Helpful Losses

I was going over my chess games recently, in particular, the games I lost. And it was awful. I kept looking over my decisions, and was in awe of how illogical some of them were. How they did not address the essential problems of the position. The decisions got so bad that at one point, I questioned why I even continue to play chess. And I’m sure I’m not the only chess player that feels that way sometimes.

Funnily enough though, I ended up answering my own question in an instant. “So that next time, I can do better. Play better. And make better decisions.” But apart from this, I also had another strong reason. To prove it can be done. To prove I can make it.

Motivation

I can easily (and falsely) claim that I want to get better at chess simply to play better. But the reason this statement is false is because I know I also want to prove people wrong. It is commonly believed that becoming a Grandmaster as an adult is not possible, despite evidence otherwise. Of course, the task is not easy. The time and effort it takes to reach that level of skill, understanding and playing strength is very challenging, and often just imagining it is enough to deter anyone from playing. But, sometimes, this very reason is enough to motivate someone into trying harder instead such as myself. In thinking this, I was curious to check if there are players who actually think this way and use this to fuel themselves. And to my surprise, I found a fair few: Garry Kasparov, Magnus Carlsen, Bobby Fischer, Judit Polgar and Viswanathan Anand. This list really surprised me (especially Anand!), and so I decided to dig a bit deeper.

Garry Kasparov

The most grueling world championship match for Kasparov was the 1984-85 match. Kasparov had started this match trailing 0-5 to Anatoly Karpov, with a string of losses and draws. The doubters and critics believed he was too young, too inexperienced. He used this as motivation, wanting to prove all of them wrong. And he changed his style, became more solid and started drawing and winning games. The score became 3-5, and the match was famously abandoned after 48 games, lasting 5 months and 5 days. Kasparov later said:

“I realised that I had to change everything, not just my chess, but my attitude. I wanted to show everyone that I could come back.”

Magnus Carlsen

The 2016 World Chess Championship match against Sergey Karjakin was particularly difficult for Magnus Carlsen. He lost to Karjakin in Game 8, was extremely upset and skipped the post-game conference which cost him a fine. The entire chess world began to question his resilience, and whether he started to crack under pressure. In a New York times interview, Carlsen said:

“I was very, very upset after that loss. But I knew I had to show what I was made of. I wanted to prove to everyone, and to myself, that I could come back.”

He used this criticism as motivation, regrouped and won Game 10 and eventually the match.

Bobby Fischer

The 1972 match against Boris Spassky is one of the most famous world chess championships in chess history. Fischer lost the first game, and then forfeited the second game, being down 0-2. Most were convinced Fischer would quit or collapse. Instead, he used this as motivation, and came back with a vengeance and won the match. In Bobby Fischer Goes to War by Edmonds and Eidinow, Fischer is quoted as saying:

“I like to see them squirm. I like to see them suffer. I want to show them I’m the best.”

Judit Polgar

The greatest female chess player in history, was constantly dismissed by the chess world, who believed that women couldn’t compete with men at the highest levels. After every loss, she was doubted even more, but she used this as motivation to keep improving. She managed to defeat Kasparov, Karpov, Kramnik, Anand and many other world champions across various formats.

“Every time I lost, people said, ‘See, a woman can’t do it.’ That just made me more determined. I wanted to prove them wrong, not just for myself, but for all women in chess.”

Viswanathan Anand

When Anand lost the World Championship in 2013 to Magnus Carlsen, he was written off by the chess world. He faced significant criticism and everyone doubted his future in the world of chess. He lated stated in an interview:

“I don’t think I have to prove anything to anyone. But when people say I’m finished, it does push me to work harder and show that I can still compete at the highest level.”

Using this mindset, he went on to win the 2014 Candidates without a single loss, and won the right to challenge Magnus Carlsen for the title again.

The quote below is that I personally like from him, which I have used as motivation when I faced an opponent who beat me.

“If revenge motivates you, go for it! But the main thing is to set your game in order.”

Takeaway

So many top players in chess have used criticism and losses as motivation.

This goes on to show that while improving at chess (or anything) is very good advice in general, sometimes, revenge and desire to prove people wrong helps in giving yourself the push you need. I know I’ve used this multiple times in my chess games and training. And now I’m happy to know that I’m not alone in this mindset.