World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov on How to Build Confidence

[In chess], how did I learn, how did I get better at the game? I would see the board, I would move a piece and I would learn that sometimes a particular move was more beneficial than another. I would refine my craft based upon my gameplay on the board.

Gurus will write books on the “Secrets of the Queen” and people will copy the moves of successful players. People will convince themselves that they know what they’d doing and the importance of action — you can’t win without pressing a character! All sorts of superstition will develop.

I want you to now imagine you live in a world where everyone plays chess and how well you play the game determines your success and your ranking in this world. However, in this world, no one has ever seen a chessboard. In fact, all you’ve ever seen are the following characters on a screen and you play the game by simply pressing a character, your o... See more

Dr. Jim Loehr, one of the world’s foremost experts on mental toughness and performance psychology, offers a powerful story on fear:

“The way you speak to yourself, the way you walk, the way you carry your shoulders matters. I got a fabulous opportunity to interview one of Spain’s most famous bullfighters, Martín Vázquez. I wanted to know how a matad... See more

This last point struck a chord with me. When playing a game of chess there was usually multiple moves that I could make and I would determine and adjust my strategy from this. A mistake by the opponent could allow me to switch from a defensive to an attacking play or to consolidate control over part of the board. I would determine one course of act... See more