How Life Imitates Chess by Kasparov, Garry -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Cover Page Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of 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