Description:
How should a chess player, be they amateur or professional, achieve their full potential? What's the best way to prepare psychologically for the game, opponents, tournaments? How can they set goals at the board and achieve them?
Review Quotes:
"The Russian/Serbian chess player Maria Manakova spills out advice of her own, heavily reinforced with long and short comments by famed chess players and trainers of every age and type, about what to do in just about every situation you can imagine, whether on the chessboard or in life...
While lots of nonsense has been talked about chess in relation to war and diplomacy, Manakova launches into the far more interesting issue of how chess can help people in many facets of life. In this, the game is, of course, not unique... If you have ever competed in sports and games (SG) of an individual kind, where you might be up against one or several opponents, simultaneously or sequentially, then you'll know all about pressure, preparation and psychology (the "PPP" which straddles many of the things Manakova highlights). The challenge is always to get the most out of yourself, whatever the circumstances. And whenever you give your all, disappointments take your all. Retaining any kind of balance - emotional, psychological, even physical - becomes a huge task. Yet it is vital if, the next time, you are going to perform anywhere near your best." - Peter O'Brien, British Chess Magazine, September 2024
"In many ways Manakova is the sympathetic chess psychologist I wish I had always known. Her thoughts are always perceptive, and her style is warm, engaging and often very funny. This is a book that should be the first item in your luggage whenever you travel to a chess tournament. The practical advice on a myriad of topics will prove useful, and whatever your results, her insights will remind you why you devote so much of your life to this game." - Ben Graff, ECF Chess Moves, October 2024