Page 40 - The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin_Neat plip book

CHAPTER 4

LOVING THE GAME

After I won my first National Cham pi ons hi p, my ches s life started ga the ring

momentum. My passion for the game fuel ed a long ride of unhi nde red learni ng
and inspired performance. From nine to seventeen, I was the top- ranke d pl ayer
for my age in the country. I won eight indi vidual National Cha mpi ons hi p
titles, captained my school to winni ng seven team National s, and repr esent ed

America in six World Championshi ps . Thes e were years of tremendo us gr owth,
and as I got deeper into the heart of chess, the art becam e a riveting windo w of
self-exploration.
A key ingredient to my success in tho se years was that my style on the

chessboard was a direct expression of my personal ity. It is my natur e to revel in
apparent chaos. I’ve always loved thunder storms, bl izzards , hur ricane s, rough
seas, sharky waters. Since childhood, inclement condi tions have ins pi red me,
and as a young competitor I would gui de critical chess gam es int o po sitions of

tremendous complexity with the con ce that I woul d be abl e to sort
through the mayhem more effectively than my oppo nen ts. I often sens ed a
logical thread to positions that seemed irrational —pl aying exciting che ss felt
like discovering hidden harmonies. I was a free-flowing performer, unblocked

by psychological issues and hungering f or creative leaps.
One of the most critical strengths of a super ior compet itor in any di scipl ine
—whether we are speaking abo ut spo rts, bus ines s neg otiations , or even
presidential debates—is the ability to dictate the tone of the bat tle. Many of

my young chess rivals preferred to keep the gam e in cont rol. The y pl ayed
openings that they had memorized, played them over and over aga in. The y
hankered for rating points, calculated what the nex t resul t woul d do to the ir
national ranking, and their materialistic dispo sitions made them unc omfortabl e