Great post, Junta! What really struck me about the epic Alcaraz-Djokovic Wimbledon match was the fearlessness of the shots Alcaraz showcased in the 5th set (In the first set too, but they were less effective then!) In the biggest moment, on the biggest stage Alcarez played with a stunning lack of inhibition. There are definitely parallels in chess as well, as when we play higher rated players we want to keep it "safe," but your chances of winning are actually better if you play without fear. (A point highlighted by GM Smerdon when I interviewed him, among many others). Keep up the great work Junta!
Thanks Ben! Absolutely, after the French Open I thought Djokovic would still have the edge (while Alcaraz would usurp him 'one day'), but how Alcaraz managed to keep his level throughout the 5 sets was amazing. The US Open may see them battling again!
Yes, when we play higher rated players is one place it definitely pays to be consciously fearless, the higher rated player has more to be scared about (and Smerdon is always a great person to interview). As Speelman said in Chess for Life,
"The main tip is believe in yourself. Play your moves and take no notice of the fact that the great master opposite you understands everything and has played great moves. Quite often they have not a clue and they’ve done something really stupid!" which I fully agree with.
As someone who feels my current hurdles in chess are as much mental as chess-related, I appreciate that you bring in viewpoints outside of chess, such as in the performance literature. Magnus and Stulberg are great - I know them from the context of running. (You've made me want to re-read the book). Avetik Grigorian at ChessMood did an interview with Todd Herman on using an alter ego to work on the mental game. I thought it was quite interesting.
Thanks flakefly. I feel like for most players, they only see let alone work on the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the mental side of their game—I'm still taking baby steps myself. Nice that you've read Peak Performance also! Ahh I think I had bookmarked Avetik's interview but never got around to actually watching it. I love Avetik's blog posts so will dig it back up!
I run, not sure if you could call it competitive, but it's maybe better than average. (As you get beyond a certain age, you probably do get more competitive as the competition thins out). I've often thought if there was ELO for running, I'd be stronger there, but my chess might be catching up! In any case, I'm going to take that Magness book off the shelf, I'm not sure I finished it, tbh.
Great post, Junta! What really struck me about the epic Alcaraz-Djokovic Wimbledon match was the fearlessness of the shots Alcaraz showcased in the 5th set (In the first set too, but they were less effective then!) In the biggest moment, on the biggest stage Alcarez played with a stunning lack of inhibition. There are definitely parallels in chess as well, as when we play higher rated players we want to keep it "safe," but your chances of winning are actually better if you play without fear. (A point highlighted by GM Smerdon when I interviewed him, among many others). Keep up the great work Junta!
Thanks Ben! Absolutely, after the French Open I thought Djokovic would still have the edge (while Alcaraz would usurp him 'one day'), but how Alcaraz managed to keep his level throughout the 5 sets was amazing. The US Open may see them battling again!
Yes, when we play higher rated players is one place it definitely pays to be consciously fearless, the higher rated player has more to be scared about (and Smerdon is always a great person to interview). As Speelman said in Chess for Life,
"The main tip is believe in yourself. Play your moves and take no notice of the fact that the great master opposite you understands everything and has played great moves. Quite often they have not a clue and they’ve done something really stupid!" which I fully agree with.
As someone who feels my current hurdles in chess are as much mental as chess-related, I appreciate that you bring in viewpoints outside of chess, such as in the performance literature. Magnus and Stulberg are great - I know them from the context of running. (You've made me want to re-read the book). Avetik Grigorian at ChessMood did an interview with Todd Herman on using an alter ego to work on the mental game. I thought it was quite interesting.
Thanks flakefly. I feel like for most players, they only see let alone work on the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the mental side of their game—I'm still taking baby steps myself. Nice that you've read Peak Performance also! Ahh I think I had bookmarked Avetik's interview but never got around to actually watching it. I love Avetik's blog posts so will dig it back up!
You run/ran competitively?
I run, not sure if you could call it competitive, but it's maybe better than average. (As you get beyond a certain age, you probably do get more competitive as the competition thins out). I've often thought if there was ELO for running, I'd be stronger there, but my chess might be catching up! In any case, I'm going to take that Magness book off the shelf, I'm not sure I finished it, tbh.