Do u play with white or black?

I remember when i and my childhood friend Ashish Dewett (working with a multinational Pharma giant) sit down to play chess, one of us asks the other "will u play with white or black?"

The idea is that the one who would choose to play with white pieces would make the first move and the one with the black pieces would be forced to defend.

The moves of the black pieces would be in reaction to the moves of the white pieces.

Black is always counter-playing and reacting to the moves and traps of the white.

Similarly, if stock trading is chess, the two opponents are - the market and you (the trader).

Like in chess, you can chose to pick either white or black.

meaning - you can choose whether you will decide your move first (whether you will take long position or short position before the market moves up or down, or, whether you will take black and move only after seeing the movement of the market).

Playing with white in stock market is

predicting the market movement on the basis of a logic and taking position, preferably with a stop loss.

Playing with black in stock market is

-
waiting patiently for the market to make its move, rather waiting for the market to make any wrong move and catching it on the wrong foot.

It all depends upon the trader's style of playing.

Some feel comfortable playing with white while others with black.

To play with white, your technical analyses or understanding of the market has to be very good.

Use of stop loss can cover up for any lack in your excellence in Technical Analyses but the results are dramatically tamed.

To play with black, all you need to master is - catching the bluff of the market.

The market bluffs in so many ways - like rising too fast too much, bluffing out of a trend line, kneel and jack, etc.

Till the market is not making any mistake, the trader playing with "the black piece strategy keeps waiting".

Just like a lion keeps waiting till the time is perfect to attack.

Any premature move can result into slipping of the opportunity out of the lion's hands resulting into a prolonged hunger for him.

Stock trading is , therefore, similar to chess as well as hunting.

But, unlike chess or hunting, you can play both sides.

I have seen many traders first play with "white" till the market has gone far enough on the wrong foot.

At that time, these traders quickly shift to the opposite side and start playing with the "black" pieces.

So, what is your style?

Do u play with white or black?