Nothing’s wrong about yearning for security, but making all decisions solely out of it is simply futile.
Playing chess as early as seven taught me to castle my king before attempting any attack. I won most of my games then by HIDING. I learned that the best way to avoid checkmates is to hide well. My elementary coach honed my skill in hiding and waiting when he introduced a traditional line of opening called Pirc Defense. He said Kasparov lost in a game because of it. I’ve known Kasparov as a great risk-taker, so I concluded: “evade risks, safety first.”
No matter how dire, and rigid my training was in HIDING- I still lose whenever I meet aggressive players. You cannot always win by defense. The element of fun and excitement is gone when all you think of is protecting your KING or other major pieces. You’ll never enjoy the game when all you do is worry about your contender’s next attack.
When I met the Rivas (Brothers and sister who are experts at gambits!), the youngest told me: “Rarely do players win by a single strategy, you don’t win by simply waiting, hiding nor chasing.” He even adds, “PIRC defense is a coward’s opening,modify it a bit or try a variety of openings and choose which suits your overall gameplan.”
PERHAPS, He’s right.
hmmmm.. Life, like chess, is full of traps and zaps, so know when to hide, chase, wait, bait and mate(?)… Know also that it takes several trial games to master the right mix of these actions.
