Garry Kasparov proved to be a funny and entertaining motivational speaker at a youth summit.
IF you had expected Garry Kasparov to talk only about chess at the Youth Engagement Summit in Putrajaya last week, you would have been very disappointed.
Yes, for sure, many times during his 45-minute talk, he referred back to chess but it was mainly to support the many points that he raised. For most of the time, the central aspects of his absorbing talk were on change and strategic planning.
Engaging: ‘You must identify what you want to achieve,’ says Garry Kasparov. – LOW LAY PHON/The Star
“You must identify what you want to achieve,” he told the youth audience from the 10 Asean countries. “You must visualise the steps required. You must prepare and research. You must analyse the obstacles in our paths. That sounds very much like a game of chess but these lessons from chess can be used in almost anything: at work and any other area of life. And along with strategy and tactics, the most important thing today is change and the process required to make constant and consistent change, real change in the world today.”
Constant change, according to Kasparov, requires more than knowledge and experience. For constant change to happen, the youths of today – and the leaders of tomorrow – must innovate. “You must believe that to create something new is important. You must believe in the need to take risks and believe in changing the world.”
He pointed out the need to strike a balance between vertical innovation and horizontal innovation because we cannot have one without the other. He defined vertical innovation as the creation of something new, whereas horizontal innovation meant improving on things that already exist.
He compared them to taking risks vs playing it safe, experimenting vs imitating, accepting new job challenges vs relying on present revenue. But the most important comment he made was that vertical innovation meant new growth while horizontal would lead to eventual death. We may enjoy the benefits of horizontal innovation but vertical innovations – new technologies, new methods, new risky ventures – are driving the world forward.
He warned that people must either change or they would become like dinosaurs, suggesting that we should always use our competition and every challenge in our path to maintain our own growth.
“The consistent pressure from my great rival, Anatoly Karpov, kept me going even after I won the world championship in 1985 because we played another match in 1986, then in 1987 and then in 1990. Every time I had to face the same great opponent to retain the title. I didn’t have time to rest and I did extremely well.
“But then in the 1990s, Karpov faded away and suddenly I discovered myself facing a new generation of younger players. Yes, I won another two more matches in 1993 and 1995 but eventually, I became a little bit of a fossil and I lost in 2000 to Vladimir Kramnik.
“At that time, I told myself that it was still not too late for me to change. I was 37 and I was willing to learn from the younger generation. It kept me going for another five years and when I retired in March 2005, I was still number one.”
Kasparov’s talk at the Youth Engagement Summit went down well with the youth, many times bringing him a standing ovation from an audience that was not generally chess players.
Ahmad Salahuddin, a delegate from Malaysia, said the former world champion spoke on issues that youths could relate to. The world was literally at his feet but because someone told him that the happiest day in his life was over, he made a point to keep himself changing and innovating. It was a good reminder to today’s youth who can easily feel that they are invulnerable.
Roxanne Delay from the Philippines said that she was greatly inspired by the talk. According to her, Kasparov had explained change and innovation very well by relating them to chess. “He told us that change comes from step-by-step strategic planning. Also, innovation is a big risk but it is always worth taking this kind of risk since failing to do so is much riskier.
Moreover, she added, Kasparov said that one has to mix strategy (what to do when there is nothing) and tactics (what to do when there is something) during the course of the decision-making process.