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Chapter 3The Queen's Gambit: Translating strategy into tactics

“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.”

– Sun Tzu

The room is silent. You could hear a pin drop and there's a collective hush. In the centre of the space in a pool of light, two men sit at either side of a chessboard. All the perfectly carved black and white pieces are lined up neatly on the chequered board.

One of them is Magnus Carlsen, a Norwegian chess grandmaster who holds the record for the longest unbeaten run in classical chess and who is currently unbeaten in over two years of competitive play. His opponent is the relatively young Polish grandmaster Jan-Krzystof Duda.

The game begins with both men staring intently at the board and occasionally making notes as the game progresses. Each player takes pieces from his opponent, with both deliberating over their moves. As the number of pieces on the board decreases and the game edges closer to a conclusion, you can feel the tension in the air. Eventually, Duda has it and Carlsen faces his first defeat in 125 games.

Even with all of his experience, knowledge, and foresight, Carlsen was beaten by a relatively junior chess player in professional terms. This just goes to show that, despite being masterful at turning strategy into tactics, things can come out of left field and surprise even the most seasoned and experienced of us.

Chess grandmasters can hold more than 20 potential future moves ...