Chess and Life Lessons by Viswanathan Anand

The name Viswanathan Anand needs no introduction. He is India’s first Grandmaster and a five time World Chess Champion. At age 52, he is still actively competing at the elite level.

In his autobiography “Mind Master”, Vishy looks back at his lifetime experiences and gives us some valuable life and chess lessons.

This post is a summary of my key takeaways from this gem of a book.

Life Lessons

Keep working at your goals without obsessing over the outcome, no matter how far you actually are from achieving them.
A goal can sometimes be so all consuming that you just don’t know what to do after achieving it.
Unplanned discovery starts with learning.
It doesn’t matter if what you’re learning now is unrelated to your profession. In the end, all of it might come together accidentally.
Have varied and broad interests and learnings.
To recover emotionally, you have to replace the old memory with a pleasant new one.
It’s when they trash-talk you that you know you’re respected, maybe even feared.
Talent is like a plant. When it’s watered with hard work, it grows.
You have to put in the hours and the efforts, even when there’s no visible progress.
What people hate doing is what they’ll eventually do badly.
You have to be learning constantly, not just new concepts but new methods of learning too.
Focusing on a routine doesn’t leave your mind with much time to worry.
Knowledge, unless updated, becomes worthless.
Passion, not perfection, will carry you through.
In any sport, there’s no point in complaining afterwards. You’ll just be seen as a whiner

On Chess

When you’re in a winning position and have more time than your opponent, sit back and take your time. Do not make a hasty move.
Pursue hobbies outside of chess. It shouldn’t be the only thing you know.
Grand masters do not have a photographic memory, just a contextual one. They remember pieces and structures in groups and patterns.
To remember deeply, look at a position once, then don’t look at it for a day, then go over it once again and skip it for three days, and then go back and look at it yet again. By the eighth time you’ve looked at it, your brain has already encoded the memory.
In lost positions, imagine you’ve already lost the game and see how long you can push back.
You play your best games when you are driven by the excitement of learning something new, and not by worrying about rating points and titles.
Chess is 99% tactics.
Imagine what your opponent would want to do in any position.
In trying to surprise your opponent, don’t end up surprising yourself.
Sometimes, the threat of an attack can be more effective than the actual execution
Take time and think before a move. It’s a useful habit to have.
Sometimes under pressure, your hand makes a move even when your brain is trying to stop you. Resist this urge.

This book is a must read for everyone, and it’s not just for chess enthusiasts. Some of his personal stories are worthy of a movie, in and of themselves. ( 2010 final Vs Topalov )

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