"In chess we have the obligation to move; there is no option to skip a turn if you can't identify a direction that suits you. One of the great challenges of the game is how to make progress when there are no obvious moves, when action is required, not reaction. The great Polish chess master and wit Tartakower half-joking called this the "nothing to do" phase of the game. In reality, it is here that we find what separates pretenders from contenders.
"The obligation to move can be a burden to a player without
strategic vision. Unable to form a plan when there isn't an immediate crisis, he
is likely to try to precipitate a crisis himself and usually ends up damaging
his own position. We learned from Petrosian that vigilant inaction is a viable
strategy in chess, but the art of useful waiting takes consummate skill. What
exactly do you do when there is nothing to do?
"We call these phases "positional play" because our goal is
to impose our position. You must avoid creating weaknesses, find small ways to
improve your pieces, and think small -- but
never stop thinking. One tends to get lazy in quiet positions, which is why
positional masters such as Karpov and Petrosian were so deadly. They were always
alert and were happy to go long stretches without any real action on the board
if it meant gaining a tiny advantage, and then another. Eventually their
opponents would find themselves without any good moves at all, as if they were
standing on quicksand.
In life there is no such obligation to move. If you can't
find a useful plan, you can watch television, stick with business as usual, and
believe that no news is good news. Human beings are brilliantly creative at
finding ways to pass time in nonconstructive ways. At these times, a true
strategist shines by finding the means to make progress, to strengthen his
position and prepare for the inevitable conflict. And conflict, we cannot
forget, is inevitable.
- Garry Kasparov, How
Life Imitates Chess
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