Chess: Understanding Mindsets To Elevate Your Game

During a recent tournament game, I accepted a draw in an advantageous position against a young and upcoming player. Before the game I was expected to win due to my higher rating and stronger tournament experience. The post game analysis showed that I had great winning chances in the final position and would have probably won had I declined her draw offer and kept on playing. The winning continuation was not too difficult either. I started evaluating what went wrong with my decision making. Players make a draw from a winning position or end up losing the whole point due to a variety of reasons : nervousness, lack of attention to opponent’s resources due to overconfidence, inability to deal with time pressure and inadequate strength and knowledge are the usual culprits. In my case, it was due to a switch in my mindset..I had begun the game with a champion’s mindset but after missing one of my opponent’s moves in the middlegame, I had automatically switched into the survivor mindset. When the opportunity arose to actually win the game, I stayed stuck in the survivor mindset and could not summon the courage to decline my opponent’s draw offer to keep playing instead.

An awareness of different mindsets in sport can be extremely useful for an improved tournament performance.

Champion mindset

A Champion not only plays to win , but knows that he will win. This mindset combines confidence with composure. When a player approaches a game with a calm confidence, knowing that they can outplay their opponent, knowing that the opponent will make a mistake and knowing that he will be able to capitalize on it. If and when such a player loses, he usually makes a comeback in the tournament not only because he is capable, but because he knows he is capable. It is an amazing mindset to be in. Magnus Carlsen and Koneru Humpy are two examples that immediately come to mind when I think of this mindset. Both these players play super strong, wait for their opponent to make a mistake, pounce on them when they do, and are not afraid to take risks. It explains why Magnus dominates every tournament he plays and why Humpy continues to win super strong events like the World Rapid Championship 2024 and the Women’s Grand Prix at Pune last month.

Challenger mindset

I think this is the most common mindset among professional chess players. You will notice it in players having strong performances from time to time, players who are coming up the ladder, players who are trying to break into the top as well as those who are already there for years together.The Challenger respects his opponents but never considers himself lesser even when the odds are against him. He is ready to fight, plays with spirit always ready to solve the problems on the board day after day. To me Gukesh is a classic example of the Challenger mindset. Even though he is the World Champion already, he has often remarked in interviews that he does not consider himself to be the best player in the world yet but is ready to work towards it and will hopefully achieve it one day.

Both, Champion and Challenger, are amazing mindsets to be in, each having their own merits ! Many players oscillate between these two mindsets - depending on their form, the tournament situation and opponent.

Survivor mindset

Survivor mode is fear-based. It often crops up when players are going through bad form for an extended period of time, or when they play an opponent against whom they find their own strength inadequate. The player may opt for quiet lines, play not to blunder, and often avoid risk entirely. Many times, players chose this mindset when they need to hang on to their lead in a tournament, to their current rating for a place in the team or certain invitations or qualifications. It is a dangerous mindset to be in. It may be alright if one can check it in time but long term it hampers growth - in a similar way that it affected my game that I mentioned above.

Magnus Carlsen once said, “Some people play not to lose. I always try to win.” The distinction matters.

At times a player may go through different mindsets within the same game, or during different games within the same tournament.

Final thoughts

Chess is a game about decision making where our mindset contributes heavily towards our choices. Working with a good coach, having a trustworthy practise group and analysing our own games are ways to develop more self awareness in this regard. One of the most important takeaways for me after playing chess for years together is that mindsets aren't fixed. They can change, sometimes automatically, definitely deliberately if we work on them.

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