LET’S TRY TO GRAB THE KEY TO UNLOCK THEIR MIND!
As you have acquired some knowledge from the previous published articles let me bring this statement again to your note that chess is not everyone’s cup of tea or coffee!! Got it!
Understanding the game of chess is not something exclusive to the world’s top player. Chess can only be understood by those who have keen interest and deep passion for chess. Chess can be analyzed by all chess fans and enthusiast who are willing to learn new things about the game every day.
It’s not a secret that by training, dedication and a certain amount of talent one can become a Grandmaster even if starting late in chess. There are several cases of players who started after 15 (even 20s) and achieved the highest title. Let us try to explain how the GM mind works and what can you do to think like them.
How do grandmasters think? Why are they different?
One becomes Grandmaster after accumulating a lot of experience over the board and, of course, after a lot of hard work on the game.
He can even sometimes play a bad move knowing that this move will be the most difficult to his opponent, even if objectively it is bad. A bad move, a right decision? Yes, and this is given by the wisdom he has in order to trick his opponent in that moment. After all, chess is about tricking your opponent and winning the game.
There is something called wisdom, that helps the Grandmaster to make the right decisions in different situations.
This Grandmaster wisdom is obtained through experience, after lots of practice, losses, and victories, inevitably, your level of understanding is higher.
By playing through the moves of their games and annotations we can learn which factors made him play each move. This method is pure gold and it is very much underrated nowadays.
One of the characteristics of the Grandmaster’s way of thinking is DEPTH.
A high- level player is not tempted by shiny attacks unless they are totally justified. Neither is he tempted to refute your play right away. Instead, he will try to outplay you slowly but surely. You may have noticed that Grandmasters are usually staying away from unnecessary complications, are they afraid? Are they poor tacticians?
The answer is NO.
But they simply won’t take unnecessary risks, especially against players that they should beat comfortably. Another common thing is that they don’t take material they don’t need.
Grandmasters also have a very good sense for prophylaxis and this is perhaps one of the things most club players and masters lack, the ability to frustrate your opponent’s plans.
If grabbing a pawn will give you some attack or active play, then they probably won’t bother. A positional advantage is what they are looking for and it should always be preferred to a material advantage. That’s what depth means, to think beyond the immediate gains, to build something strong on the board so when the time to attack comes, the attack will be lethal.
In order to think like them, one must analyze games played by them. Play a good collection of Grandmasters games, anyone you like by style of play or achievements and study their games carefully. Pay special attention to the comments that explain what made them decide on each move. Solving similar exercises regularly will also help you reach a higher level of understanding and will certainly improve your decision- making during your games.
We hope this article has been useful to you, we believe that it is a good guide to learn what to do in your day by day training. As usual, your remarks and suggestions are important to us, so feel free to leave any feedback.