There is wisdom in the saying, “it’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game”. The goal shouldn’t be to win at any single game. The goal should

There is wisdom in the saying, “it’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game”. The goal shouldn’t be to win at any single game. The goal should be to play in such a way that you are invited back to play more games. This maximizes your probability of playing in the set of all games, which improves your chance of success in whichever area you’re in. The path of winning at all costs is self-terminating. With continually increasing pressure to produce a result, one inevitably resorts to unethical approaches like poisoning your opponent. Because eventually one’s talents and skill-building hit a ceiling. The path that moves further, requires a team. Who improves the most at chess over time? A person who: - Wins at any cost - Improves continually, regardless of short-term results - Builds relationships in the process of improvement The lone genius like Bobby Fischer is rare, and it didn’t end so well for him. Much more common is a grandmaster who has a dozen international master friends they’ve hung out with for years. A tribe. The difference in results between the pressure cooker and an enjoyable ride is smaller than you think: https://sive.rs/relax https://sive.rs/relax The bar you’ve chosen is arbitrary. Why not twice as high? Fundamentally, one has to decide which path they want to be on long term. Lowering your arbitrary bar by 3% and engaging with your craft in groups of shared joy will get you 10x farther long term.