When it comes to seeing the game, while also playing the game, I’ve already shared my story of thinking Wayne Gretzky was an overrated player, until I watched him play live. In a professional sport, being able to play, while analyzing the play, is an amazing feat. To do so day after day comes from years of dedicated effort, and also a gift of perspective that not everyone has… because if everyone had it, the person with the most time practiced would always be the best, and that’s not always the case. That said, hard work and hours of committed practice can’t be underrated, and most great players put more time in than average or even very good players.
Such is the case with playing Chess. The best players have played so much that they are able to see the game in a way that regular players simply can’t. They can see many moves ahead, eliminating unlikely moves so that they can see the likely position of the board 8, 10, 12, or more moves ahead. Meanwhile I struggle to see past 2 moves.
I like to do chess puzzles. They are challenging, and yet they don’t take nearly as long as a chess game. I can stare at a puzzle for a minute or two and then solve it. Or I make a mistake then it’s another 1-2 minutes of studying the pieces and I try again. Sometimes I take a hint and see which piece I’m supposed to move. But seldom does it take me longer than 5 minutes and sometimes I can do 3 puzzles in 5 minutes.
But then I watch the masters play and I’m simply amazed. Their ability to analyze the board and play the best possible moves, knowing what their opponent will do next, is so brilliant it seems like magic. And if you want to have your mind blown, watch these chess gurus play speed chess. I can’t think that fast much less play a strategy game that fast.
It’s simply incredible what these players can do, how they see the game, and how they can still stump each other and not have every game end in a draw. Meanwhile I’ll keep having fun with my short puzzles, challenging my brain but never getting close to seeing the game quite like they can.
