Josh Waitzkin

I'll never forget this chess coach, Mark Dvoretsky, he said to me this unbelievably hubristic thing when I was 15, 16 years old. He said to me, if he had had Bobby Fischer as a student, as a seven-year-old, he could have made Fischer a much, much stronger chess player without any of the craziness.

Without the craziness. And I was just like, as a teenager, my hands started sweating when I just said that. Because to me, it's just not fucking true.

Without the craziness. And I was just like, as a teenager, my hands started sweating when I just said that. Because to me, it's just not fucking true.

Without the craziness. And I was just like, as a teenager, my hands started sweating when I just said that. Because to me, it's just not fucking true.

It's a crazy thing to say. Yeah, it's hubris, right? And this is the same guy who was urging me into that direction. But that's the opposite of my approach. And if we are going to try to disentangle the dysfunction from the genius, we need to understand it very deeply. We need to plant the seeds patiently for that genius to sprout somewhere else. We need to water those seeds.

It's a crazy thing to say. Yeah, it's hubris, right? And this is the same guy who was urging me into that direction. But that's the opposite of my approach. And if we are going to try to disentangle the dysfunction from the genius, we need to understand it very deeply. We need to plant the seeds patiently for that genius to sprout somewhere else. We need to water those seeds.

It's a crazy thing to say. Yeah, it's hubris, right? And this is the same guy who was urging me into that direction. But that's the opposite of my approach. And if we are going to try to disentangle the dysfunction from the genius, we need to understand it very deeply. We need to plant the seeds patiently for that genius to sprout somewhere else. We need to water those seeds.

We need to observe them coming. We have to very, like, slightly sand away the dysfunctional patterning while observing. Like, it's a very delicate process, right? You can't just fucking excise the tumor, right?

We need to observe them coming. We have to very, like, slightly sand away the dysfunctional patterning while observing. Like, it's a very delicate process, right? You can't just fucking excise the tumor, right?

We need to observe them coming. We have to very, like, slightly sand away the dysfunctional patterning while observing. Like, it's a very delicate process, right? You can't just fucking excise the tumor, right?

Well, that's why great coaches, great fighters often aren't great coaches, right? Because most teachers teach the way they learned.

Well, that's why great coaches, great fighters often aren't great coaches, right? Because most teachers teach the way they learned.

Well, that's why great coaches, great fighters often aren't great coaches, right? Because most teachers teach the way they learned.

which will alienate 70 or 80 percent of their students by definition right great coaches can well great coaches for a large group need to be able to teach different ways for different kinds of learners yeah different modalities of learners are they are they visual are they somatic are they Are they auditory? Like, what makes them tick?

which will alienate 70 or 80 percent of their students by definition right great coaches can well great coaches for a large group need to be able to teach different ways for different kinds of learners yeah different modalities of learners are they are they visual are they somatic are they Are they auditory? Like, what makes them tick?

which will alienate 70 or 80 percent of their students by definition right great coaches can well great coaches for a large group need to be able to teach different ways for different kinds of learners yeah different modalities of learners are they are they visual are they somatic are they Are they auditory? Like, what makes them tick?

And you have to know, if you're teaching a chess class, I started teaching a group of kids chess when I was in my teens. I taught them from kindergarten through fifth grade, and we ended up winning in New York. It was a beautiful journey with kids at PS116. And from moving the pieces to winning city, state, and national championships. And it was so interesting, because I'd be like, teaching...

And you have to know, if you're teaching a chess class, I started teaching a group of kids chess when I was in my teens. I taught them from kindergarten through fifth grade, and we ended up winning in New York. It was a beautiful journey with kids at PS116. And from moving the pieces to winning city, state, and national championships. And it was so interesting, because I'd be like, teaching...

And you have to know, if you're teaching a chess class, I started teaching a group of kids chess when I was in my teens. I taught them from kindergarten through fifth grade, and we ended up winning in New York. It was a beautiful journey with kids at PS116. And from moving the pieces to winning city, state, and national championships. And it was so interesting, because I'd be like, teaching...

eight, 10 kids at once. And I would be teaching. It was like giving a simultaneous exhibition. Like each one had their own language. And it was, I w I was like so involved with this theme that I would be, it was exhausting because I was teaching 10 chess lessons at the same time, the 10 kids.