c6, 2.d4 d5, 3.exd cxd, 4.Bd3 Nc6, 5.c3). 

In the Carlsbad pawn structure, White has at his disposal pawn minority attack or a break in the centre with e3-e4 and also kingside attack. Black's defence usually depends on the course of action taken by White and consist of counterattack with pawns or pieces on the kingside, positional methods like creation of a defensive line including b7-b5 or piece control over the c4 and b5 squares and also undermining of the centre or a counterattack on a queenside castled position.

Possession of open Lines

Important lines are files, ranks and diagonals. Control over these lines have significant influence over evaluation of a chess position and if other points are equal leads to a  better game. There are four strategic plans based on fighting for different types of open lines.

1. Breakthrough in the centre. This helps in mobilizing your forces fast to any part of the board.

2. Breakthrough between the centre and the flank. This plan works on the c and b files.

3. Attack on the edge of the board. The queen rook file (a file) is the farthest from king in short castled positions. Opening of the outside diverts opponent's forces from his kingside towards queenside and provides an opportunity of opening his king side. This often leads to outside passed pawn to which plays a significant role in pawn endgames.

4. Dangerous diagonals. Entire opening systems (like King's Indian, Sicilian Dragon etc. for Black's dark squared bishop and Reti and English Openings etc. for White's light squared bishop) have been created in which right from the first move, battle is focused on opening and controlling the long diagonals on which the bishops can display their strength. Quite large sacrifices are sometimes made to control the long diagonals. Many times a player gives up his rook in exchange of opponent's bishop to gain control over long diagonal.

Creating Advantages in the Middlegames

Once you have developed all of your pieces to their most effective squares, you reach the middlegame. The middlegame is sometimes a difficult part of a chess game because a player will not know what to do once they achieve complete development. This is where critical thinking and planning come into play. Every chess player should learn the typical strategies that are used in the middle game.

“Strategies require thought; tactics requires observation.” – Max Euwe, former World Champion

In order to win a chess game, one side needs to achieve an advantage. This advantage can be static or dynamic. A static advantage is a long-term one that involves a somewhat permanent weakness in your opponent’s position, such as doubled or isolated pawns. A dynamic advantage is a short-term temporary advantage, such as an uncastled King or undeveloped pieces. Your goal and strategy should be to try to create as many of these static advantages as possible besides dynamic advantages with outstanding tactical play.

MATERIAL ADVANTAGES
Material advantages usually arise due to a calculated tactic or combination. So, the first step in trying to achieve a material advantage is to discover tactics that will win your opponent’s pieces. Always be on the lookout for forks, pins, skewers, x-rays, sacrifices, discovered attacks and others. One of the keys of having a material advantage is typically to trade down, because in the end, the player with the material advantage will prevail quite easily.

SUPERIOR PIECE MOBILITY
Knowing where all the pieces go is an important concept to learn. Anyone can learn how the pieces move, but knowing where the pieces should be placed is a whole different story. That said, a general principle for piece placement is to find the most active, effective square that coincides with your strategy. More specifically, for example, Knights should be posted at support points, squares guarded by pawns usually that cannot be attacked by enemy pawns or if pawns attack it severely weakens your opponent’s position. To be most effective, Knights should be placed on the 4th, 5th, or 6th ranks. Knights are effectively used for forks and double attacks. Bishops are long-range pieces that belong on long, open diagonals. They do not like being locked in by their own pawns, i.e. a bad bishop. Bishops are most effectively used for pins, skewers, and discovered attacks. Rooks should be placed on the open file, a file without one of your own pawns obstructing the path. Rooks are also effectively placed on the 7th and 8th ranks where they can do considerable damage to their opponent’s position. Rooks are typically used for double attacks, pins, and discovered attacks. Queens should be moved with care and not too early in the game, as they can be attacked relentlessly by your opponent’s pieces, thereby losing valuable time for development.

SUPERIOR PAWN STRUCTURE
Specific pawn structures lead to static advantages. By creating weak pawn structures for your opponent, it becomes easier to formulate a strategy that attacks the weaknesses in the position. For example, an isolated pawn is a pawn that has no other pawns around to defend it. By piling up your pieces on this weak pawn, you create a target and will eventually win that pawn creating a material advantage. Many of these structures involve targeting the weakest pawn and crushing your opponent’s position. Thus, knowing which pawn is the weak point in a position is crucial to obtain this kind of advantage.

MORE TERRITORY
Usually, the more space that a player obtains, the easier it becomes to maneuver his pieces around to form an attack. The easiest way to create space is advancing your pawns in a logical fashion. Once past the 5th rank, pawns create a cramping feeling for your opponent and thus, more space for your position. However, you must be careful not to overextend your pawns so much that you lose control of them and in turn, create bad pawn structure.

SAFE KING POSITION
Most attacks in the middlegame occur in the center of the board, this is the reason that most players castle to the kingside or queenside. Castling creates a static advantage for yourself since your king is unlikely to move for a long time maybe until the endgame. Making sure the king is safe should be a top priority as the ultimate goal of chess is to checkmate the king.

How To Learn Chess

"Nothing is more disturbing than the upsetting of a preconceived idea."

How much study time is required? Edmar Mednis suggests 50% on openings, 25% on middlegames and 25% on endings. Lasker suggests, rules and exercises 5 hours, elementary endings 5 hours, some openings 10 hours, combinations, tactics 20 hours, positional play 40 hours, practical play with analysis 120 hours. If you spend the 200 hours on the above, even if you possess no special talent for chess, you are likely to be among the two or three thousand chess players who play on par with the masters. Of course there are those who spend in excess of 200 hours on chess without making any progress.

A player may have memorized a few opening lines and a few variations and know some basic principles of the opening, but his simple development may be lacking. Also a rote method of memorizing important variations never works. Such a rote method never works because as the memorized line ends, the player is at a loss regarding what to do next. What is important is to first obtain an understanding of what an opening is all about. Your strongest weapon against the superior player is ideas, a purpose or plan, imagined in your mind. It's the ideas that can be used as effective weapons in all areas of chess. A mastery of a little theory which conveys the real understanding of the game is infinitely more valuable than a carefully memorized compilation of endless moves. Paradoxically, a thorough grasp of the ideas behind the openings, which are relatively few in number, is a royal road of knowledge which eliminates much of the drudgery associated with remembering a long series of variation. The better way is to have studied the theory and be able to adapt to changes in different circumstances, that is what will give you the edge in the openings. There are several sources of this knowledge for free on the Internet. 

In the middlegames the opponent may know some basic tactics but has problems with more complex tactics in unfamiliar settings. The better player can see through to the counterplay and set traps. His moves have a point and use coordination of all his pieces. Your opponent's attacks may lack the necessary planning and development of all his pieces. He may lack in a style of play, be inflexible and lack the coordination initiative of all his active pieces to carry out the strategy of a successful attack. If your sound defense holds, his position may crumble leaving you with a superior advantage in your position in the middle game. Only 20 to 25 hours spent in studying tactics can make a profound improvement in your game.

In the endgame your opponent may be weak in endgame theory and be hesitant to use his king. He may defend rather than attack. The better player can limit counterplay and set up problems and obstacles to limit his opponents play and enhance his own position. You can play hundreds of games and still lack improvement if you don't study your losses. You must look at what needs to be improved.

Decoying

A decoy occurs when a piece is decoyed onto a fatal square.

Deflection

Deflection occurs when a piece is deflected away from defending a piece or important square.

Discovered Attacks and Checks

A discovered attack occurs when a piece moves and in doing so it uncovers an attack on an enemy piece. If a discovered attack gives check to the enemy King it is known as a discovered check. This form of attack can be especially dangerous.

Why are Games Like Chess so Popular

The popularity of board games, like chess and draughts or backgammon, have increased in past years mainly due to the fact that they can now be played online, just like many other types of games, puzzles, and brain teasers. This doesn't mean that players online don't also play in the real world however, most will do a combination of both.

Chess has been around since the late Middle Ages, making it a game with one of the longest history. It's popular with all ages and backgrounds, although it has often been portrayed as only for the highly intellectuals this is far from the truth. Just join any club and you'll see how the ages, backgrounds, and intellects of the people differ vastly.

Game clubs often have an online presence too so players can participate whenever the mood strikes, and with most players this can be at anytime day or night. Even tournaments are held online as it offers convenience and works out a lot cheaper to organise events.

Even if you are one of the online players we are talking about here you should still take the opportunity to challenge someone to 'over the board chess', as using a real board and real pieces is referred to. If you are off on your travels or just a short business trip then take a set along with you, it's a great way to have some social contact when waiting for a flight or sitting alone in a hotel lounge bar.

Part of the appeal of playing is to meet new people from all over the world. Challenging people from other cultures gives the opportunity to learn new strategies and styles that you might not come across playing the same people at a regular club every week. The best way to improve is to practice as much as possible and pit your wits against opponents of all levels. A standard tournament chess set comes with black and white Staunton light-weighted plastic pieces and a tear-proof vinyl board that rolls up and fits nicely into its very own tote bag.

Online chess is appealing as it's so easy, just like online shopping and online banking, it means you don't have to go anywhere! Everything can be done from the comfort of home which is convenient and inexpensive as there are no travel costs, no traffic to negotiate to get across town or wherever, and no cold weather to endure. This is a game that's meant to be relaxing, and playing online from home metal chess sets couldn't be any more so.

If you are new to the game then learning online is also relatively easy as the basics can be picked up and tutorials are offered when you join an online club and become a member. Playing over the internet offers a good base from where to practice and build up confidence before looking for human opponents. Check out the luxury chess sets available.

Although internet games are rapidly increasing in popularity it's doubtful that it will erase board games in the real world as millions play in countries all over the world. And many of them are playing because they love the social interaction of meeting and playing with people face to face. It's a game that provides gives you a buzz due to the endless amount of possibilities that could happen during a game.

Another reason why it appeals to others is because it gives the mind a chance to switch off and relax, concentration on one thing means you aren't worrying about bills or the family or work. Leaving your problems behind for a while results in better decision-making as you have given time to work them through in your mind instead of making a rash decision.

A Rosewood chess set makes a charming gift for someone and they are the most popular sets due to their eye-catching look with the colour of the wood anything from a rose blush and dark brown color to darker lines. Rosewood is quite tricky to shape and work by hand, which demonstrates the amount of skill accomplished by craftsmen.

Playing Styles Deconstructed

The perception of style is apparently greatly exaggerated at the top professional level; furthermore, misunderstanding the concept can be a serious limiting factor for Class players.  At the top levels, one can easily find examples of "positional, defensive" World Champions like Tigran Petrosian playing brilliant attacking chess and combinations, or "tactical, aggressive" players like Kasparov winning with relatively quiet, maneuvering games such as in the must-win final game of the 1987 World Championship. Certain strong players have deserved reputations for liking and playing particular position-types and the openings that usually lead to those particular position-types but that should not be confused with an inability to cross the tactical/positional divide when the position requires it.

The most important aspect of this for the improving player is not a theoretical debate about the styles of World Champions, though, but how the idea of "style" can affect our play and hold us back.  Regardless of what we call ourselves, either tactical or positional players, mentally over-identifying with a style has some major detrimental effects on our performance.  Most seriously from a practical standpoint during a game, it necessarily limits our ability to perceive and evaluate candidate moves as part of our thinking process. Moves that we consciously or unconsciously characterize as being outside of our style are either not examined or incorrectly evaluated, usually in a dismissive manner.

The following are some specific thoughts on how over-reliance on a "style" can hold you back as a player.

Tactical Style: this (as with any other style) will only get you so far as a player. It seems that low Expert level (2000-2100) is probably the top limit for tactical specialists; Michael de la Maza's well-known story is one anecdotal indication of this.  (For those who are into statistics, you can look at his career record and make your own judgments about his playing strength versus various classes of players.) Naturally, a 2000 rating would sound good enough for a lot of people, but it is still short of mastery.  Also, for those of us without hard-wired chess brains, the ratings ceiling for being a tactical specialist may be much lower than 2000.  Here are some other typical limitations that may be associated with this style: 1) When tactics are not currently present in a position, cannot identify a useful plan to make progress. 2) Default plan is a kingside attack, regardless of the position. 3) Neglects study of positional factors, since everything is about tactics. 4) Neglects endgame study, because doesn't expect to make it that far, either winning or losing in the middlegame.

Positional Style: based on some personal observations, an insistence on "playing positionally" and ignoring tactics will not get you along the path to mastery even as far as the tactical specialists.  A positional player needs to be able to spot tactics in key positions, in order to win. Some other general limitations on playing effectiveness include: 1) Avoiding entering into tactical play, even when it would result in material or positional benefits. 2) Being unwilling to undertake gambits or sacrifice material. 3) Being unable to effectively conduct attacks on the opponent's king position. 4) Having a tendency to draw a won position rather than win it.

A majority of players start off tactical and then acquire positional knowledge, although a significant minority (including some outstanding players) think of themselves as positional players from the start. Normally we identify with a general approach to playing chess that we like the most, based on our early experiences. However, that's not necessarily the best approach for us as players over the long-term; furthermore, we all acquire some bad habits or erroneous ideas as we struggle to understand the game. The point of breaking free of the limitations of a self-defined style isn't to negate our own preferences; rather, it's to free us from our mental chains and open up a new world of possibilities on the board.  Regardless of the path we choose, it takes time and effort to think in new ways and then apply our new knowledge. You should continue moving along the path for a long time.

Combination Concept : Positional Play

The layman thinks that the superiority of the chess master lies in his ability to think out 3 or 4, or even 10 or 20, moves ahead. Those chess lovers who ask some outstanding players how many moves they usually calculate in advance, when making a combination, are always astonished when they reply, quite truthfully, “as a rule not a single one.” Formerly, in Anderssen’s time, the ability to make combinations was in fact the very essence of chess talent. Since then, however, the chess mind has further developed, and the power of accurately calculating moves in advance has no greater place in chess than, perhaps, skilful calculation has in mathematics.

Applying a simple mathematical formula we shall easily see how impossible, and on the other hand how objectless, it would be in general to try to work out in advance exact sequences of moves. Let us consider a position in which there is no distinct threat: an ordinary tranquil position. We shall certainly not be going too far if we assume that each side has every time on an average three feasible moves; that being the number to be take into account, generally speaking, in order to effect the calculation. If outstanding players want to work out, now, all the variations on the basis of the full move (i.e. one move by them and one by their opponent) for all the variations, they should have to consider already 3x3 = 9 different variations. On the basis of two full moves the number of possible variations already amounts to 3x3x3x3 = 81 their computation being at the most possible in correspondence games.

Should we further wish to calculate the number of variations of 3 moves of Black and White respectively we find that the number of such variations is represented by 3x3x3x3x3x3 = 729: in practice therefore scarcely possible of execution. Allowing we took the trouble to make the above calculations what would be the advantage to be derived therefrom? The computation of the variations would only have some sense if, from the resulting perspective positions, we could in the end discover which combination would be most favourable. We cannot assume, again in tranquil position, that after 3 moves so thought out, a clear result will be evident. Therefore from the point of view of the ordinary player, who thinks that in chess nothing counts but combinations, a further calculation is called for; and it is clear with what rapidity, exceeding that of all human calculation, the number of possibilities would increase after few moves.

Combinations in chess can only be made when the number of possibilities to be reckoned in advance is a limited one, that is to say when the moves of one player force the opponent to make moves already foreseen. This can happen either if a move contains a certain threat which can be parried by the opponent only in the way or at any rate only in a very few ways: for example if an opponent’s piece is exchanged, so that he in reply must take a piece, or again if check be called. A combination by one player involves therefore forced moves by the opponent. It is only in such cases that it is possible to calculate much in advance, as many as twenty, perhaps more moves, because the number of different variations is still very small.

Speaking generally the essential object of this work is to deal not with exact combinations but with all kinds of considerations relating to the development and evolution of the strategic mind and which dictate moves in chess. The method of playing chess by which we do not try to work out single moves in advance is known as positional play. Play by means of combinations and positional play are not opposed to each other, but rather mutually supporting. The scheme of a game is played on positional lines, the decision of it is, as a rule, effected by combinations. This is how Lasker’s pronouncement that play is the preparation for combinations is to be understood.

Tactical, Positional, and Opening Mistakes

Tactical, positional, or opening mistakes? What is the difference? Are they not all the same? No. The differences are radical, and paying attention to the differences is important. Therefore, we will consider the different natures and causes of the three types of mistakes one can make in chess: tactical, positional, and opening and see how each of them may be prevented.

Tactical mistakes are most common on lower levels, and the simplest to notice. When a player misses one of his opponent’s moves, or does not take into account one of his own, this can mean he has committed a tactical mistake. This kind of mistake is often easy to notice because the oversight leads to a decisive and conspicuous change in the evaluation of the position. For example, a tactical mistake may result in the loss of a piece, or forced checkmate. You might make these mistakes if you experience a lapse in concentration, time trouble, lack of recent practice, or a combination of these factors. Solving tactical puzzles may help reduce the number of your tactical errors, and careful time management is a valuable tool in avoiding time pressure, a common source of these mistakes. Players on every level make tactical mistakes, from time to time, so do not worry; the strongest grandmasters occasionally hang their pieces too. Only the mistakes’ frequency and severity set apart strong tactical players from others. 

Meanwhile, positional mistakes hide in the shadows. On lower levels, they often go unnoticed; the importance of severe tactical mistakes eclipses their importance. However, on higher levels, positional mistakes are much more relevant, as they become much more common than tactical mistakes. Positional mistakes are generally more subtle than tactical mistakes, because a positional mistake is an error in evaluating the position; often, it is not easy to evaluate each side’s chances in an unbalanced position objectively. Even computers often have trouble evaluating a position accurately; the importance of the many different factors contributing to a position’s evaluation depends entirely on the nature of the position itself. It is hard to prevent most positional mistakes, but studying the standard plans in common positions helps, although such work can be very time-consuming. Generally, experience is also a very good asset in reducing the number of positional mistakes. 

Opening mistakes are less common than the other two types. The opening is generally a fleeting stage of the game, usually not lasting longer than a third of the game. Moreover, most games do not feature new moves until after the opening. In the opening, you memorize theory, because theory has been tried and tested by stronger players many times. An opening mistake, as the name suggests, is a mistake happening in the opening, caused by a player not knowing, or simply forgetting, which move is the best. As it is sometimes hard to “reinvent the wheel” after forgetting which move is best, opening mistakes can have disastrous consequences, especially in complicated and therefore dangerous positions. An important rule is to never lose your head in these cases. If you think about fundamental rules, like developing your pieces and castling quickly, you are much more likely to make a strong move anyway. In the end, you can make opening mistakes less often if you look at your openings again and again and again. 

Whether the goal is to improve tactically, positionally, or in your openings, it is necessary that there be variety in your study, because strength in one field often helps little if another area is too weak. Remember: in chess, a well-rounded player is a solid player.

Positional Concept : Maneuvering

While most amateurs can recognize and appreciate a snappy combination and sacrifice, subtle positional concepts are not recognized at all or are often viewed as boring. And that is a terrible shame since if you cannot recognize positional concepts, you would not enjoy the full master game experience. 

To outstanding trainers, seeing positional mastery at work is one of life’s great pleasures. They want others to feel the same way about positional chess. So they sometimes would decide to highlight a few slightly advanced but fundamental positional strategies.

Maneuvering is something that can be very hard to grasp since maneuvering often avoids making threats, and even seems to be based on doing nothing over a long period of time. But, is it really nothing? Or, as is obviously the case, is the nothing just something you are not able to understand? Please keep in mind that these things are very hard to do in actual play. However, the basic aim is not to turn you into a prime Karpov, but rather to give you enough positional insight so that you can look at a master game and say, “Wow, the way he improved his Knight while turning the enemy Bishop into a tall pawn was awe inspiring!”

In many strong games, you will see some grandmasters, as if by magic, turn their opponent’s perfectly reasonable position into a total wreck with outstanding knowledge of maneuvering. To quote Fischer about good maneuvering in his notes to a game vs. Petrosian (from My 60 Memorable Games) “I was amazed during the game. Each time Petrosian achieved a good position, he managed to maneuver into a better one.”

The following is an excellent example of maneuvering by GM Petrosian.

[Event "Lone Pine"]
[Site "Lone Pine, CA USA"]
[Date "1976.03.08"]
[EventDate "1976.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "Petrosian"]
[Black "John A Peters"]
[ECO "A34"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "99"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 c5 3. g3 Nc6 4. Bg2 e6 5. Nf3 Be7 6. d4 d5
7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. O-O O-O 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. a3 a5
12. Ne1 d4 13. Nd3 Bb6 14. Bd2 Re8 15. Rc1 Bg4 16. Re1 Rc8
17. h3 Bf5 18. Qb3 Be4 19. Bxe4 Rxe4 20. Qb5 Na7 21. Rxc8 Nxc8
22. Bg5 Qd6 23. Rc1 Na7 24. Qf5 Re8 25. Bf4 Qd8 26. Rc2 Nc6
27. h4 h6 28. Qb5 Na7 29. Qf5 Nc6 30. Kf1 Re6 31. Qb5 Na7
32. Qb3 Nc6 33. h5 Ne7 34. Ke1 Nd5 35. Qb5 Nf6 36. Kd1 Nd5
37. Be5 Ne7 38. g4 Nc6 39. Bg3 Na7 40. Qb3 Nc6 41. Kc1 Re4
42. f3 Re3 43. Kb1 Ne7 44. Bh4 Qd6 45. Bxe7 Rxe7 46. Rc8+ Kh7
47. Rf8 Qc7 48. f4 Bc5 49. Qd5 Re5 50. Rxf7 1-0