Setting your Hair on Fire

While my results aren't improving yet, something about my game is, and starting to see tactics again I have rediscovered a joy in the game I haven't experienced for a long time.

When things start looking grim from your side of the board, one thing that can be done is to play anything that maximises the activity of your army, create wild complications, disregard conventional material evaluations, and give your opponent the best possible opportunity to go wrong. This strategy is known as 'setting your hair on fire', you light your curly locks then run around screaming and madly waving your arms in the air, hoping the other guy will catch fire and burn to death before you do.

My present approach is to apply this strategy preemptively. While sacrificing a whole Rook for a taste of the initiative may sound a little expensive, why wait for things to turn sour before starting the fun?

In his classic work on conflict management (the title of which is often translated as "The Art of War", I prefer something more like "The Tao of Conflict"), Sun Tzu advises that when encircling an opponent, you should always leave them a single escape route. The reason for this comes down to animal nature; when there are thoughts of leaving the battle and fleeing to safety, they won't put so much energy into the fight. When there is no escape but through victory in the battle, there is no option but to fight 'tooth and nail'. Kill or die.

So it is that I am starting each game with the idea of forcing myself into a desperate situation. "No quarter will be asked, and none shall be given!". My results are on a 'J' curve (he hoped), but it makes for some fun and interesting games - and it compels me to seek out and exploit the tactical possibilities of the position each time I play.