“The War on Attention” by Benjamin Portheault
“We are here for the drama. We are marketing drama.” said ‘Freestyle’ sponsor and billionaire Jan Henric Buettner in recent days. That remark prompted discourse in the chess community on the extent to which all eyes are good eyes, and what depths should be sunk to to “grow the game”. CM Vjekoslav Nemec, for instance, wrote on Twitter: “When people like Buettner say that, they actually mean manufacturing drama and stories and overhyping personalities… I think the chess world has always been full of them anyway. Chessbase India does a great job highlighting them without resorting to tabloid-like sensationalism.”
Performance coach Benjamin Portheault dives in further, and writes an essay on attention and its state in the chess world. He expresses concern for broader psychological effects like ‘attention capture’ and ‘the mindless grasping impulse’, and counsels the reader to reclaim your attention in small ways. Portheault also laments the use of attention in the name of profit: “The sad thing is that this is the polar opposite of the spirit of the game of chess: deep, slow, beautiful,” he writes. “Chess has been taken over as entertainment, then packaged as a distraction, and finally weaponised as an addiction.”
He later writes: “Beauty comes from a deep appreciation of patterns and complexity. For the average player, this often comes from a stronger player walking you through the ins and outs of a position.” The essay also includes a pointed look at the notorious Youtube titles and thumbnails of Levy Rozman (GothamChess), and contrasts to those of English GM Daniel King.
Attention is highly applicable to playing chess, both for performance – noticing the important features of the position, and spotting the hidden possibilities within – and simply for enjoyment of the game. Portheault gives an example of a practice from a favourite book of his, on time management, consisting of the following steps: “1. Do one thing at a time, and finish what you’re doing; 2. Be aware of what you’re doing and accept it.” In chess terms, that can be willingly immersing oneself in a game without distraction. More generally, it can mean being conscious of who you offer your attention, and granting it to those who respect its value. We can have fun, and engage in meaningful content too!
Portheault has previously made appearances on ChessDojo, with IM Kostya Kavutskiy, and most recently spoke with CM and cognitive science PhD Can Kabadayi on a wide range of psychological chess topics. You can read more of his writings on his Mindcreaser substack.
