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The Grandmaster
Nigel Davies

2/1/2005
Losing, by GM Nigel

This is an area in which I'm quite expert, much more so than the likes of amateurs such as Kasparov. Here are a few things I've found useful over the years:

a) Watch that you don't get punch drunk! A lot of players try and get 'revenge' for their defeat and play without much objectivity in the next game. Then one loss soon becomes three.

b) Try not to blame people or circumstances for the loss, or indeed be too hard on yourself. Sometimes we play OK and lose to a better player than ourselves. Find out what went wrong and make any needed adjustments.

c) Congratulate your opponent on playing a good game, whether it was a good game or not. Losing can be hard on the ego, so telling the guy that he played well helps to rebuild our own confidence. There's nothing worse than losing to an idiot, so make believe he was a genius on the day.

d) Don't hang around the tournament hall. Get the heck out of there and do something else.

e) Keep to your pre-game rituals and preparation, whether you've won or lost the previous day.

Photos © Larry Fletcher 2004
Nigel Davies takes on fellow Grandmaster Art Bisguier as Victor Niederhoffer looks on. (2/23/4)

Nigel Davies is a trader and an International Chess Grandmaster residing in the United Kingdom. Visit his Web site at www.tigerchess.com.