gamesmanship
Winning through psychology
Gamesmanship is the art of winning games or gaining advantage through psychological tactics, borderline rule-bending, or unsporting behavior that stops just short of outright cheating.
A tennis player who takes excessive time between points or a negotiator who schedules meetings to inconvenience opponents practices gamesmanship.
The term often carries a mildly disapproving tone: His constant trash-talking was pure gamesmanship.
Deliberate fear-inducing pressure
- psychingMental intimidation tactics
- bluffingDeceiving about one's position
- needlingPersistent mild taunting
- trash-talkCompetitive verbal abuse
head games · one-upmanship · gloating · showboating · posturing · provocation · distraction · unsettling
Quest to surpass others
- rivalryOngoing contest between opponents
- opponentsThose who compete against
- edgeBoundary or sharpness
- advantageFavorable position or circumstance
winning · outmaneuvering · outplaying · outsmarting · besting · dominance · upper hand · mind games
Intentional misleading of others
- trickeryDeliberate deception or fraud
- cunningSly, scheming cleverness
- guileSly, strategic dishonesty
- subterfugeDeliberate deception to conceal
scheming · artifice · chicanery · duplicity · wile · machination · intrigue · exploitation
Calculated deceptive tactic
- feintDeceptive mock attack
- gambitRisky opening for advantage
- maneuverDeliberate tactical movement
- ruseDeliberate act of deception
stratagem · bluff · misdirection · stalling · time-wasting · sharp practice · calculated risk · diversion
Practical shrewdness
- craftinessShrewd, devious cleverness
- shrewdnessKeen practical judgment
- astutenessShrewd perceptiveness
- clevernessMental quickness and skill
wiliness · finesse · acumen · know-how · mastery · adeptness · street smarts · tactical awareness
intimidation
Deliberate fear-inducing pressure
- psychingMental intimidation tactics
- bluffingDeceiving about one's position
- needlingPersistent mild taunting
trash-talk · head games · one-upmanship · gloating · showboating · posturing · provocation · distraction · unsettling · rattling
one-upmanship
Quest to surpass others
advantage · winning · outmaneuvering · outplaying · outsmarting · besting · dominance · upper hand · mind games · competitive edge
deception
Intentional misleading of others
subterfuge · scheming · artifice · chicanery · duplicity · wile · machination · intrigue · exploitation · bad faith
ploy
Calculated deceptive tactic
ruse · stratagem · bluff · misdirection · stalling · time-wasting · sharp practice · calculated risk · diversion · setup
savvy
Practical shrewdness
- craftinessShrewd, devious cleverness
- shrewdnessKeen practical judgment
- astutenessShrewd perceptiveness
cleverness · wiliness · finesse · acumen · know-how · mastery · adeptness · street smarts · tactical awareness · reading opponents
- competitivenessrivalry, vying, contending, outdoing, outperforming
- cunning tacticscunning, guile, ruse, ploy, stratagem
- mind gameshead games, mind games, intimidation, distraction, deception
- competitive strategystrategy, tactics, bluffing, outmaneuvering, cunning
- power tacticspower play, power grab, strong-arm, strong-arming, strongarm
- sport psychologymental toughness, flow state, self-talk, concentration, confidence
gamesmanshipforthrightness
Quality of being direct
directness · straightforwardness · candor · plainspokenness · frankness
gamesmanshipguilelessness
Absence of cunning
artlessness · ingenuousness · sincerity · genuineness · naïveté
gamesmanshipfair play
Honorable conduct in games
sportsmanship · good sportsmanship · integrity · graciousness · honor