CONTENTS

Preface

Opening Gambit

The secret of success

Why chess?

A map of the mind

Better decision-making cannot be taught, but it can be self-taught

PART I

Chapter 1—The Lesson

Personal lessons from the world champion

Becoming aware of the process

Chapter 2—Strategy

Success at any speed

“Why?” turns tacticians into strategists

An ever-expanding example

Play your own game

You cannot always determine the battlefield

A frequently changed strategy is the same as no strategy

Don’t watch the competition more than you watch yourself

Once you have a strategy, employing it is a matter of desire

Chapter 3—Strategy and Tactics at Work

Element of surprise

A genius for development

Sticking with a plan

Confidence and the time factor

Never give in—never, never, never

Chapter 4—Calculation

Calculation must be focused and disciplined

Imagination, calculation, and my greatest game

Chapter 5—Talent

Recognizing the patterns in our lives

The power of fantasy

Fantasy can cut through fog

Developing the habit of imagination

Be aware of your routines, then break them

Chapter 6—Preparation

Results are what matter

Inspiration vs. perspiration

Preparation pays off in many ways

Turning a game into a science

Targeting ourselves for efficiency

PART II

Chapter 7—MTQ: Material, Time, Quality

Evaluation trumps calculation

Material, the fundamental element

Time is money

When time matters most

The third factor: quality

What makes a bad bishop bad?

Putting the elements into action

Double-edged evaluation

Personal return on investment

MTQ on the home front

Chapter 8—Exchanges and Imbalances

Freezing the game

The search for compensation

The laws of thermodynamics, chess, and quality of life

Strategy on the browser battlefield

All change comes at a cost

Overextending our reach

Chapter 9—Phases of the Game

Know why we make each move we make

Art is born from creative conflict

Make sure a good peace follows a good war

Eliminating phase bias

Don’t bring a knife to a gunfight

Chapter 10—The Attacker’s Advantage

Flexing your intuition leads to strong decision-making

The aggression double standard

The initiative rarely rings twice

An attacker by choice

The transition from imitator to innovator

The will to attack

PART III

Chapter 11—Question Success

Success is the enemy of future success

The gravity of past success

Competition and anticomplacency tactics

In favor of contradiction

The difference between better and different

Chapter 12—The Inner Game

The game can be won before you get to the board

The storm before the calm

Don’t get distracted while trying to distract

Breaking the spell of pressure

Staying objective when the chips are down

Pretenders to the crown and fatal flaws

Chapter 13—Man vs. Machine

Enter the machines

And a child shall lead us

Kasparov vs. Deep Blue

If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em

Staying out of the comfort zone

Chapter 14—Intuition

We know more than we understand

Intuition vs. analysis

How long is long enough?

The perils of ignoring a trend

Chapter 15—Crisis Point

One single moment

Detecting a crisis before it’s a crisis

Learning from a crisis

A final chess story: the crisis in Seville

Must-win strategy

Errors on both sides

Keeping a grip on the title

Endgame

The fight in Russia today

Your life is your preparation

No more secrets

Epilogue

A strategy for democracy

Glossary

Acknowledgments