Glenn Bidari's Outlook on Chess

The Little Man by Glenn Bidari

There is a little man inside us that wants us to believe we shouldn't give it our all. The little man is convincing when he tells us that giving full effort is not wise because it can result in great pain. So we listen to him and hold back a big piece of ourselves when we play chess. You can see players doing it in subtle ways. They'll habitually make the first move that occurs to them, passing on the opportunity to dig deep to find a better one. Or they'll walk around and intently watch the other boards while still in the heat of battle. Unconsciously we know that the more we give of ourselves the more possibility of pain should our efforts be met with failure, so too often we hedge our bets and take the safe route, the path of least resistance. It's like a mathematical formula, the proportion of potential pain is equivalent to the output of effort. Humans like to avoid pain so the fact that very few players give nowhere near their full effort is not too surprising.

Did you ever notice how strong chess players HATE to lose? In his excellent book, “The Art of Learning” IM Josh Waitzkin describes it this way: “When you lose, it as if someone has torn out your heart and stepped on it. No exaggeration. Losing is brutal.” If you have ever watched Waitzkin play chess, his body language shows how seriously he takes it. He is fully engaged, totally engrossed like there is nothing more important in the world to him at that moment.

Don't you feel a bit cheated when you play someone who doesn't give their all? Somehow the game just doesn't have the same edge. That's why I like playing people like Mike Thurber. You can feel his force-field of will smacking you upside the head when you sit across from him. You're immediately inspired to elevate your game. If he is winning you can see him beaming. Should the tables turn against him audible grunts of discomfort come pouring out. I love this kind of player! They always make the game interesting and fun. The chess comes alive and you know there's something special happening.

A few years ago I made a conscious decision to give a lot more effort at the chessboard. I came to realize that I was taking the lazy route and I wanted to do something about it. Essentially, I told the little man to take a hike. I started to play the game like it meant something. Then something strange happened. I started winning a lot more games and the chess took on a new richer dimension. It didn't feel like just a game any longer. Not surprisingly, losing hurt a lot more too. When I lost it felt like a bomb going off in my soul. That's okay, because that was the deal I accepted when I told the little man to take a hike. Losing had never really bothered me that much before because for so many years I had been protecting myself by holding back. A lot of us hold back without even realizing it. For a long time, I wasn't even aware of it. It is my hope that somebody reading this who has been holding back a part of themselves will have a change of heart for a more rewarding experience for all. So, the next time you're at the chess board, what are you going to tell your little man?

Words of Wisdom from Paul: If I could add anything to Glenn's discussion, it would be: Pleas be careful on which little man you listen to. I also listened to the advice of the "Little Man." Turns out it was the wrong guy. No wonder my chess sucks. My little man got me into a heck of a lot of trouble, wrecking relationships across the world.