Everyone loses chess games occasionally, but all too often we lose a game due to moves that, deep down, we knew were flawed. Why do we commit these chess-board sins? Are they the result of general misconceptions about chess and how it should be played? And how can we recognize the warning signs better?

In this thought-provoking and entertaining book, Jonathan Rowson investigates, in his inimitable style, the main reasons why chess-players sometimes go horribly astray, focusing on the underlying psychological pitfalls:

• Thinking (unnecessary or erroneous)
• Blinking (missing opportunities; lack of resolution)
• Wanting (too much concern with the result of the game)
• Materialism (lack of attention to non-material factors)
• Egoism (insufficient awareness of the opponent and his ideas)
• Perfectionism (running short of time; trying too hard)
• Looseness (“losing the plot”; drifting; poor concentration)