The thin line between winning and losing

This was originally published in my June 2006 www.chesscafe.com column

Win with Grace, Lose with Dignity

Every year I travel to countless places across the United States to promote chess, especially for young people. In each lecture, I always discuss the issue of sportsmanship. “Win with grace, lose with dignity” is my motto, as well as the motto of the Susan Polgar Foundation. Our children need to be taught proper etiquette.

One of the common complaints from many parents and coaches is that kids are being taught “dirty tricks.” The following is just one example:

One player is losing badly, so he reaches out and offers his hand. The opponent is under the impression that the player is resigning. Therefore, he also reaches out his hand. All of a sudden, the losing player yells out: “Draw.” When the other player disputes it, the losing player says that it is too late. They already shook hands.

I am even more horrified to learn that there are parents and coaches who actually teach things like this. They believe in winning at any cost. Other tricks include constant pretend coughing, offering a draw on each move, kicking opponents under the table, etc.

These are not good examples to learn from. I hope that all parents and coaches will steer their kids in the right direction by teaching good sportsmanship. Winning is great, but I believe that teaching our kids right from wrong is far more important. Champions

Over the years, thousands of people have asked me what it takes to be a champion. Just as in any other sport, the margin between winning and losing, between champion and runner-up, can be so miniscule. Sometimes it can come down to one indecisive move in a moment of haste.

Different people play chess for different reasons, and everyone approaches chess in their own way. Some just play for fun and the results do not matter. Some are professionals and a difference of a ½-point can result in a $15,000 pay cut. To be a champion one must put in the hard work and sacrifice, and have the fire, dedication, desire, determination, confidence, passion, and nerves of steel.

Sometimes a little luck does not hurt either. There are also intangible factors that can come into play. We have countless top-notch grandmasters in chess. One just has to want it more than the next player. Just look at Topalov in San Luis. In positions where many would agree to a draw, he ground out win after win. He wanted the title more than the others. He got a little lucky in the first game against Leko, and as a result his confidence and energy got an incredible boost and the rest was history. But he was also smart enough to play solid chess to hold onto his big lead during the second half. The same thing happened with Gata Kamsky at the M-Tel Masters. After drawing a difficult game against Ponomariov in the first round, his confidence got a big boost and he was on a roll.

The recent Olympiad is no different. There are so many good teams and players, and the winners are often the team that prepared the most beforehand and wanted it the most during the event. Some players play to win and some play not to lose. Often times it will come down to the last round. In this case, the U.S. men’s team scored 3½-½ against Norway in the last round to vault into 3rd place.

I can share with you one of my many memorable moments from the last Olympiad. After 13 rounds, Russia and USA had 25½ points, Georgia had 25, France had 24½, Hungary and Slovakia had 24 and India had 23½. That meant that 7 teams were within striking distance for the Silver and Bronze going into the final round. I remember seeing many captains with pens and papers trying to figure out the tie-breaks and how many points their team would need, especially the Russian and Georgian captains.

I vividly remember my last round opponent offering me a draw in a somewhat better position. I informed our captain about the offer and asked him what to do. He looked at me, smiled without saying a word, and then softly asked me to please go back to my board. A few seconds later, he came and gave a firm answer. Both teams heard this loud and clear. The answer was no draw on any board. We will fight on all boards.

That personally gave me such a big boost of confidence, knowing that the captain believed in us and that there would be no chickening out. He never once bothered with the tie-breaks or even looked at the tie-breaks of any other team. He wanted our team to control our own destiny and not rely on the luck of the tie-breaks.

We ended up winning 2½-½ and the rest was history. That was one difference between winning and losing. Because of that win, I also won 3 individual medals and a team Silver. A draw would have brought me zero individual medals and the team may not have gotten any medal at all. But if we had lost, we would have come home with nothing. You have to be willing to take risks if you want the glory. Ukraine, Russia, Georgia and some other countries were just as good, if not better than us in 2004. But we wanted it more than they did.

In team competitions, there are times when draws are necessary and there are times when one has to be willing to put everything on the line. This is what you call teamwork. This is part of the strategy. But the bottom line is one must be ready, willing and able to fight when needed. It takes a lot to be a champion, not just a team with high profile individual players.

When I teach my children chess, I do not allow them to offer draws. I want them to learn to fight in any position, good, bad or in between. I am content and proud if they fight hard and lose. A champion cannot be afraid to play out positions. A champion cannot be afraid of fighting. Once a player learns how to win, he or she can decide when to play safe and when to go all out for the win. I am sure different people have different opinions. This is mine. Play to win; do not play not to lose! But do it wisely!

http://www.chesscafe.com/text/polgar48.pdf