Nikola Jokić Teaches Us A Fundamental Chess Skill

IT IS CALLED SPATIAL AWARENESS, or VISUAL-SPATIAL INTELLIGENCE

Two ethnic Serbs are dominating the NBA. Nikola Jokić and Luka Dončić (Luka's father was born in Ljubljana, Slovenia, but his ethnic background is from Serbia). Here we are going to discuss Jokić's spatial awareness (SA) in basketball, one of his most celebrated attributes that is phenomenal, distinguishing him as one of the most unique and effective centers in NBA history. We are also making connections with chess and how good SA is essential for playing it well. [on my blog you can discover more chess connections with other domains and subjects, like warfare, warfare2, architecture, design, literature, literature2, cognition, intuition, systems theory, relationalism, paradigm shock, strategic thinking, music, music2, visualarts, visualarts2, visualarts3,  visualarts4, photography, photography2, cartoons, painting, Suisse, Finland, Argentina, USA, Italy, Montenegro, soccer, ornithology, center of gravity, Gulag, board games]

Define spatial awareness.

SA is understanding through perception of a situation, or formation the actors on the basketball court (or the chessboard) are using [had a post on spacial awareness before here].

Good SA enables players to coordinate their actions effectively (for Capablanca, coordination of pieces is the central principle throughout). This holds the key to entering into an understanding how men can support each other, attack in tandem or as a group, or set up a defensive formation [the term men will be used throughout for both basketball players, and chess pieces (chessmen)].

For example, Jokić uses his understanding of space, not just to find open men but also to manipulate the defense into giving him the exact scenario he wants, whether it is for a pass or a personal scoring opportunity.

In chess, rook on an open file might work in cooperation with queen or knight to attack or defend key points on the board.

Using his court visual-spatial intelligence at the chessboard (foto Aleksandar Dimitrijevic)

SA affects how mobile and active men are. Men well-placed can move freely to different parts of the court/chessboard, exerting pressure or responding to threats. On the contrary, poor SA might lead to men being restricted or passive.

Structure (=formation, grouping, organization) of men dictates the flow of game play. The perception of weaknesses  influences decisions on where to attack, how to maneuver men around them, and where weaknesses might be exploited.

Jokic's court vision allows him to see and exploit passing lanes that others might miss. This skill is heavily reliant on his SA, as he can anticipate movements of both teammates and opponents.

SA enhances a player's ability to spot tactical opportunities. Recognizing patterns (like pins, forks, skewers, etc. in chess) often hinges on how men are positioned relative to each other.

Jokić's ability to position himself advantageously on the court is another testament to his SA. He often finds himself in positions where he can either score or facilitate, using his body to screen off defenders or create space.

In chess, this mirrors finding the right square for a man to be used as a bastion for future (group) attacks, or restricting/blocking the advance of the opponent's army.

The art of strategy is about anticipating future developments and then devising a plan accordingly.

Planning in chess also involves spatial concepts like creating space for our men or restricting that of our opponent’s (strategies like opening lines for rooks, or creating outposts for knights).

Jokić's ability to anticipate where the men will be before the ball is even released, is demonstrating his predictive SA. For instance, Jokić makes passes without looking, implying an extraordinary sense of where everyone is on the court.

Jokić is strategizing (=looking ahead). His playmaking isn't just about passing; it involves understanding spacing, timing, and when to cut or post up. As per NYT, he mastered the "new geometry" of basketball, where speed and positional play are less about brute strength and more about where he and his teammates place themselves relative to each other (all this occurs for the most part outside of conscious awareness).

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In essence, Nikola Jokić's court vision is triple-doubled with his exceptional SA, superior game visual-space intelligence, and an almost telepathic connection with his men, making him not just a scorer but a true orchestrator of the game.

"Hell is a place where nothing connects to nothing."—Dante

In chess, we the players are true orchestrators of our men's actions, too. Our SA is not just about where the men are and where they should be but also about how they interact with each other and the board's geometry. It's a fundamental skill that supports both strategic and tactical play, making it essential for any player aiming to improve their game.

Nikola teaches us how spatial intelligence is all revolving around connections and how to advantageous see, anticipate, create and use them in a complex system.

How our chessmen connect and interactions they get into with friendly and enemy pieces during game determines how we act and ultimately how successful we are at the chessboard. Our ability to "read," maintain and (re)design favorably this form(ation) is the ultimate chess skill.

"Form is Function, Function is Form,"—Frank Lloyd Wright

This axiom (from the American architect who designed some of the most iconic buildings in the world), is valid for any emergent complex system (incl. basketball and chess) and is critically important. It underpins all aspects of chess.

We can also formulate it this way,

"Structure is Strategy, Strategy is Structure,"—RP (note that both words have STR, from Lat. STRuere=to build, to assemble, as well as the words strength, construct, obstruct, destruction, etc.)

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SPACE AWARENESS AND SQUARE ONE

Unfortunately, the early chess education is completely missing the many lessons Nikola Jokić has been teaching us chess players.

The basic element of chess structure consists of two enemy pieces confronting each other. This piece relation is what we call the attacking contact (as per GM Averbakh).

FIDE official First Year of Study Manual mentions attack, just in passing, without elaboration, only on p. 68 (?!?). Yet another highly acclaimed (and, possibly, among the best) teaching methods around from the Netherlands, Stepping Stones, starts with the elementary piece relationships on p. 46. Good Lord! Poor board vision promoting.

However, the piece relationships and developing a skill to "read" them (=spatial awareness) should be the starting point for anyone new to chess. It should be a new paradigm of how we teach and learn chess.

My early teaching philosophy make the student get a familiarization (through playing a mini-game) with three out of four basic piece relationships (defined by GM Averbakh) as early as the very Square One, on Day One.

 "A fascinating method. I wouldn't be surprised if it proves superior."—GM Jonathan Tisdall

And this comes even before showing the moves which the learner get purely intuitively by themselves after acquainting with the concept of attacking contact.

Caissa was so generous and helpful to make the lines of attack and lines of movement coincide for us.

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