The Tao of Chess
There is so much we can learn from chess that can be applied to our lives and cybersecurity, most notably cyberwarfare. As a result, I have decided to share this knowledge–40 principles of the game of chess that I have read in The Tao of Chess, authored by chess master Peter Kurzdorfer. It is up to you to decide how they can be implemented in your personal life, cybersecurity, and other areas they can be applied to.
Tao of Chess Principles
The Tao of Chess’s principles have been broken up into two categories: technical material and human matters.
Know Your Technical Material
Knowing your technical material matters. For example, you need to know how a bishop moves, how to define en passant, what an exchange is worth, and what a checkmate looks like. It is important to know where each piece is on the chessboard and how to move it based on the situation. Furthermore, knowing all the positions and how they can be utilized is powerful. Learn the fundamentals and understand the moves from either side, whether on offense or defense, so you can have a fluid mind and leverage your position no matter what side you are on.
Know About Human Matters Too
Know yourself, your strengths and weaknesses, and your style of playing a game of chess. This is important because you will know to avoid situations where you are weak, and when to utilize your strengths to your advantage. Just like in cybersecurity, everyone has a preference for what tools they use, and how they will implement them when playing on the offensive or defensive side. But not only is it important to know yourself, it is just as important to know your opponent too, or at least gauge what kind of player they are. Understanding psychology is equally as important as your technical knowledge and skills.
Principles of Chess
Here is a list of my top 40 favorite principles of chess that I have chosen from the Tao of Chess. Numbered 1–18 involve technical material. Numbered 20–40 involve human matters.
I'm trying to keep my list brief, so I won't elaborate further on these principles. It is up to you to decide how you will interpret and implement them in your personal life, even in the cybersecurity field.
👇 Top 40 Principles of Chess👇
Technical Material
Principle #1: If you control more than half of the squares on the board, you have an advantage.
Principle #2: Before beginning a wing attack, make sure your center is secure.
Principle #3: Centralize your pieces to make them powerful.
Principle #4 Play to control the center, whether Classically or in hypermodern style.
Principle #5: Castle early and often.
Principle #6: When ahead in material, trade pieces, not pawns.
Principle #7: When behind in material, trade pawns, not pieces.
Principle #8: You must attack when you have the superior game, or you will forfeit your advantage.
Principle #9: Location, location, location.
Principle#10: Every move is an opportunity to interfere with your opponent’s plans, or to further your own plans.
Principle #11: Superior development increases in value in proportion to the openness of the game.
Principle #12: Ignore your opponent’s threats whenever you can do so with impunity.
Principle #13: The threat you do not see is the one that will defeat you.
Principle #14: Be aware of the numbers and types of attackers and defenders in a convergence.
Principle #15: The threat is better than its execution.
Principle #16: Look through the pieces’ eyes.
Principle #17: Keep your plans flexible.
Principle #18: Make sure all your pieces are defended.
Human Matters
Principle #19: Style can be more important than strength.
Principle #20: Strive to get into positions you are comfortable with and that make your opponent uncomfortable.
Principle #21: Don’t let your opponent distract you.
Principle #22: Have the courage of your convictions.
Principle #23: Play those positions you know, even if you think your opponent knows more about them.
Principle #24: Trust your intuition — it’s usually right.
Principle #25: Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. They are inevitable. Rather, get in the habit of learning them.
Principle #26: React to an unexpected, strong move by reassessing the position calmly.
Principle #27: Physical stamina is sometimes more important in chess than knowledge or analytical ability.
Principle #28: When you see a good move, wait. Don’t play it. Look for a better move.
Principle #29: Rely heavily on intuition rather than calculation in rapid games.
Principle #30: Focus.
Principle #31: Think along strategic lines when it is your opponent’s turn and along tactical lines when it is your turn.
Principle #32: If you aren’t concentrating because of some distraction, perhaps the fault lines with your powers of concentration rather than in the distraction.
Principle #33: Be patient in reacting to times of crisis during your games.
Principle #34: Practice makes perfect.
Principle #35: Devour the games of the masters.
Principle #36: One of the best ways to learn is to subject your own games to intensive analysis.
Principle #37: Supplement your study with practice. The combination of the two is indispensable to a true understanding of the game.
Principle #38: You cannot know all there is to know about chess.
Principle #39: Understanding is more important than memory.
Principle #40: Find the real reason things went wrong, and work to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Summary
The Tao of Chess has a list of 200 principles that are very useful in a game of chess. I was interested in these ideas, so I cherry-picked my top 40 favorites out of hundreds and decided to share them. I recognized that the more I read about these principles, the more I saw how they could be implemented in cybersecurity, especially when defending a network.
Furthermore, these principles can apply to different scenarios and aspects of life. As a result, modify the principles as needed to fit your needs. Keep re-reading these principles as needed and try to apply them when playing a game of chess, defending a network, or in your personal life, etc.
