A repost from an old favourite.

In many domains, the moment you get good at something is when you start breaking conventional rules.

In chess, beginners are taught principles such as control the centre, develop minor pieces before major pieces, and don’t trade your queen for a pawn.

But in many situations, these rules must be broken. Some positions require an attack on the edge of the board rather than the centre. Some positions require moving a major piece instead of a minor piece. And some of the most spectacular games in history involved queen sacrifices to push for a positional advantage (examples). These defy all the principles taught to newer players but grandmasters recognise that sometimes, obeying general principles is not always the best move.

When you reach a certain level of competency, you realise that some rules are meant to be broken.

The moment we begin to outperform is when we begin to innovate, push and find tactics where general principles don’t apply. The best students study more efficiently than the rest. The best athletes do better workouts than the rest. The best companies are more innovative than the rest. Following the status quo is ironically the best way to remain mediocre.

Pablo Picasso summarised it well when he said, “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”