A book about psychological warfare in Chess

[Cyrus]

There's a book about psy-war in Chess, a game that's an exclusively heads-up affair, which has very interesting insights about two individuals intent on destroying each other, but also abiding by particular rules of etiquette.

Practical Chess Psychology by Amatzia Avni, Batsford 2001, is a book that focuses on practical matters, contains deep analysis of various situations of beligerence, and offers advice on the available psy-ops available to combative players. There are games of chess which clearly demonstrate the points being made and the soundness of the proffered critique, and if Chess isn't everyone's cup of tea, one can skip the diagrams and concentrate on the text.

The list of contents is indicative of the ground covered. A sample :
Setting goals
Concentration
Learning to learn
Drawing the right lessons
Thinking tools
Decision-making style
Encounters with failure
Handling spectators!
Psy ploys
etc

This is one example of a discipline, Chess, offering useful insights for another and very different discipline altogether, Poker. Especially heads-up Poker. (I had that book for some time but a magazine review only now published --as it should!-- made the connection for me.)

It can be purchased or ordered from Chess bookshops or over the internet.

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