If you ever take part in chess tournaments (or even play chess online), then you’re often paired to play against higher rated players.

And some of them can be much higher rated than you.

So, how do you deal with that?

What are your underlying thoughts?

Do you change the way you normally play when facing strong opposition?

Like in every other one vs. one sport, psychology plays a huge part in chess as well.

And since we are often paired against stronger opponents or players with a higher rating than ours, it is important to adopt the right mindset before and during such games.

And this is not as easy as it sounds.

I used to be terrified of this prospect.

I used to think that it was almost a waste of everybody’s time to play a serious game against a stronger player than myself.

Whenever I was paired against any unknown player in a chess tournament, the first thing I would do, was to check his Elo rating and compare it to mine.

If he were rated higher than me, I would lose my enthusiasm instantly.

Especially if he were rated more than 100-200 points higher than me, I would become almost depressed.

‘What’s the point in me playing against him?’, I would think.

But this didn’t end there.

During the actual game, my approach would be ultra defensive.

I would try to exchange as many pieces as possible thinking that every trade would bring a desirable draw closer and closer.

Little did I know that strong players are happy to create little weaknesses with each piece exchange.

Therefore, reaching an endgame with just a few pieces on the board is not a recipe for success against someone who knows well endgames and can exploit weaknesses!

It was only after a good friend of mine gave me some useful advice that I started playing more ambitiously -and even winning on a few occasions!- against stronger opposition.

I recently even managed to beat a strong IM with Elo 2378!

(That is without a doubt the proudest moment of my chess career – until the next one!) 🙂

So, what’s the secret?

Well, you should stay calm and play your usual game without fear.

Play the openings you know best.

Never automatically trade pieces.

Play actively and don’t be afraid to attack.

Fight! (this is the most important of all).

By attack, I don’t obviously mean to give random checks that only help the opponent improve his position at the expense of one of your moves.

By attack, I mean grab the opportunities that arise and don’t be afraid to put your opponent into defensive mode.

Strong players often hate to defend, especially against lower rated players that everybody expects will lose easily.

Just imagine the psychology of such a strong player:

He is paired against you and everybody –himself and his friends- expect an easy win without much sweat.

Imagine his surprise and his disbelief when you not only show resistance, but also go on attack mode against him; you will have won the first battle in the field of psychology.

Of course, this is not always enough for a good outcome.

But it is a very good start 🙂