"The way he plays chess demonstrates a man's whole nature."
                                                                           ~Stanley Ellin       

Attitude Check #5--The Fourth Freedom
"...freedom from the kind of pride that could make a person
feel that he is better than his brother or neighbor..."      

Grandmaster Aron Nimzowitsch knocked over his king in a fury.  He had just lost to German grandmaster Friedrich Saemisch, missing first place in a significant international tournament held in Berlin.  Startled onlookers were wondering what the stormy Latvian genius would do next when, amazed, they witnessed him climb up on the table and yell, "Why must I lose to this idiot?!!"

Leaving aside Nimzowitsch's bizarre and unacceptable mode of delivery, the way he characterized his opponent couldn't be considered reasonable.  Saemisch was the creator of two major opening systems still used today, and a solid grandmaster.  From what did this outburst arise, then, if not from rational thinking?  The answer is clearly pride.

The type of pride we are talking about here is when a person holds themselves more valuable than another person, or possibly a group of people, or maybe even everybody else.  This is a distorted, repugnant, toxic attitude.  Amongst chessplayers, this kind of pride manifests itself sometimes subtly, sometimes blatantly, in the idea, "I'm a stronger player, therefore I'm a more worthwhile human being."  

Pride based on prejudice is self-deceptive, and very destructive.  I know this to be true mostly from being on the receiving end of it, experiencing its negative impact.  It has taught me to work hard to guard against becoming guilty of similar faulty thinking.  That isn't to say I haven't ever struggled against this type of pride in myself, however.

I recall losing a game, several years back, to a player ranked a couple of classes below me.  The experience shocked me--quite simply it just shouldn't have happened.  Now, I didn't explode as Nimzowitsch did.  However, an angry put-down jumped to my forebrain and nearly off my tongue before I got it swallowed...something akin to, "You were so busted!"  As if my opponent had been incredibly lucky to stumble out of my grip through no skill of his own!  Such a statement might have let off my steam, but would have been highly inaccurate, not to mention inappropriate.  I exited the playing hall quickly and sat alone to calm down and think about what had taken place.

Logically speaking, although I was the higher ranked player, I certainly hadn't played as such in the most critical phase of that game.  I could reach for some other excuse, but in truth I realized, on reflection, it was largely due to my starting out with the belief that the outcome was preset--I would win.  At some subconscious level I must have thought, "I'm the master, so what serious resistance can this 'inferior' player offer me that I can't easily overcome?"  My prejudice blinded me to the objective situation on the board until it was too late.  The idiot in that game wasn't my opponent, it was me.  Yet, the temptation was there, I'm ashamed to admit, to divert my resulting injured feelings into a verbal retort.  

Truly I only had myself to blame, of course.  Losing confronted me with the indisputable fact that my surface assessment of my opponent had been inadequate.  In addition, I faced the dreaded specter of what other strong players would think and say.  

The reactions I actually ended up facing were rather interesting, in fact.  Many graciously didn't mention the game if there was no specific reason to do so.  If it did come up, most players--particularly my fellow masters--knowingly nodded their heads and muttered something along the lines of "such things happen."  A couple were less than kind.  One made a smart remark and another was overtly supportive while simultaneously knifing me with a bit of ever-so-slightly derogatory commentary.  Perhaps these players had a need to maintain this same kind of pride, by making sure I was aware of my place--i.e., somewhere beneath them.  

So, where do we find the antedote for the wrong kind of pride?  How about in humility, or modesty?  Modesty...now there's an old-fashioned word.  It is defined in the Oxford American Dictionary as "having a moderate estimate of one's own merits or achievements."  Nimzowitsch had substantial achievements and credentials, which he quite rightly ought to have been pleased about.  He was one of the most significant theorists in the history of chess.  My System, his magnum opus, remains one of the most important chess books of the 20th century.  From 1928-1934 he was the crown prince of the chess world, second only to world champion Alexander Alekhine.  Yet his outburst in Berlin, and other incidents in Nimzowitsch's lifetime, suggest that he let these achievements overinflate his head, with unpleasant results.

Over the years I've had opportunities to realize certain goals and make some contributions myself which, though certainly not on a par with Nimzowitsch, have been deeply gratifying to me.  And I plan on continuing to make positive contributions to the world around me for decades to come.  But, like all of us, my accomplishments belong in the right perspective.  Nothing could ever make me more important than the next guy--at least, not by my view of things.  It helps a lot when I remember my frailties and that, like everyone, I'm vulnerable to the possibility of failure.  Somehow this evaporates any desire to attempt to elevate myself above others.  Quite possibly, the greater purpose for my losing to a lower-ranked player that day was to drive this lesson home like never before.

In sum, I believe the path to freedom from destructive pride begins with recognizing that none of us is exempt from the human condition.  And this is one of many places where chess can actually help us.  It is a truly humbling game.  The complexities are so vast, we are continually reminded of our limitations and imperfections.  At the same time, when we meet and attempt to master the challenges offered by the game, we are also provided with an excellent opportunity to build a healthy kind of self-confidence--one that is honestly won through persistence and hard work.

-Attitude Check #4 --The Third Freedom                   
   -Attitude Check #3 --The Second Freedom                    
-Attitude Check #2 --The First of the Four Freedoms 
-Attitude Check #1 --The Four Freedoms                    

© 2002-2004 Pete Prochaska. All rights reserved.

Click here to return to the Chess Odyssey home page.