When you win, thank the people who lost to you too. That’s how rivals become respect instead of grudges.

Winning puts you in the one position where generosity costs nothing and gets remembered for years. The other side has just had a bad afternoon, and what you do in the next five minutes decides whether they think of you as a rival or as somebody to resent. It keeps your own head straight too, since the margin was probably smaller than it felt. You will meet these people again.

After your next win, find somebody from the other side and say one specific true thing about how they played. Keep it short and unperformed. Do the same after a loss, which is harder and counts more.