Josh Waitzkin

But I think objectively, he was a better... His name is Peter Svidler. He ended up becoming a world-class grandmaster and is just an incredible chess player today. At the time, he was just amazingly brilliant, beautiful, fluid mind. But I was confident going into the game. So I had to make this move...

But I think objectively, he was a better... His name is Peter Svidler. He ended up becoming a world-class grandmaster and is just an incredible chess player today. At the time, he was just amazingly brilliant, beautiful, fluid mind. But I was confident going into the game. So I had to make this move...

that would essentially be his attack was on the king's side, my expansion was on the queen's side. I had to remove my final defensive piece from in front of my king, away from my king's side, which is super counterintuitive because you think you want to defend your king. What I didn't realize is like harnessing the power of empty space against aggression.

that would essentially be his attack was on the king's side, my expansion was on the queen's side. I had to remove my final defensive piece from in front of my king, away from my king's side, which is super counterintuitive because you think you want to defend your king. What I didn't realize is like harnessing the power of empty space against aggression.

that would essentially be his attack was on the king's side, my expansion was on the queen's side. I had to remove my final defensive piece from in front of my king, away from my king's side, which is super counterintuitive because you think you want to defend your king. What I didn't realize is like harnessing the power of empty space against aggression.

His attack needed my defense like fire needs fuel to burn. Moving my last defensive piece, his attack couldn't break through. But that principle was something I didn't understand at all. And so it's not like I would have found that move, but it was a real pop in my mind, right? So then I was 17, 18 years old. And then a year later, I started studying Tai Chi.

His attack needed my defense like fire needs fuel to burn. Moving my last defensive piece, his attack couldn't break through. But that principle was something I didn't understand at all. And so it's not like I would have found that move, but it was a real pop in my mind, right? So then I was 17, 18 years old. And then a year later, I started studying Tai Chi.

His attack needed my defense like fire needs fuel to burn. Moving my last defensive piece, his attack couldn't break through. But that principle was something I didn't understand at all. And so it's not like I would have found that move, but it was a real pop in my mind, right? So then I was 17, 18 years old. And then a year later, I started studying Tai Chi.

So I was studying Taoist meditation, Taoist philosophy, the Tao Te Ching, Chuang Tzu, Lao Tzu, the inner chapters. And then I get into Tai Chi, I started moving meditation, and I started doing Tai Chi Chuan, push hands. without making the connection. Push hands is the martial art, which is like the essence of push hands is learning to utilize empty space against aggression.

So I was studying Taoist meditation, Taoist philosophy, the Tao Te Ching, Chuang Tzu, Lao Tzu, the inner chapters. And then I get into Tai Chi, I started moving meditation, and I started doing Tai Chi Chuan, push hands. without making the connection. Push hands is the martial art, which is like the essence of push hands is learning to utilize empty space against aggression.

So I was studying Taoist meditation, Taoist philosophy, the Tao Te Ching, Chuang Tzu, Lao Tzu, the inner chapters. And then I get into Tai Chi, I started moving meditation, and I started doing Tai Chi Chuan, push hands. without making the connection. Push hands is the martial art, which is like the essence of push hands is learning to utilize empty space against aggression.

But I hadn't connected it to that moment. Then you fast forward to 2004 World Championship, which is what the art of learning ended with. The final chapter of that is the World Championship finals. I'm fighting this guy bigger than me, stronger than me. He's been training since childhood. Final fight in a big stadium, everyone wanting me to be destroyed in the biggest fight of my life.

But I hadn't connected it to that moment. Then you fast forward to 2004 World Championship, which is what the art of learning ended with. The final chapter of that is the World Championship finals. I'm fighting this guy bigger than me, stronger than me. He's been training since childhood. Final fight in a big stadium, everyone wanting me to be destroyed in the biggest fight of my life.

But I hadn't connected it to that moment. Then you fast forward to 2004 World Championship, which is what the art of learning ended with. The final chapter of that is the World Championship finals. I'm fighting this guy bigger than me, stronger than me. He's been training since childhood. Final fight in a big stadium, everyone wanting me to be destroyed in the biggest fight of my life.

And I won that fight by harnessing the power of empty space, by letting him feel my weakness, by leaning on him, and then disappearing. So it's very interesting how there was no mental process. There's no conscious processing of that connection. But the biggest loss of my chess life and then the principle, which I wasn't ready to understand yet,

And I won that fight by harnessing the power of empty space, by letting him feel my weakness, by leaning on him, and then disappearing. So it's very interesting how there was no mental process. There's no conscious processing of that connection. But the biggest loss of my chess life and then the principle, which I wasn't ready to understand yet,

And I won that fight by harnessing the power of empty space, by letting him feel my weakness, by leaning on him, and then disappearing. So it's very interesting how there was no mental process. There's no conscious processing of that connection. But the biggest loss of my chess life and then the principle, which I wasn't ready to understand yet,

was how I won the world championship in the martial arts so many years later in a completely different discipline, right? So it's an example of, like, and of course that principle is manifest in every part of my life today. But, like, that's one of many stories in my life where, like, a loss spurs an insight which might consciously or often unconsciously lead to something incredible down the road.

was how I won the world championship in the martial arts so many years later in a completely different discipline, right? So it's an example of, like, and of course that principle is manifest in every part of my life today. But, like, that's one of many stories in my life where, like, a loss spurs an insight which might consciously or often unconsciously lead to something incredible down the road.

was how I won the world championship in the martial arts so many years later in a completely different discipline, right? So it's an example of, like, and of course that principle is manifest in every part of my life today. But, like, that's one of many stories in my life where, like, a loss spurs an insight which might consciously or often unconsciously lead to something incredible down the road.