I used to believe that strong chess meant complex chess.
I was wrong.
Simple is not easy.
But simple is almost always right.
Simple means following principles.
Harmony between the pieces.
Developing your pieces.
Controlling the centre.
Nothing fancy.
It sounds easy.
But simple chess is impossible if you do not truly understand the basics.
Simplicity comes from knowledge.
But it also comes from trusting that knowledge, instead of constantly searching for something spectacular.
This has been one of my biggest struggles in chess.
And in life.
I am afraid of being average.
Afraid of being normal.
Afraid of being mediocre.
I want to be extraordinary.
I have big ideas, grand visions, dramatic thoughts.
And ironically, that is exactly what holds me back.
In chess, I used to try too hard.
I calculated too much.
I searched for brilliance instead of building.
Game after game, I burned my energy early.
By the time the position required clarity, I was already tired and unsure.
Not because I was incapable, but because I refused to stay simple.
Making small, good decisions feels insignificant.
It feels slow.
Sometimes it feels dull.
But building a position slowly and steadily is how advantages are created.
And without an advantage, there can be no real tactic.
No winning combination.
No brilliance.
Crazy tactics do not appear out of nowhere.
They appear when the position is ready.
To win tactically, you must already be better.
And you cannot be better if you do not build.
For me, this was also about control.
A fear of letting go.
A fear of being fully present and staying with the flow.
Instead, I searched for attacking moves, aggressive ideas, clever tricks.
Some special move that would save me.
But this was only a way of escaping what the position actually required.
In chess.
And in life.
One of my best friends once told me something that stayed with me:
“If you believe you are meant for greatness, do what everyone else is doing. If you are truly better, you will naturally stand out.”
The big move only comes after the normal moves.
If you do not do what everyone else is doing, you are not even in the game.
This is true in chess.
And it is true in life.
Simplicity is not weakness.
It is discipline.
It is trust.
It is patience.
That is why simplicity is hard.
And that is why it is beautiful.
