THE RULES OF WINNING CHESS Part-3

3) Be vigilant

"You know the story of the three cats: there was a samurai who had a rat in his house
and could not get rid of it. He acquired a superb cat, stalwart and robust. But the rat was
quicker and simply made a fool of it. Then the samurai got another cat, more cunning and
astute. But the rat was on his guard and hid except when the cat was asleep. Then a Zen
monk from a nearby temple lent the samurai his own cat, the most ordinary-looking cat
you could imagine, that spent all its time drowsing and napping and paid no attention to
anything around it. The samurai shrugged and said the cat was no good, but the monk
insisted he keep it. So the cat stayed and slept and slept, and soon the rat grew bold again
and began trotting back and forth right in front of the cat, which showed absolutely no
interest in it. Then one day, with one swipe of its paw, it caught the rat and pinned it
down. Strength of body and technical skill are nothing, without vigilance of mind!"
Taisen Deshimura (The Zen Way to the Martial Arts)
Vigilance is a hugely important aspect of chess, but one that's often underestimated.
Just like the rat in the story above, players can be on their guard against a
dangerous adversary. Yet when they play against someone they expect to beat
they can become careless.
A similar phenomenon occurs when players have good positions: expecting to
win they can easily lower their attention level and start to make mistakes. A similar
loss of vigilance occurs when players are distracted during a game or think so
deeply that they forget to look for what's under their noses.
How should someone increase their vigilance? Experience can play a part in
that negative experiences can make someone try harder the next time. But perhaps
the best method is through meditation, an age old technique used by Japanese
swordsman.
Let's now take a look at a couple of examples of the need for vigilance.
Grandmaster and former US Champion Frank James Marshall was one of the
most naturally vigilant players to have graced the chequered board and he evidently
considered this an important quality by stating: "In chess, attention is more
important than concentration." Indeed he used his superior powers of vigilance to
become one of the greatest players in history.
In the following game he uses his vigilance against the deep Akiba Rubinstein.
Rubinstein outplays Marshall, but it is the latter's vigilance that carries the day.
With one false move Rubinstein is defeated, just as in the tale of the three cats.

Read More:

THE RULES OF WINNING CHESS Part-1
THE RULES OF WINNING CHESS Part-2