Lets Take A Look...

Nigel Davies





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Lets take a look...
The Perils of Success
Whilst writing last months column on coping with losses, I was aware that success may
be a far more serious issue in compromising a players objectivity. Of course success isnt
usually seen as being a problem as people tend to be only too happy to achieve it. But as
the Indian proverb goes: Before dashing a man to the ground the elephant first lifts him
up into the air.
Ive encountered this phenomenon numerous times in my own career with successes
having been followed by a sharp deterioration in my play as all objectivity went out the
window. The turning point probably came when Swedish GM Lars Karlsson once advised
me that after winning a tournament or scoring a norm to be very careful in the next few
games. This was an important catalyst in my journey of self-discovery within chess. I
gradually learned to be wary when I sensed an emotional high.
Theres actually a saying in Chan Buddhism: Flatten Your Heart. This doesnt mean that
we should act like robots, but rather that we should not overreact to the events life throws
at us. When we do so we give up any mastery we have over ourselves to external forces, in
the process becoming vulnerable to countless distractions. And this includes those offered
by unscrupulous opponents.
How should someone learn to flatten their heart? A good place to start might well be the
nearby stomach as our body chemistry is affected by health and lifestyle choices. Anyone
who doesnt believe me on this should try drinking a litre of whisky a day for three days,
have loud music playing to prevent sleep and then have a teenage double glazing salesman
call on day four. I guarantee more extreme emotions than had one avoided the whisky and
slept.
Cultivating self-awareness is also helpful. This can be done by things like keeping a
tournament diary plus some form of meditation, even if that involves nothing more than
relaxing in the bath. Honest introspection is one of the most valuable tools at a chess
players disposal, but this is usually sidelined in favour of bluster and various ego defences
(i.e. lying to oneself).
Are there any specific ways of coping with success? Well one thing Ive noticed about
great champions from fields other than chess is that they are often very modest. Frankly I
think that Tiger Woods, Roger Federer and Pete Sampras may be much better role models
for young chess players than many of our own champions. If theyve got huge egos,
theyve managed to hide it well.
Another thing is to try to avoid hanging out with sycophants. Success inevitably attracts
admirers and attention, and it can feel pleasant to bask in the glory. But these newfound
fans can feed our delusions and accelerate the fall from Olympus. Chess players need clear
headed objectivity rather than worshipers. If they want to continue their success, that is.
How can we recognise delusional symptoms? One thing to watch out for is excessive
kibitzing in the analysis room, especially at boards where the players are higher rated than
ourselves. Even more serious are delusions of expertise in fields outside chess, such as
politics, religion, neuroscience, women etc. Going back to the fan issue, this is the point
that we desperately need people around us wholl indicate, in the nicest possible way, that
were talking rubbish. But of course theyll seem much less pleasant to be around than
those who hang on our every word.
Success can be a problem before a game has actually been won; on achieving a good or
winning position we can start off down the road of delusion mid-game. This is
something that can be fed by any friends, family or fans that look at the game and linger
too long. Especially if they clearly delight in our opponents misery.
Whats the answer to this one? Well first of all we should tell ourselves that a game is
never won until the opponent has stopped the clock and signed the score sheet. Experience
helps in that those whove lost dozens of winning positions should start to realise that
won games need winning. And by developing the habit of sitting down at the board during
a game one is likely to have associates who do the same, i.e. they wont be wandering
round looking at everyone elses game. Birds of a feather flock together and all that.
This months game is a solid performance by White, though there was a slight rush of
blood when Black got into time-trouble (32Rd6 would have been awkward).
Burtonshaw,D - Sharp,G
Metropolitan Kent League Match, Sidcup 2006
Catalan [E04]
1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 e6 3 g3
Ive used this move order extensively myself, as White avoids many of the sharp
alternatives for Black in the main line Catalan (1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 dxc4 5 Bg2
and now 5a6, 5Nc6 and 5Bb4+ for example). Amongst the drawbacks are that
Black can head for a Queens Indian with 3b6, push the b-pawn even further with 3b5
or play Blacks choice in the game.
3...c5 4 Bg2 d5
After this we go back into standard Catalan lines. Black has a major alternative in 4
cxd4, when after 5 Nxd4, the move 5d5 is the most ambitious try for Black, trying to
use his extra centre pawn to effect.
5 c4 dxc4 6 Qa4+
Ive sometimes played 6 0-0 Nc6 7 dxc5 in this
position, with an endgame that gives White
chances for an edge.
6...Nc6
This probably gives White more chances of an
edge than 6...Bd7.
7 dxc5 Qa5+
Alternatively there is 7...Bxc5, when 8 0-0 0-0 9
Qxc4 Qd5 10 Nfd2 Qxc4 11 Nxc4 Nd4 12 Nc3
Bb4 13 e3 Bxc3 14 bxc3 Ne2+ 15 Kh1 Nxc1 didnt leave White with much to work with
in Beliavsky - Balashov, USSR Ch., Vilnius 1980.
8 Qxa5 Nxa5 9 Nc3
This natural looking move seems new, but it doesnt look easy to recover the pawn now.
In the game Borge - Groenn, Aarhus 1990, White played more strongly with 9 Bd2 Nc6
10 Na3 though Black eventually equalised with careful play: 10...Bxc5 11 Nxc4 Nd5 12
Rc1 Be7 13 0-0 0-0 14 a3 Rd8 15 Rfd1 Bd7 16 Ne3 Be8 17 Nxd5 Rxd5 18 Be3 Rxd1+ 19
Rxd1 Rd8 brought about mass simplification.
9...Bd7?!
9...Bxc5 looks more natural, leaving White with the problem of how to get the pawn back.
He might well have enough compensation, but probably not much more than that.
10 Ne5 Rc8 11 Nxd7 Nxd7 12 Bd2 Nc6
After 12Nxc5, White can get his pawn back with 13 Nb5 Nc6 14 Na3. Not that this is
great for White, but at least its something.
13 Rc1 Bxc5
After this White finally gets to cook with some gas. 13...Nxc5 is better, making Nc3-e4
less effective.
14 Ne4 Nce5?!
Playing actively when he should bite the bullet and defend. Black should settle for the
modest 14...Be7 15 Rxc4 0-0, with only slightly the worst of it because of Whites bishop-
pair.
15 Nxc5 Nxc5 16 Bc3 Ned3+?
Two bishops are much better than a rook in this
position. Black should settle for the somewhat
miserable 16...f6 17 Bxe5 fxe5 18 Rxc4 Ke7;
hes worse because of Whites strong bishop and
the doubled e-pawns, but the position should still
be defensible.
17 exd3 Nxd3+ 18 Ke2 Nxc1+ 19 Rxc1 b5
Black had to give up either b7 or g7 and in either
case his position is lost. His sixteenth move was a
huge error in judgement.
20 Bxg7 Rg8 21 Bf6
From a material point of view White doesnt have much of an advantage. Unless of course
one properly assesses the value of the bishop-pair in such an open position.
21Rg6 22 Bc3 h5 23 Rd1 Rg5
23...h4 would have been a better try, aiming to exchange some pawns.
24 f4 Rgc5
Apparently Black was also in time trouble at this
point with just six minutes left to reach move
thirty-five. But paradoxically this can often help a
bad position if the opponent tries to force matters.
25 Bd4
I would have preferred to keep his queenside
pawns blockaded with 25 Bf3. Letting him
advance them makes the issue slightly less clear
than it should be.
25...R5c7 26 Bf3 b4 27 Bxh5 c3
OK, its passed, but it aint going very far if White is careful.
28 bxc3 bxc3 29 Rc1 c2 30 Ke3?!
Playing quickly to take advantage of Blacks clock situation? 30 Be5 Rc5 31 Bf3 was
more solid, the pawn on c2 is blockaded and meanwhile Harry the h-pawn is ready to roll.
30...Rb7 31 Kd3?!
31 Bf6 looks better. Now the bishop on d4 gets
awkwardly pinned.
31...Rd7 32 Bf3 Ke7
32...Rd6 33 Ke3 Ra6 would have been better, and
doesnt look like a trivial win for White.
33 Ke3 Rc4 34 Bb2 Ra4 35 Rxc2 1-0 (time)
Sometimes a falling flag is a blessing. Black
cant even take the pawn on a2 because of 36 Bf6
+.
Recommended Reading
Practical Chess Psychology: A Chess Players Behavioral Guide by Amatzia Avni
(Batsford, 2001)
The Catalan by Alex Raetsky (Everyman, 2004)
2007 Nigel Davies. All rights reserved.


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