Flying over the Grand Canyon

Over the years, thousands of people have asked me what does it take to be a champion?

Just as in any other sport, the margin between winning and losing, champion and runner up, Gold, Silver, Bronze or nothing, etc., can be so miniscule.

Sometimes it can come down to one free throw for the NBA championship with .01 second left on the clock. Sometimes it can come down to 1/1000th of a second in a 100 meter dash. Sometimes it can come down to one putt on the 72nd hole. Sometimes it can come down to one indecisive move in a moment of haste. Down by 2 points with 1 second left on the clock, do you go for the tie or shoot a three for all the marbles?

Different people play chess for different reasons. Different people approach chess differently. Some just play for fun and results do not matter. Some are professionals and a difference of 1/2 point can equal to a $15,000 pay cut or more.

To be the champion, one must put in the hard work, sacrifice, dedication and have the fire, desire, determination, confidence, passion, nerve of steel and sometimes a little luck would not hurt. There are also intangible factors which can come into play once in a while.

There are so many great athletes in sports. We also have countless top notch grandmasters in chess. One just has to want more than the next player. Just look at Topalov in San Luis. In positions where many would agree to a draw, he grinded out win after win. He wanted the title more than others. He got a little luck in the first game against Leko. With that win, his confidence and energy got an incredible boost and the rest was history. But he was also smart enough to play solid chess with a big lead in the second half. Same goes with Gata Kamsky at Mtel. After drawing a difficult game against Ponomariov in the first round, his confidence got a big boost and he was on a roll.

The same thing can be said with the Olympiad. There are so many good teams / players. The team / individual that win medals is the team / individual that prepared more before and want more during. Some players play to win. Some play not to lose. Often times it will come down to the last round.

I can share with you one of my many memorable moments from the last Olympiad. After 13 rounds, Russia and USA had 25.5 points, Georgia had 25, France had 24.5, Hungary and Slovakia had 24 and India with 23.5. That meant that 7 teams were within striking distance for the Silver and Bronze going into the final 14th 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. This is very normal in all of the Olympiads I have played in. I vividly remember my last round’s opponent offering me a draw in a better position. I informed our captain about the offer and asked him what to do. The opposing team also offered draws in good positions on all boards.

He looked at me, smiled without saying a word, then calmly asked me to please go back to my board. He told me that he will come there to give his decision shortly. A few seconds later, he came and gave a firm answer in front of all our team members and the opposing captain. Both teams heard this loud and clear. The answer was for us to fight on all the way and go for the win on all 3 boards. That personally gave me such a big boost of confidence knowing that he believed in us and there will 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 on the boards and not by the luck of the tie-breaks.

We ended up winning 2.5-.5 and the rest was history. That was one difference between winning and losing. Because of that win, I also won 3 individual medals (2 Gold and 1 Silver) and a team Silver. A draw would have brought me zero medal personally and the team may not have gotten any medal at all. But if we ended up losing instead of taking the draws, we would have come home with nothing. You have to be willing to take risks if you want the glory. Ukraine, Russia, Georgia were just as good if not better than us. But we wanted more than they did.

In team competition, 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 team work. This is part of the strategy. But the bottom line is one must be willing, ready and able to fight when needed.

When I teach my children chess, I do the same. I forbid 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 / 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!
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Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Susan Polgar June 1, 2006 Daily News 15 Comments
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