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See chess from a different perspective

I have many so many faults in my chess that's it's hard to know where to start to improve.  I think that identifying a fault is often the easy part; correcting it can take a lot of effort and practice.

Fortunately, There is one area in which I think I have made some progress and it concerns what the Scottish GM Jonathan Rowson calls "Egoism" in his book "The Seven Deadly Chess Sins".

By egoism, Rowson means being so caught up with your own grandiose plans and ideas that you forget to consider what your opponent might be trying to do.  He (or she) will have plans too and if you don't take steps to counter them you are likely to meet a sticky end!

I tend to do this myself and there are two things which have helped me counter it.  Firstly, after every move my opponent makes I ask myself, "What is the devious blighter up to now?"  I try to put myself in my opponent's shoes.

Secondly, I try to look at the board from the other side.  Playing on a computer screen you can just flip the board around; playing OTB you can walk behind your opponent and have a look.  It's surprising what a difference this simple act can make.  A position can look very different when seen from your opponent's perspective.  You may see ideas for both sides that were not obvious from your own side of the board.

I hope this tip can help others as it has helped me.  That's one deadly sin down, just 6 more to go!  

Comments

  • 5 years ago

    chessiq

    I don't know what the other 6 sins are, but it is funny to hear that you had (committed) them all! Aw! ("Let he who has not sinned cast the first stone!") - or something like that.

    Let's see. I think slowing down the play does help a little. When you are playing too quickly, it is hard to consider what the other person is doing. It is like listening.

    The other thing I do is ask myself what my opponent would do if he were to play two moves in a row... Would he address my threat/plan or he would just give me mate? 

    I, too, like Batgirl's suggestions.

  • 5 years ago

    absolute_razberri

    i agree with batgirl and eugen  i had similar probs, and thank god i'm not alone otherwise i would feel like a complete moron. Laughing
  • 5 years ago

    Eugen

    Hello, Ryan! I really understand you. I used to have the same, as Rowson calls it, "egoism"

    problem. I also invented a combination and became totally blind to what my opponent

    was doing. I think another right word to describe it is "mechanical thinking". And I could't do

    anything with it. The solution came with experience: I also used the same methods as you. However

    I have never  used your second method (flip board). Very interesting, I'll try it, thank you.

  • 5 years ago

    SonofPearl

    Thanks for the great suggestions, batgirl.  I like the idea of closing my eyes and imagining the position.
  • 5 years ago

    batgirl

    Those are good ideas, I think. Anything that makes you look at the board differently can only help you understand it better. Sometimes, just closing your eyes, picturing the position, or at least trying to picture it if you can't, changes your focus. Looking at the individual verticle lines, then the horizontal lines, then the diagonals can also cause a paradigm shift in one's perceptions, just as little things, like identifying weak squares and strong squares, picturing the pawn structure without the pieces.... all these things don't address the game directly, but they can give you insight into how you should be addressing the game when you do.
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