Playing the player [and not the board]

Originally posted by ChessPraxis
You have to play the board first, IMO. Playing the man ala Lasker IMHO means that if your opponent struggles against the French, then play the French. If he has a line he is weak in, play that line. Nice game though and great notes. THx

Originally posted by BigDoggProblem
As far as seeking openings that you know the opponent doesn't like - I thought everyone did this. One time [I forget which site] a guy tried to play the Marshall Gambit in the Ruy, which naturally I avoided with 8.a4. He said "next time we play the real Marshall" to which I just replied, "nope. 🙂"

I know authors like Silman frown on playing the ma ...[text shortened]... t the position is so complicated that you can't find the refutation with the clock ticking away.

Originally posted by 64squaresofpain
Hands up anyone who is guilty of this?

Anyone who has had games vs players much lower rated than them,
and so decide to [b]take it easy and mostly play the first move that you see
knowing it will probably be good enough against your opponent who will
surely and inevitably make a blunder and give you the win...

...but ...[text shortened]... n play true to their style,
and not allow themselves to be swayed by their opponent in any way.[/b]

Originally posted by 64squaresofpain
Hands up anyone who is guilty of this?

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
My understand is that the application of Zen in chess and its culmination in the destruction of the ego as a delusion is that there is no opponent because there is no I, all that therefore remains is the juxtaposition of the chessmen.

Originally posted by Ragwort
"If you meet Buddha at the board - kill him!"

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
Such violent thoughts is bound to result in negative Karma, chess is naught but meditation over objects and objectives!

Originally posted by Ragwort
Perhaps you miss the Zen reference - known since Linji and S.Suzuki?
Anyway such philosophical snake oil should not be required to lose your self in a game of chess.

As for the main subject: I think however much people talk about playing the board in reality they are playing the man.

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
Yes i was unaware of the Zen reference. What are we talking about when people say, 'they play the man?' Are they making reference to some habit that he has adopted, a particular opening, a particular style, positions that he is comfortable in or positions where he is not so comfortable? Is that playing the man? If so then its easy to see that all elements are directly traceable to the chessmen and not really the man at all.

Originally posted by bill718
Chess is not poker.

Originally posted by 64squaresofpain

Ragwort... where abouts do you live?
We need more people to join in the next Laikers clan meet up 🙂

Originally posted by Ragwort
I think playing the board means looking at it in an almost a pure mathematical sense and trying to derive the best move to play objectively.

It never feels like that to me, particularly when playing OTB.

Each move the opponent makes suggests some strategical or tactical idea but of itself is your only clue to what that may be. You try and see what is ...[text shortened]... e trouble approaches or you sacrifice a piece it all adds to that feeling. Just my two penn'orth