How Life Imitates Chess

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One of the most durable methods is to break the game into three parts, or phases: the opening, the middle game, and the endgame. There is no agreed-upon formula for determining exactly when one ends and another begins, but without question each phase has distinctive characteristics and each poses problems that benefit from different modes of thinking. The insights about chess and how the stages of the game apply to business were logical, with the points well made. I especially warmed to the sections on the differences between strategic play and tactical play. (“strategy is knowing what to do when there is nothing to do”)

The old adage "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" belongs only in the plumber's trade. We shouldn't live or work that way. Kasparov advises to question the status quo at all times, especially when things are going well. This is what I call the gravity of past success. Winning creates the illusion that everything is fine.” Question the status quo at all times, especially when things are going well. When something goes wrong, you naturally want to do better the next time, but you must train yourself to want to do it better even when things go right.”[135][Bold Emphasis Added][2]

Crisis really means a turning point, a critical moment when the stakes are high and the outcome uncertain. It also implies a point of no return. This signifies both danger and opportunity.” In the book, Kasparov tells some chess stories about players who turn out to be "players" like Capablanca, or the ultra shy almost paraonid Rubinstein who hid in the room up until his oponent made his move; the uber obsesive Alekhine who even named his cat "Chess", or the cretive genius of Mikhail Tal, whose classic hippopotamus story is rescued by Kasparov: The balance among these three factors is the foundation of every move in chess—and in every decision we make. Making a correct evaluation— and then a correct decision—requires understanding the trade-offs and relative values of these core elements.

Ci vuole una grande forza interiore per fronteggiare i fallimenti, per accettare il fatto che dobbiamo effettuare dei cambiamenti e ancor più per metterli in pratica. Churchill disse: «Il successo non è definitivo, il fallimento non è fatale: quello che conta è il coraggio di continuare». Coraggio che può essere stimolato dalla competizione o da un numero infinito di fattori esterni, ma che alla fine deve nascere dentro di noi" The inner game IS the game. It is bot psychology. It is life as it should be lived, an autobiography in progress. In essence, Kasporav's book would have been a million times better if he used a case study analysis - talking about a principle in chess, applying it to life, and talking about the results.

Both books completely ignore the idea of cooperation. In every example, these two experts tell us how to vanquish the enemy. I personally have no enemies. My business does not depend on competition. I win when others win. This idea is not even hinted at in either book. One might jump to the conclusion that chess helps people who are competitive, but leaves a hole where your cooperative skills would be. Play your own game, but be able to adapt. As Darwin says "Failure to adapt brings dire consequences".