Don't Try to Win
Cold War-era Armored Transport, Nevada, TX.
In my last post, I said "I don't really care about getting better at chess. I'm a 1200 or so on the big chess site, and that feels good enough." Sounds reasonable, defensible, even. What a mature thing to say. That turns out to be bullshit, though. I've shut down half a dozen opponents in a row over the last two days, and man that feels good.
My big change was, I decided to focus on defense. This is something I've learned from many years of karate, and even from fencing in college: Just, look for what they're trying to do, and stop it. Don't try to win; focus on not losing. Whatever they throw at you, check it. Punish it. End it. And I've had so many recent opponents just up and quit after a mid-game full of denial (or after they blunder a piece in frustration and rage-quit).
I had simply plateaued, and by not giving up, I eventually had my breakthrough.
(Whining on this blog helped.)
What's surprised me most about this experience was, in most of the games, my opponent had simply gone from being in a winning position to being even, when they quit. They couldn't stand that loss in status, and that's fascinating to me. My favorite chess victories are when I'm down and turn it around. If you quit, you never experience that.
Quitting when things become hard becomes a habit.
And habits shape lives.