The Chess Mind

Here's a fun one:

In the years when Tal was becoming World Champion, he had no understanding of chess. But how he could fight! Now he understands everything about chess, but he has not the same will-power..."

given below. But first, for those who didn't notice the quote the first time around, here it is again:

In the years when Tal was becoming World Champion, he had no understanding of chess. But how he could fight! Now he understands everything about chess, but he has not the same will-power...

The author of these lines was...Viktor Korchnoi*, in the context of an article explaining his loss to Anatoly Karpov in their 1974 Candidates Match. Here are some of the surrounding passages:

Yes, Karpov is a rare type of chess player, I would say. In his play first here and there one suddenly notices faults. But what enormous will-power! I have never seen in anyone such an ability to summon up his strength for a game. It's absolutely staggering! In a short space of time he puts in a colossal amount of work. With his will-power, one might say that he put a break on my play. This man is capable of putting into a game all that he possesses, all that he knows, he is a man who is able to impose his influence on an opponent. This demands enormous efforts on the part of he himself, and, as the example of Tal has shown, such a player may not last long. [DM: Korchnoi was definitely wrong if he thought Tal's fate would befall Karpov, who remained in the top 2 for almost all of the next 22 years.] Karpov has given so much, and within six months will have given even more. [DM: Korchnoi here anticipates the match with Bobby Fischer that was to occur in 1975.] I will once again cite the example of Tal. [DM: The original quote ensues.]

I sensed the influence of Karpov's will on me during the course of the whole match. As time trouble approached I felt physically how he summoned up everything against me, strained himself to the utmost, and watched me ever so closely....

It turns out that it is the factor of will-power that now plays the determining role in chess. For this reason it was Karpov who emerged the winner. Although I still consider myself superior in the creative sense, as regards will-power he is clearly my superior. Karpov was able to inflict his will on me, and he won.**

These excerpts may reveal more about Korchnoi than about Karpov, and there's probably an element of sour grapes present as well. Still, it's interesting and worth thinking about, as Karpov is not the only player known for his psychological intensity. There's Tal, as Korchnoi notes, but Fischer and especially Kasparov were known for emitting an almost palpable and destructive psychological force. Needless to say (I hope!), the excesses should not be emulated, but those with strong wills can, with training, surely utilize them to achieve their ends without attempting to crush the opponent psychologically. Difficult, but not impossible!

* Cited in Anatoly Karpov & Alexander Roshal, Chess is My Life (Pergamon, 1980), p. 183.

** Ibid., pp. 182-183.