tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72560765509108232122024-03-14T03:42:49.104-07:00Better Chess TrainingTools, methods, and motivation to take your chess to the next level!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05909433338448836005noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256076550910823212.post-79109559707858673902021-01-22T14:33:00.003-08:002021-01-22T14:33:34.844-08:00Content Schedule January 2021 and Onward!<p>Hi everyone, I just wanted to write a quick posts with my upcoming plans. My father passed away in December of 2020 and I was quite busy with work and family obligations at the start of the winter, so I was fairly quiet during those months. However, I'm trying to get more consistent with creating content and my own training, so here is my schedule I've been following so far in 2021.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Mondays</h3><div>On Mondays, I will be publishing a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/betterchesstraining" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">video on Youtube</a>. In general, I'll be discussing the following themes each month:</div><div><b>Week 1: </b>Game Analysis of one of my games.</div><div><b>Week 2: </b>Master Game Analysis and Commentary</div><div><b>Week 3: </b>Monthly Tactics Quiz</div><div><b>Week 4: </b>Lessons for Beginners</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Wednesdays</h3><div>On Wednesdays, I'll be publishing a weekly blog post on Chess.com - <a href="https://www.chess.com/blog/backrankbrawler" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Backrankbrawler's Notebook</a>. Mainly, I analyze one of my games, but I sometimes get inspired to write something else. </div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Saturdays</h3><div>On Saturday mornings, I write a <a href="https://mailchi.mp/c03e504a015d/betterchesstrainingnewsletter" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">weekly newsletter</a> to my mailing group. The topics are various, from reflections on chess improvement, interesting positions I find, or book reviews. I've been getting fairly consistent with those. These e-newsletters are exclusive to the mailing list and my Patrons, so you have to <a href="https://mailchi.mp/c03e504a015d/betterchesstrainingnewsletter" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">sign up</a> to receive these.</div><div><br /></div><div>As the year moves along, I might also start streaming again, but for now I'll keep it simple.</div>Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15914218228584003868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256076550910823212.post-35458247431030970482020-08-17T08:09:00.001-07:002020-08-17T08:09:17.197-07:00Better Chess Training Hosting Arena Tournament this Friday!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjlVCVmpK5M-3xp5ySpYZOjwQilbzrf8i_epykF3bZ8vk5zPUb_NnijB7ru7Ao_ChcKyvD3otidn7gCvYxsLeyLZlVGW0j09_ELMTYzTtLI5CGwlnVPmME_XEjjDnTW827mnfAGdXwBrLV/s1600/August+Arena+Pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjlVCVmpK5M-3xp5ySpYZOjwQilbzrf8i_epykF3bZ8vk5zPUb_NnijB7ru7Ao_ChcKyvD3otidn7gCvYxsLeyLZlVGW0j09_ELMTYzTtLI5CGwlnVPmME_XEjjDnTW827mnfAGdXwBrLV/w400-h225/August+Arena+Pic.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'll be hosting an arena tournament on Lichess this Friday. I will be streaming the games lives on Youtube (<a href="https://youtube.com/betterchesstraining">https://youtube.com/betterchesstraining</a>) and hopefully giving instructive and fun commentary. Here are the details below. Hope to see you there!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Date: Friday, August 21st</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Time: 10:00-11:30 AM EDT</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Where: Lichess.org</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Format: Lichess Arena</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Time Control: 10 2 (10 minutes with 2 second increment)</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>How to enter:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1. Join the Better Chess Training Lichess Team: <a href="https://lichess.org/team/better-chess-training">https://lichess.org/team/better-chess-training</a> (it's free and depending on how things go we may plan future activities)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2. On Friday, log onto Lichess at least 5 minutes before the tournament start time and <b>join </b>the tournament. I'll be setting it up on Friday morning by 9:30 AM EDT. I'll have a link on social media and on the team page.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3. At the start of the tournament, wait for your pairing, play, and have fun!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p>Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15914218228584003868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256076550910823212.post-48236832618694647732020-07-12T11:43:00.002-07:002020-07-12T11:43:23.224-07:00General Content Schedule for Summer 2020I'm trying to get a little more organized with my content around the web, so I wanted to share my general schedule with you. Check it out!<br />
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I'm hoping to stay consistent and I think this schedule will help keep me focused on producing content that I both enjoy creating and that you enjoy watching and reading.</div>
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Just in case you haven't seen me on other platforms, here are the links:</div>
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Better Chess Training Youtube Channel: <a href="http://youtube.com/betterchesstraining">youtube.com/betterchesstraining</a></div>
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Backrankbrawler Twitch Channel: <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/backrankbrawler">https://www.twitch.tv/backrankbrawler</a></div>
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Backrankbrawler's Notebook Blog: <a href="https://www.chess.com/blog/backrankbrawler">https://www.chess.com/blog/backrankbrawler</a></div>
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Hope to see you there!</div>
Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15914218228584003868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256076550910823212.post-4888311481963387532020-05-04T07:21:00.001-07:002020-05-04T07:21:07.871-07:00A Nice Endgame by 10-year-old Magnus CarlsenMagnus Carlsen excels in the endgame (as he does in most aspects of the game). I remember a picture of him from about 10-12 years ago where he was studying Lamprecht and Muller's <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3fhITWj" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Fundamental Chess Endings</a></i>. I recently started reading the book <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2Yy2RpK" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Endgame Virtuoso Magnus Carlsen</a> </i>which features many of Magnus' great (and a couple not so great) endings through his career.<br />
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I created a video on one of his endings from when he was 10-years-old. His opponent was now GM Jon Ludwig Hammer. This game featured a nice attack on a weak pawn then shifting his attack when his opponent moves his pieces to defend the weakness.<br />
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Here is the video:<br />
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bIAnMGUSlF0" width="560"></iframe><br />
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As much of my creative efforts are focused on Youtube recently, I"ll be sharing more of them as posts here. For more of my writing, sign up for my e-mail list as I share my thoughts there every 1-2 weeks.Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15914218228584003868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256076550910823212.post-60451599934938785842019-11-14T10:31:00.000-08:002019-11-14T10:45:55.163-08:00Game 1 of Training ProjectHey there! It's been a while since I've written, but I've been keeping busy with chess things. However, I've started a new project in terms of trying to improve at chess. Basically, I'm going to play a standard time control game every day and analyze it. I am aiming for at least 5 games every 7 days so if I get busy and can't get one in, I won't get too bent out of shape. The key for me is make sure I analyze the games.
The general goals of each analysis are the following:<br />
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1. Find my critical errors (and my opponent's).<br />
2. Try to figure out what the correct move or plan is for those positions.<br />
3. Develop a understanding of the tactical and strategic thinking I should adopt to find the correct move in the future.<br />
4. Update/correct my opening understanding based on the game.
Here is Game 1 of my project.<br />
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Part of my idea here is that instead of playing 10 blitz games, I can play one longer game (this one was 30 minutes) and analyze it. If I do that 300 times this year and learn something meaningful from each one, then I should demonstrate some improvement.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" width="550" height="371" src="https://lichess.org/study/embed/aNgWDsvC/ntZQswBK" width="500"></iframe>Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15914218228584003868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256076550910823212.post-86051518382888746142019-05-09T11:23:00.000-07:002019-05-09T11:23:05.896-07:00Video Interview with Australian Chess Champion GM Max Illingworth + Notes<h2>
Interview with GM Max Illingworth</h2>
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GM Max Illingworth is the 2019 Australian Chess Champion (as well as the champ in 2014). We discuss a few areas including his own chess development, his coaching philosophy, as well as training tips.</div>
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Below the video, I summarize some major points in bulletpoints.</div>
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Chess Development</h4>
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<li>Supportive parents were essential in Max's development.</li>
<li>He built a good foundation using GM Yasser Seirawan's <i>Play Winning Chess </i>book series (which I have recommended as well).</li>
<li>Coaches have played a key role in helping Max avoid misconceptions and lead him on the right path with his chess knowledge and training.</li>
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Overcoming Plateaus and Adversity</h4>
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<li>He hit a plateau as he had other competing priorities when he went to high school, and he learned to overcome his adversity partly through maturing with age as well as realizing that adversity is a part of growth.</li>
<li>Part of him breaking through the 1800 level he attributes to studying Andy Soltis' <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2Hb4NeU" target="_blank">How to Choose a Chess Move.</a></i></li>
<li>"Sometimes you have to get a little bit worse before you improve." Part of improvement is grinding through adversity.</li>
<li>His coaches helped him overcome the chess obstacles, but were not as experienced in coaching the psychological side of chess and performance (which has inspired Max to study these areas in his own coaching career).</li>
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Chess Coaching</h4>
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<li>Max is currently focusing his time on his coaching and helping people.</li>
<li>Learning the "skill" of silence and really listening to his students is one of Max's secrets to his coaching success.</li>
<li>Coaching is an individualized process for Max. He tries to look at each student's individual needs and provide them with the solution - which may include resource recommendations, thinking techniques, or other training material.</li>
<li>Lessons over the internet has many advantages including being able to transmit material (e.g. pgn files, etc.) easily.</li>
<li>Max seems to be very specific in his recommendations to his students that comes from working very hard to understand their needs. No cookie cutter solutions!</li>
<li>Understanding his students' thought process and helping them to avoid mistakes in their thinking is one of his goals in coaching. He has been inspired in this by GM Jacob Aagaard.</li>
<li>One of the most common oversights is not seeing alternatives on move 2 - move 1 for many amateurs!</li>
<li>He is currently incorporating concepts from self-improvement and sports psychology - this is what sparked our first conversation with each other.</li>
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Chess Training </h4>
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<li>Self-awareness is key to much chess improvement.</li>
<li>Max recommends solving problems by theme and then repeating them. (This is very similar to <a href="https://amzn.to/2LxyJpN" target="_blank">"The Woodpecker Method"</a> that I've discussed before).</li>
<li>Books are more about giving <i>knowledge </i>as opposed to giving <i>skills</i>. As players, we need to learn how to apply the knowledge.</li>
<li>We also discuss the importance of having the "right" books to study and train, as the wrong books may teach the wrong lessons for a particular student. </li>
<li>Blitz chess can be helpful...just don't overdo it! In particular, it gives you a lot of experience in your opening repertoire as well as endgames.</li>
<li>Training with a physical chess board is not necessary, and Max stresses that neglecting the efficiency and interactivity of using phone apps and computer software for training can be a mistake as well.</li>
<li>Getting feedback and trying to learn something from every game is a great way to improve.</li>
<li>Chess engine analysis can be helpful, but it is important to be actively engaged and asking questions when using it if you want it to help you improve.</li>
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Keep an Eye Out</h3>
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Max has a few interesting projects coming up and I'll be sure to update you and perhaps have Max for another interview of update in the future!</div>
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Contacting Max</h3>
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If you'd like to contact Max:</div>
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Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/max.illingworth.16">https://www.facebook.com/max.illingworth.16</a></div>
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Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/Chess_Learning">https://twitter.com/Chess_Learning</a></div>
Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15914218228584003868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256076550910823212.post-15549312838909349502019-01-23T18:50:00.001-08:002019-01-23T18:50:31.029-08:00How I Reached 2300+ on Chess.com Tactics Trainer<h2>
Six Tips to Improve Your Tactics
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakthrough!</td></tr>
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Recently, I broke the 2300 mark on Chess.com's Tactics Trainer. Although building up your tactics skill is a road of consistent effort and learning, I was able to attribute my recent performance on the tactics server to a few specific changes in the way I train.<br />
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In this article, I will summarize six of those changes in the form of specific tips. <i>For those of you who enjoy watching videos, I created a <a href="https://youtu.be/dL6GLU3iu9A" target="_blank">video on this topic</a>. </i><br />
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Control Your Environment</h3>
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I found that I was doing my tactics training in places where I could get easily distracted. For example, on my phone while the kids were getting ready for school or during dinner with the family. One of the major things I changed was to follow a simple rule: No tactics when someone else is in the room. It reduced my distractions, and improve my relationships with my family members.</div>
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Improve Your Mindset</h3>
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As I started to improve at tactics, I found myself focusing too much on my tactics rating. I know the title of this article is focuses on my rating, but it was my focus on the process of training and improvement that produced the results, not the other way around.</div>
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Besides focusing on the process more, I also tried to monitor the way I spoke to myself. Instead of getting upset when I got a problem wrong, I would tell myself, "I am learning and growing from this mistake" or something similar to try to put myself in a better frame of mind. </div>
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Build (or Rebuild) Your Foundation</h3>
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An important factor in improving my tactics was having a command of various tactical themes. To this end, I supplemented my training on Chess.com with several chess tactics e-books on <a href="http://chessable.com/" target="_blank">Chessable.com</a>: <i>1001 Chess Exercises for Beginners</i> and <i>The Woodpecker Method. </i>As of this writing, I've solved about 1000 problems (and reviewed them multiple times with Chessable) covering a comprehensive variety of tactical motifs in these books. </div>
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This foundation served me well as I was able to spot patterns fairly quickly. Since Chess.com's rating is partly derived from the speed in which you solve the problems, this fluency with the tactical patterns paid dividends in terms of higher ratings gains from correct solutions.</div>
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Learn from Your Mistakes</h3>
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Another important habit that I developed over the last year is looking over all of the problems particularly the ones I got wrong to make sure I understood the solution. In addition to understanding the chess aspects of the problems, I also analyzed my thoughts and variations I had when solving the problems. This self-awareness helped me to avoid future mistakes.</div>
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On Chess.com, I downloaded the problems and studied them on SCID. If I found a useful pattern, I saved it into Chessable. This has helped me to identify similar patterns in future problems.</div>
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Balance Quantity and Quality</h3>
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I read about people who do 50+ tactical problems a day. However, I wonder how they do these? Are they studying their mistakes? Are they treating these problems like a game-like situation? I think players need to balance quantity and quality when it comes to tactics training.</div>
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I probably do about 10-15 new tactics problems daily. I do review tactics problems using Chessable, so this probably accounts for another 10-20 problems daily. Additionally, among these problems, I probably do additional analysis on a few of the problems - e.g. if I get a problem wrong - to make sure I understand them. This takes about 20-30 minutes a day. I think this thoughtful training is just as effective as someone who plows through a ton of problems over a full hour.</div>
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Of course, everyone's different, but reflect and observe your own habits and see if you are balancing quality with quantity.</div>
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Create Your Identity</h3>
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How do you see yourself as a tactician? Thinking of yourself as "the best tactician in the world" may be unrealistic and is probably more detrimental than helpful. However, if you see yourself as a capable tactician or an improving tactician, that identity can help influence your behaviors. If you identify yourself as a good tactician, you'll be more thoughtful in your training. You'll be more confident both in your training and your games when it comes to tactics. </div>
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This may sound a little farfetched, but I started tell myself that I was a good tactician. I started to take pride in seeing all of the relevant variations in a problem. I started to see more combinations and sound sacrifices in games. Try it out!</div>
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<h3>
Keeping Perspective</h3>
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Of course, your tactics rating is separate than your overall chess strength and rating. However, for many amateur players, a deficiency in tactics is a big hindrance. I've met many players who "outplayed" me only to drop a piece and then had to resign - and I've been that player as well. If you look at the tactics ratings of title players like International Masters, you'll see they all have incredibly high tactics ratings. Indeed, not all players with high tactics ratings are strong players overall...but nearly all strong players have high tactics ratings.</div>
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Your Turn</h3>
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I invite you to try a few of these tips in your future training. Send me a tweet at <a href="https://twitter.com/YourBryanCastro" target="_blank">@YourBryanCastro</a> and let me know what you thought about this article.</div>
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Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15914218228584003868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256076550910823212.post-41999923398763649172018-12-09T05:12:00.000-08:002018-12-09T05:12:02.662-08:00POLL: What is Your Biggest Chess StruggleHi there!<div>
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I've created a very short poll and discussion on <b>your biggest chess struggle</b>. This will help me in planning out content for 2019.</div>
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The poll allows for one vote, but your responses in the comments section are very helpful to me as well.</div>
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Please take a minute and <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/poll-what-is-23213763" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">answer my poll</a>. <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/poll-what-is-23213763" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Click here to go to the poll</span></b></a>.</div>
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<b>Thank you</b> and best wishes for the rest of 2018 and into 2019!</div>
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Best regards,</div>
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Bryan</div>
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p.s. I really appreciate you reading and viewing my content here at Better Chess Training. I hope it is helpful on your chess journey. Connect with me on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/YourBryanCastro" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@YourBryanCastro</a> and keep in touch!</div>
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Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15914218228584003868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256076550910823212.post-55008010300443292892018-11-26T10:22:00.001-08:002018-11-26T10:22:07.973-08:00Improve Your Chess Tactics with The Woodpecker MethodWhen it comes to improving your tactics, there are many methods available to you including chess tactics servers like <a href="http://chessity.com/" target="_blank">Chessity </a>and <a href="http://chesstempo.com/" target="_blank">Chess Tempo</a>, which I've talked about previously. There are also many books in print form. I think there is a third method that combines the online accessibility of chess tactics servers with the chess instruction of a good book - interactive ebooks on <a href="http://chessable.com/" target="_blank">Chessable</a>. In this article, I'm going to share my thoughts on one of the newest offerings on Chessable, <i><a href="https://www.chessable.com/the-woodpecker-method/course/10582/" target="_blank">The Woodpecker Method</a> </i>by GM's Axel Smith and Hans Tikkanen.<br />
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I actually created several videos to highlight this ebook so I will give some thoughts for those of you who would prefer to read and encourage you to check those videos out.<br />
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<h3>
Overview</h3>
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<div>
The Woodpecker Method is named after the repetitive nature of training the collection of tactics problems. Those of you familiar with Michael de la Maza's "7 Circles" may note its similarities. This book provides both the collection of problems (which de la Maza doesn't in his book <i>Rapid Chess Improvement</i>) as well as suggesting the repetitive solving of the set of problems. </div>
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Within the Chessable platform, the reader may also engage in using the software's inherent <i>spaced repetition </i>system to review the problems - which I highly recommend. With this system, you do not wait until you have solved all of the problems before seeing them again. Instead, you will see a problem a few hours after you have solved it initially, and if you successfully solve the problem again, you will see it perhaps a day later. This time period increases as you successfully recall and solve the problems. It is like having a coach help you review the problems at the most appropriate time - before you have fully forgotten it but not too soon as to be cumbersome.</div>
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Here are some of the details on the sets of problems (from the ebook's description):</div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li>223 x Easy Exercises (2.66 avg depth)</li>
<li>255 x Intermediate Exercises (3.66 avg depth)</li>
<li>255 x Intermediate Exercises II (3.59 avg depth)</li>
<li>254 x Intermediate Exercises III (3.54 avg depth)</li>
<li>145 x Advanced Exercises (5.55 avg depth)</li>
</ul>
<div>
One interesting tidbit about the problems is that one of the participants is a World Champion (or former World Champion). Sometimes they are even on the losing end of a combination. Because of this, some of the positions are fairly well known. I admit I had a thrill whenever I recognized the position, often followed by frustration when I failed to remember the right continuation!</div>
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I give a similar overview of the problems in the video below:</div>
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/E_NnIXpRKjI" width="560"></iframe><br />
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When it comes to the problems themselves, there is a comprehensive mix of tactical themes many of you will be used to, including:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Fork</li>
<li>Discovered Attack</li>
<li>Pin</li>
<li>Promotion tactics</li>
<li>Drawing tactics</li>
<li>Zugzwang</li>
</ul>
<div>
There were also some interesting concepts that may not be as familiar in name (although you may have seen the concept in practice):</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Lifeline: Capturing a piece and then "rescuing" the capturing piece from recapture by using it in another combination.</li>
<li>The Magnet: I have often used the term <b>decoy</b> to describe this this tactic, where you capture or sacrifice a piece in order to draw another piece (often the king) onto a specific square, file, or diagonal.</li>
</ul>
<div>
The chapters are categorized by difficulty and not by theme. Within each chapter, the problems also seem to be arranged chronologically by World Champion - e.g. Starting with Steinitz and Lasker and finishing up with Carlsen.</div>
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<div>
Overall, I found there to be a good variety of problem types. For a sampling of some of the problems, check out the video below, where I present a few problems as sort of a tactics quiz!</div>
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/r0tOB3sPVHw" width="560"></iframe>
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<h3>
Recommendations</h3>
</div>
<div>
Overall, I really enjoy this ebook and think that <i>The Woodpecker Method</i> can really help you improve your tactics. Here are the things I enjoyed about the ebook:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>The selection of problems: The set was comprehensive across different tactical methods and motifs.</li>
<li>The analysis: The problems had good depth of analysis when the answer was not totally obvious. The authors also included short text explanations for many of the problems. <b>The authors also note what you <i>should have seen</i> in solving the problem, which I thought was very useful in developing my thought process around tactics.</b></li>
<li>The historical factor: I enjoyed that they used the World Champions and their games for the source of all the problems.</li>
<li>The Chessable Format: Having this ebook on Chessable is a big plus, and these types of problems are perfect for the Chessable review system.</li>
</ul>
<div>
There are just a couple minor caveats you should be aware of:</div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Problem difficulty: Although most players can tackle the easy problems and a few of the intermediate problems, the more difficult problems are quite aptly named. I think this ebook is best for players at least USCF 1200 or higher, although I wouldn't discourage lower rated players to start tackling the first two or three chapters.</li>
<li>Lack of text explanation: As mentioned, the analysis is quite detailed especially for the more difficult problems, but for beginning players, the lack of text explanation might not be as helpful.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Overall, I highly recommend this ebook for intermediate players and higher who want to improve their tactical skills. </div>
</div>
<div>
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<div>
If you enjoy watching videos, here is my final video in this series, where I summarize my recommendations (including an example from one of my games demonstrating my increased tactical vision):</div>
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DM67C3b1gf0" width="560"></iframe>
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I hope you found this review helpful. As always, my goal is to help you improve your chess. Sound tactics is a key foundation for any chess improvement efforts, and <i>The Woodpecker Method</i> is sure to help you with the tactical aspect of your game!<br />
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Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15914218228584003868noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256076550910823212.post-14166272512306637172017-05-20T05:38:00.003-07:002017-05-20T07:11:20.229-07:00Poker Pro and Chess Master Nate Solon<span style="font-family: inherit;">I had the great pleasure of interviewing FM Nate Solon. Admittedly, Nate discovered Better Chess Training first and through several conversations during previous articles, I decided that it was time to invite him for an interview. Mr. Solon generously accepted. </span><br />
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<b style="color: #222222; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></b> <span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">My questions are in bold.</span></span></div>
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<h3 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>
</b></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Learning to Play and Getting to Master Level</span></span></h3>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1276e639-2263-83cc-5427-5fd7110cecfc" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></b><br />
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1276e639-2263-83cc-5427-5fd7110cecfc" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Better Chess Training (BCT): Tell me about your chess beginnings. How old were you? </span></b></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTxjuWXuEZfGc9iVSyvnBQ2q80qjqn4pKmDwO9YPzbU10MoJYdRFFG0E3Zp3o98AiAFAbNzQ4jBVjApPmP-Y790sTw3iTZEDRu2IgpbAUKb9VdzCVpMHjrL93HMH4pA_zl9iMbSKpdLRY/s1600/natesolon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTxjuWXuEZfGc9iVSyvnBQ2q80qjqn4pKmDwO9YPzbU10MoJYdRFFG0E3Zp3o98AiAFAbNzQ4jBVjApPmP-Y790sTw3iTZEDRu2IgpbAUKb9VdzCVpMHjrL93HMH4pA_zl9iMbSKpdLRY/s320/natesolon.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FM Nate Solon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I started playing around fourth grade, so about nine years old. Many people learn chess from their dad, but my dad and I learned at the same time. I remember we had a set where the moves were displayed on the pieces. Initially we were evenly matched, but I surpassed him pretty quickly.</span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">BCT: At what age did you start playing tournament chess?</span></b></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Checking my rating history, I see my first tournament was in 1995 when I was ten. I started playing in tournaments not too long after I learned how to play.</span></span></div>
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</span></b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">BCT: On your way to master level, where there any difficult plateaus at certain ratings levels? How did you overcome them?</span></b></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My rating graph is fairly smooth, with a small dip around 2000. I definitely remember feeling frustrated many times that I wasn’t improving as quickly as I wanted to, but I don’t remember any specific “aha!” moments where I consciously realized something that made a big difference. It was more a continuous grind of playing, and then all of a sudden I would get stronger.</span></span></div>
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</span></b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">BCT: Did you have any coaches as you improved along the way?</span></b></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My first coach was the owner of the chess club where I first started playing. He was around 1700 strength. One of my weaknesses early on was playing too cautiously or passively and he encouraged me to play more aggressively. I remember a tournament game in which I defeated him with a wild, sacrificial attack. It was probably totally unsound, but it showed that I had learned the lesson. He was very proud. Looking back, I think that shows what a generous and insightful teacher he was. He was able to help me grow as a player and when I used what he taught me to beat him, he was more happy for me than disappointed about losing.</span></span></div>
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</span></b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Later on, I worked with a full-time chess teacher who was around 2400 strength. He was able to help me with more technical parts of my game.</span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">BCT: Did you have any books that made a big impression on you in your climb up the ratings ladder?</span></b></span></div>
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</span></b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I had a puzzle book early on that had a mix of checkmates, tactics, studies, and even things like retrograde puzzles. I was really fascinated by that. As far as strategy, I read the <a href="http://amzn.to/2royVwg" target="_blank">Play Winning Chess</a> series by Yasser Seirawan and Jeremy Silman. There are probably a lot of good books for beginners, but those served me well.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My first teacher gave me the <a href="http://amzn.to/2pWeWoF" target="_blank">Zurich 1953</a> book by David Bronstein and I spent a lot of time going over those games. I think good annotated games are probably one of the best things to study, especially early on. Other books I remember include <a href="http://amzn.to/2q3SZ33" target="_blank">My System</a> - couldn’t really make heads or tails of it - and <a href="http://amzn.to/2rCkulg" target="_blank">Fire on Board</a> by Shirov - I was very impressed by the games, but didn’t really understand them. I also remember spending a lot of time on <a href="http://amzn.to/2qEWU9M" target="_blank">Reassess Your Chess</a>.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Overall, my approach to chess books (and chess in general) was not very organized. I skimmed many more books than I read, but I was always thinking about chess.</span></span></div>
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</span></b> <br />
<h3 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Approach to Chess</span></span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">BCT: Do you have a specific approach or style to your chess?</span></b></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I think poker has taught me to be pragmatic (I’ve been playing poker for a living for about eight years). I’m a lot more open to the idea that many approaches work and it’s not always necessary to play the “best” move than I used to be when I was just a chess player.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As far as my own style, I tend to have a good feel for the initiative and the energy of the pieces. I’m pretty dangerous if you give me an attack, but I’m weaker when it comes to defending or navigating murky positions.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">BCT: What are the similarities and differences between poker and chess?</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">They have a lot of similarities and a lot of differences. They both have very deep strategy; the more you learn, the more you realize how much you don’t know. You have to study and practice for a long time to get good.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The biggest difference is the level of variance. In chess, it’s rare to lose to a much weaker player, and if you do, you can usually point to the mistake that caused it. In poker, you lose to weaker players </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">all the time.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> And I mean really weak players, the poker equivalent of someone starting the game with f3, g4 or something. But then you lose. That can be tough to deal with, especially if chess is your frame of reference.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">BCT: I've noticed several high level chess players have delved into poker at a professional level...this could be another topic that we discuss in a future conversation!</span></b></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">BCT: Do you have a favorite player and what do you like about that player?</span></b></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’ll say two - one to watch and one to imitate.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My favorite player to watch is Tal. His games are completely insane. Most people like to gain some kind of advantage, then consolidate, make things safe, and try to gain another advantage. Tal just leaves everything floating in the air all the time. Even after playing over his games many times, I still can’t understand how he’s doing it. But trying to imitate this style usually doesn’t work out very well!</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My favorite player to imitate is Carlsen. Of course, I’ll never be anywhere near as good as he is, but the thing that players of all levels can take from him is his fighting spirit. He never gives up and plays to win in all positions. Grit is such an important factor - it can trump a lot of other aspects of chess. If you want to improve, you really need to fight against that voice that says, “Let’s take it easy, let’s not fight today.”</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">BCT: What are your favorite games of Carlsen and Tal?</span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For Carlsen, I came across this game while researching the London System and was really impressed by it. This is like the chess equivalent of </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZOCU2ZzhwE" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Steph Curry crossing someone over</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: the elegance, the sly sense of humor, always being two steps ahead. The defender keeps thinking he’s about to have things under control, only to realize he’s wildly off balance for the next move. This game gives me a really strong sense of Carlsen’s insight and wit.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></b> <br />
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<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "Tata Steel"]<br />
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]<br />
[Date "2016.01.22"]<br />
[EventDate "2016.01.15"]<br />
[Round "6"]<br />
[Result "1-0"]<br />
[White "Magnus Carlsen"]<br />
[Black "Evgeny Tomashevsky"]<br />
[ECO "A46"]<br />
[WhiteElo "2844"]<br />
[BlackElo "2728"]<br />
[PlyCount "59"]<br />
<br />
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. Bf4 b6 4. e3 Bb7 5. h3 Be7 6. Bd3 O-O<br />
7. O-O c5 8. c3 Nc6 9. Nbd2 d5 10. Qe2 Bd6 11. Rfe1 Ne7<br />
12. Rad1 Ng6 13. Bxg6 hxg6 14. Bxd6 Qxd6 15. Ne5 g5 16. f4<br />
gxf4 17. Rf1 Nd7 18. Qh5 Nf6 19. Qh4 Qd8 20. Rxf4 Ne4 21. Nxe4<br />
Qxh4 22. Rxh4 dxe4 23. dxc5 bxc5 24. Rd7 Rab8 25. b3 a5<br />
26. Rc7 a4 27. bxa4 Ba8 28. a5 Rb7 29. Rxc5 Ra7 30. Nc4 1-0<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The following game has that unique Tal thing where everything is hanging in the air, then suddenly coalesces into a winning position in a way that’s really hard to wrap your head around. The crazy thing is that there’s so many Tal games I could have picked. For most people, this would be the best game of their career, but for Tal it’s just a day at the office.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></b> <br />
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "Tallinn"]<br />
[Site "01"]<br />
[Date "1964.??.??"]<br />
[EventDate "?"]<br />
[Round "?"]<br />
[Result "1-0"]<br />
[White "Mikhail Tal"]<br />
[Black "Anatoly S Lutikov"]<br />
[ECO "C40"]<br />
[WhiteElo "?"]<br />
[BlackElo "?"]<br />
[PlyCount "61"]<br />
<br />
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d5 3.exd5 e4 4.Qe2 f5 5.d3 Nf6 6.dxe4 fxe4 7.Nc3<br />
Bb4 8.Qb5+ c6 9.Qxb4 exf3 10.Bg5 cxd5 11.O-O-O Nc6 12.Qa3 Be6<br />
13.Bc4 Qe7 14.Nxd5 Qxa3 15.Nc7+ Ke7 16.Rhe1 Qc5 17.Rxe6+ Kf8<br />
18.Rxf6+ gxf6 19.Ne6+ Ke7 20.Nxc5 fxg5 21.Rd7+ Kf6 22.Rd6+ Ke7<br />
23.Re6+ Kd8 24.Nxb7+ Kc7 25.Bd5 Nb4 26.Bxf3 Rae8 27.Nc5 Nxa2+<br />
28.Kb1 Rxe6 29.Nxe6+ Kd7 30.Nc5+ Kd6 31.Nd3 1-0<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">BCT: What do you enjoy about chess? </span></b></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I like that chess is completely absorbing and inexhaustible - the more you learn, the more you realize how much deeper it goes. Compared to poker, I like that in chess you “deserve” the result you get. Having played a lot of different games now, I’ve found most people prefer some luck in their games - they don’t really want to be in control of everything. But for me, poker is too far towards the luck-driven side of the spectrum and I prefer chess.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">BCT: What does chess mean to you?</span></b></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Coming back to chess recently, after not having spent much time on it for years, has made me realize how deep my connection with chess is. I’m still not really sure why I’m so drawn to it and sometimes I wonder what I could have accomplished if I put the same amount of effort into something more traditionally useful, but at this point I just accept that for whatever reason I have a tremendous affinity with chess. Right now I’m focused on improving as a player and teacher.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>BCT: Do you have a favorite game (of yours)?</b></span></span></div>
<link href="https://pgn.chessbase.com/CBReplay.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"></link><br />
<script src="https://pgn.chessbase.com/jquery-3.0.0.min.js"></script><br />
<script src="https://pgn.chessbase.com/cbreplay.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <br />
<div class="cbreplay">
<br />
[Event "Import"]<br />
[Site "https://lichess.org/mOTcEa75"]<br />
[Date "2017.05.10"]<br />
[Round "-"]<br />
[White "Nathan Solon"]<br />
[Black "Richard Kenneth Delaune Jr"]<br />
[Result "1-0"]<br />
[WhiteElo "2317"]<br />
[BlackElo "2364"]<br />
[ECO "D44"]<br />
[TimeControl "-"]<br />
[Termination "Normal"]<br />
[Variant "Standard"]<br />
[Opening "Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik System, Lilienthal Variation"]<br />
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/CheckRaiseMate"]<br />
<br />
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 <br />
{Reading Shirov's game collection probably influenced me to go for the<br />
super sharp Botvinnik Variation.}<br />
5...dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 8.Bh4 g5 9.Nxg5 hxg5 10.Bxg5 Nbd7 11.g3 Qa5 12.<br />
exf6 Ba6 13.a3 O-O-O 14.Bg2 Nc5 15.dxc5 <br />
{I think this queen sacrifice might have been a novelty at the time. <br />
Probably not a good one, since grandmasters have chosen 15. 0-0 in <br />
this position, but it seems to me that white's position is easier to <br />
play.}<br />
15...Rxd1+ 16.Rxd1 b4 $2 <br />
{It's not wise for black to open lines on the queenside, where his <br />
king is. Simply 16...Bxc5 was better.}<br />
17.axb4 Qxb4 18.O-O Qxc5 19.Ne4 Qf5 20.Ra1 Bb7 21.Rxa7 Bc5 22.Rfa1 <br />
{The point isn't to defend the rook, which can't be taken anyway <br />
because of Nd6, but to introduce the threats of Ra8 and Ra5. This <br />
forces black to go for a forcing sequence...}<br />
22...Bxf2+ 23.Nxf2 Qxg5 24.Ra8+ Bxa8 25.Rxa8+ Kc7 26.Rxh8 Qxf6 27.Rh4 Qxb2<br />
28.Rxc4 <br />
{The ending is probably winning for white due to his material <br />
advantage, but it's not that easy. I managed to get there in the end.}<br />
28...Qa1+ 29.Bf1 f5 30.Rf4 Kd6 31.h4 Qb1 32.Kg2 c5 33.Bd3 Qb7+ 34.Kh2 Qg7 <br />
35.h5 Qh6 36.Be2 Ke7 37.Kg2 Qg5 38.Rh4 Qh6 39.Rf4 Qg5 40.Nd3 c4 41.Rxc4 <br />
Qe3 42.Nf4 Kd6 43.Ra4 e5 44.Ra6+ Kc5 45.Re6 Qe4+ 46.Kh2 Kd4 47.h6 Qb7 48.<br />
Nh3 Qb2 49.Ng1 e4 50.h7 Qb8 51.Rh6 <br />
{1-0 Black resigns.}<br />
1-0<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<h3 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Chess Instruction</span></span></h3>
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">BCT: What is your teaching philosophy?</span></b></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My approach to teaching is constantly evolving. I believe the most important qualification for a good teacher is a sincere commitment to helping each student improve. Therefore, I spend a lot of time thinking about what would be most helpful for each individual.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Recently I have been focused on making my lessons as interactive as possible. I find the student learns the most when they are actively practicing the concepts. For that purpose, I’m developing a database of instructive positions so I can give each student examples and exercises focusing on the areas of their game that are most important for where they are right now.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">BCT: Where can people reach you on the internet?</span></b></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I stream chess at <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/checkraisemate" target="_blank">https://www.twitch.tv/checkraisemate</a>.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">BCT: Any upcoming projects?</span></b></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m working on an app that will make it easy to search a position database by thematic tags and print out a selection of positions in a nice format for study. I just started learning to code so it may be awhile before it’s ready for use by other people.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">BCT: Great! We’ll have to do a follow-up once your app is up and running!</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I appreciate this conversation and the thoughtfulness in your answers, Nate. Do you have any parting advice for our readers?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal; white-space: normal;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal; white-space: normal;">For one piece of advice, I would suggest creating records of the work you do on chess. So for openings, have your repertoire stored somewhere, preferably something like </span><a href="http://chessable.com/" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal; white-space: normal;" target="_blank">chessable </a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal; white-space: normal;">or chessply that allows you to drill the lines you've decided are worth memorizing. For your games, create a personal database with chessbase or similar where you enter all your tournament games. If you annotate them, even better. For tactics and any other regular training you do, use a goal tracking app to make sure you're sticking to a routine. </span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-weight: normal; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-weight: normal; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This helps create a sense of progress and a way to get out of that cycle a lot of people find themselves in where they play a lot of chess but never seem to improve.</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-weight: normal; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></span></div>
<h3 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;">Your Turn</span></span></h3>
</div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;">We will definitely catching up with Nate Solon again for future discussions.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;">Do you have any questions for Nate? </span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;">Put them in the comments below and I'll either forward them to him or he'll answer them here!</span></span></div>
Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15914218228584003868noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256076550910823212.post-54365334186256515102017-04-28T06:36:00.001-07:002017-04-28T06:36:34.551-07:00Revisiting the Game Analysis Process<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje-hWU3BNskgKWFBT9ql4EbFR9f0klNjzYXqEr8_KHYs2xGBHjgNvGBgJ-jgAJAWyIKXH_SPKVT13dkSbOxqfr73AZbpi4BEdBkAUO7hg5Q_yWf5VVHN1RaB6PB2t5rxRHRXONlhUkXVfH/s1600/carrepair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje-hWU3BNskgKWFBT9ql4EbFR9f0klNjzYXqEr8_KHYs2xGBHjgNvGBgJ-jgAJAWyIKXH_SPKVT13dkSbOxqfr73AZbpi4BEdBkAUO7hg5Q_yWf5VVHN1RaB6PB2t5rxRHRXONlhUkXVfH/s320/carrepair.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Ryan McGuire. <a href="https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/" target="_blank">CC0 1.0</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It's been a couple years since I wrote my first article on analyzing your games - <i><a href="http://www.betterchesstraining.com/2014/07/4-Step-Game-Analysis.html" target="_blank">4 Steps to Analyzing Your Game for Improvement</a>.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Since writing that article, I've analyzed a few of my games as well as discussed the topic with other players, including some chess coaches and masters.<br />
<br />
In today's article, I wanted to give some practical advice for those seeking to improve their chess through analyzing their own games and revisit and refine a few of the points I made in my original article.<br />
<br />
If you haven't read the original article, you may want to <a href="http://www.betterchesstraining.com/2014/07/4-Step-Game-Analysis.html" target="_blank">check it out</a> for more context as I will try not to be too redundant.<br />
<br />
<i>In addition to this article, I also created a video series where I played a game online, and then subjected the game to the game analysis process. You can watch the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWUtZgOz-Rc" target="_blank">original game with my comments</a> here.</i><br />
<br />
<h3>
Self-Honesty </h3>
<br />
One thing I've observed in myself is that when I'm "self-annotating" my games - the step of the process where I describe my thoughts, analysis, and feelings during the game. - is that sometimes I tend to paint my thoughts more positively then actually happened. Oversights become "misevaluations." Bad moves become "inaccuracies." Blundering material is described as "not getting enough compensation."<br />
<br />
It is important when we want to improve to get an accurate assessment of where we are in the development process. Sometimes, this can be embarrassing because we have a certain expectation of ourselves. However, it takes humility <b>and </b>confidence to admit our faults and mistakes. We have to get over this hurdle though if we want to get to the next level.<br />
<br />
In the first step of the analysis process, try to capture all of your thoughts. Sometimes, you will forget everything you thought about - that's okay! Even it is only a few moves that you are very clear about - the key is to try to figure out <b>how</b> you think. The fact that you forget what you were thinking of specific moves is insightful in itself!<br />
<br />
<h3>
What are Key Positions?</h3>
<br />
In the second step of the analysis process, we will try to identify a few key positions for further analysis. I describe in more detail the types of positions you will want to find in the original article, but there are a couple points I've been emphasizing more lately that I'd like to discuss with you.<br />
<br />
The first is positions in which your evaluation <i>during</i> the game differed greatly from the actual evaluation of the position. For example, positions that you thought were drawn that were actually won or lost, and so forth. The reason why this is so important is that our ability to evaluate positions is one of the most important skills we can develop.<br />
<br />
When we misjudge a chess position, it can be due to a couple of reasons:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>We lack specific knowledge about certain positions - e.g. We don't realize that a specific endgame structure is drawn, so we push for a win only to throw away the draw.</li>
<li>Our emotions cause us to be overly optimistic or overly pessimistic of a position. We can look at the example of Kasparov's game two loss in his 1997 match against Deep Blue, where much analysis has shown that Kasparov may have resigned prematurely<i> (although there is some debate over this).</i></li>
</ul>
<div>
This is one area that the chess engine can at least give us an approximation of a position's evaluation to compare to our own. I will discuss using chess engines in our game analysis next.</div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
In the video below, I apply the first two steps of the analysis process to my game.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WGJjhZoer2Y" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<h3>
Using Chess Engines in Analysis</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I've gone back and forth over using the chess engines in analyzing our games. I've currently settled on the view that chess engines can be very useful if used sparingly and in specific situations. I've written before about the <a href="http://chessimprover.com/the-limits-of-the-chess-engine-for-improvement/" target="_blank">limits of chess engines</a> in helping us improve, but here I'll give a few tips on how you might use them to help you in game analysis.</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>You can run through the game with the chess engine on <b>but only look at the computer's evaluation. </b>Here, you can see where there are big jumps in the evaluation. This tell you where the big mistakes where made. If your opponent made them, you can see if you exploited them. If you are the one with the blunders, you can find out why. Some programs create an evaluation graph and you can see the peaks and valleys of the graph to identify key positions.</li>
<li>It's okay to <b>come to your own conclusions</b>, even if the engine disagrees with you. If after comparing your analysis and the engine's analysis, you think your move is better, then accept that. This may seem like odd advice, but the fact is that sometimes the computer engine is wrong...and even when it's not, the type of move it produces may be an exception due to the tactics of the position and may not be generally applicable in other cases. Also, it's important for you to develop your own voice when it comes to chess - although I encourage you to do this in an environment where you have access to good instruction or good books that can guide you.</li>
<li>Do not accept chess engine analysis if you do not understand it. Remember that the engine will not be with you in your tournament games. If a suggestion by the computer is too complex for your understanding or goes against what you believe are good positional principles, then let it go. You can always revisit the position at a future point when you are more experienced.</li>
</ul>
<div>
I feel a certain joy when I analyze a position on my own and then the computer confirms my thoughts! You cannot have this happen if you first turn on the engine when analyzing your games. I encourage you to do your own work first - at least a little - and then ask the computer for some assistance. </div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Remember that your goal is not to find the best move in the position in your analysis. This is a by-product of your work, but your real goal is to uncover holes in your understanding or thought process so that you can correct it! The chess engine should be a tool - like a calculator - to check your own analysis and understanding of the game. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When you find disagreements between your moves and the engine's, then do not blindly accept the engine's answer and move on. <b>Why </b>did your moves differ and - accepting that the engine in this particular case has the stronger move - <b>how </b>can you think differently (or <b>what </b>do you need to study) to help you find such moves in the future.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Accepting Uncertainty</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
One aspect of analyzing my games that I've come to appreciate more is that <b>I won't always come up with the answers</b> - at least right away. Sometimes we come up with positions that we just aren't sure what to do with. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This could be in the opening. You or your opponent may play something that's out of your "book" knowledge and not listed among the various resources - e.g. databases, books, etc. You can spend some time and try to figure out the best response, but if after a reasonable effort you are still confused, it is okay to let it go for now.<br />
<br />
Similarly, your analysis (perhaps with assistance from a chess engine) might reveal two or three viable moves in a middlegame position. It's okay if you can't decide which one is the best. Let it "simmer" for a while - maybe even months or years.<br />
<br />
Sometimes, our future experiences and studies will cause something to "click" in our minds and what was once confusing now becomes very clear. This is the power of our mind to connect related information over time.<br />
<br />
By learning to accept uncertainty in our conclusions, we can avoid some of the frustration that results in trying to find "the best moves" in our post-mortem analysis. All of this being said, it's important to put some effort into finding some answers, as we may encounter a similar position in the future and our efforts in the present will aid us when that happens.<br />
<br />
Below is a video of the third and fourth steps of the game analysis process:<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UK77Tev2-rM" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<h3>
Time Constraints and Practicality</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Finally, I wanted to share a insights that I've come to realize in studying chess that encompasses the game analysis process in general.</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>You won't often have time to do game analysis process in-depth. It's okay to focus on just a few areas in your games.</li>
<li>You may tend to spend more time analyzing your wins than your losses - resist this urge and seek out your weaknesses (if you are looking to improve).</li>
<li>Analyzing for your own improvement is different than analyzing and annotating for publication or for other people. It's okay to be sloppy or use phrases or jargon that only you understand!</li>
<li>Celebrate the insights you garner from your analysis - even the smallest of discoveries!</li>
<li>Organization is both overrated and underrated. Find a system that works for you. Check out my <a href="http://www.betterchesstraining.com/2017/01/chess-workflows.html" target="_blank">article on workflows</a> for some ideas.</li>
<li>Seek answers as if you will be seeing your position in a World Championship match, but accept that you may not have all the answers right away.</li>
<li>Don't do step 3 (corrections) on the same day that you play the game...sleep on it to gain objectivity.</li>
<li><b>Some </b>analysis of a game is better than <b>no</b> analysis. Try to find just one thing that you can improve if you're short on time.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>
Conclusion</h3>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I hope you found these reflections on the game analysis process helpful in your own game analysis. The four step process I wrote about is just a template. As I've studied chess over the last few years - squeezing time in between three children, work, and home responsibilities - I've realized that sometimes we need to take short cuts and truncate elements of the process. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
However, I've also realized the importance of analyzing my games, so I wanted to encourage you to keep up these efforts in your own training.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Until next time, I wish you <i>Better Chess!</i></div>
<h3>
</h3>
Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15914218228584003868noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256076550910823212.post-51941587501798457612017-04-21T05:36:00.001-07:002017-04-21T05:36:34.161-07:00Ten Ideas for Improving Your Chess<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-U33tLt9PjoaeFilPOD2AyzmJvxY1YZl7X8ntQMECMf-QFDrSKzeEEbOs5hYhFUy4UulcnS_3XbVKq8Tf39iX4WOefE15qeQQq1nPeee5tqaHxIYs4dLGngBRnfkyygi-WVIN53DiElHt/s1600/napoleonhillquote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-U33tLt9PjoaeFilPOD2AyzmJvxY1YZl7X8ntQMECMf-QFDrSKzeEEbOs5hYhFUy4UulcnS_3XbVKq8Tf39iX4WOefE15qeQQq1nPeee5tqaHxIYs4dLGngBRnfkyygi-WVIN53DiElHt/s400/napoleonhillquote.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Over the last few years of writing articles here at Better Chess Training as well as other places, I've run across a lot of ideas about improving at chess that I've shared with you.<br />
<br />
In today's article, I'd like to give you a little "buffet" of training ideas to improve your chess.<br />
<br />
Why am I doing this? Well, I think sometimes we get a little stale in our training and we need to spice things up with a different training method or different perspective. With that in mind, I hope to spark a little creativity for you by giving you a lot of ideas.<br />
<br />
If you're a regular reader of my writing, you may recognize a few of these, but I've tried to come up with a few new ideas as well.<br />
<br />
I hope that you might find one of these ideas interesting. If you do, let me know in the comments which one you might try out.<br />
<h3>
<b><br /></b><b>#1: Explain It</b></h3>
<br />
Steven Covey in his <i>Seven Habits of Highly Effective People </i>recommends that you teach what you have learned in order to learn it even better. This is similar to what has come to be known as the <a href="https://youtu.be/_f-qkGJBPts" target="_blank">"Feynman Technique"</a> - where you explain the concept you are trying to learn.<br />
<br />
This will reveal holes in you knowledge as you try to use your own words to explain complex techniques. This is one reason why I comment on games in my <a href="http://youtube.com/c/BetterChessTraining" target="_blank">Youtube Channel</a>.<br />
<br />
You don't have to be too complicated about this. When you study chess games or your own, explain (either to yourself out loud or to others) what you are studying. For example, if you are studying a particular endgame position, pretend you are teaching a beginner and explain how the method behind the position. If you can't do it, you probably don't understand it very well yet.<br />
<br />
<h3>
#2: Speed It Up</h3>
<div>
<br />
Sometimes, if you are studying a specific opening, a useful method to gain familiarity with the various structures and maneuvers in your opening is to play through a lot of games fairly quickly. With online databases this becomes fairly easy. You can look up your opening variation, download a few dozen (or hundred) games, and just play through them. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As you notice patterns, you might want to slow down and write them down. IM Jeremy Silman has written about how as a youngster learning chess he would grab a chess book and plow through 500 master games in a day. He noted that his brain was fried, but that he absorbed many useful patterns.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In my own training, I've done it with a couple dozen games, and then after noting a specific motif, I'll go back and look at the positions more deeply to understand it further. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This "osmotic" absorption of chess patterns can be fun and supplement your other study. I don't recommend doing this as your primary study activity though, but it's a nice change of pace! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
#3: Slow It Down</h3>
<div>
<br />
Sometimes, I think we try to hard to get through a ton of chess material too quickly. At times, we need to take a single concept or position and try to break it down until we understand it. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I remember this quote from Bobby Fischer: </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #26211b;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"As Olafsson showed me, White can win... It's hard to believe. I stayed up all night analyzing, finally convincing myself, and, incidentally, learning a lot about Rook and Pawn endings in the process."</span></span></blockquote>
Get lost in a single position. Analyze it until you can play it better than anyone in the world!<br />
<br />
I did this once with a single rook and pawn endgame that I had misplayed in a game. I set it up against different chess engines and played the ending about a dozen times over a several hour session. Now when I get into a rook and pawn endgame I do so with a lot of confidence.<br />
<br />
<h3>
#4: Simplify It</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
Keep your training sessions simple. Don't try to learn too much or throw too many goals in one training session. For example, if you are studying openings, just focus on one variation and learn it very well. If you are studying the endgame, then focus on one type of position - e.g. king and pawn, etc.<br />
<br />
Before you study a master game or any position, ask yourself, "What am I trying to learn here?" and "What am I trying to improve?" You may discover other things as well, but go into your session with an intention - not five or six!<br />
<br />
<h3>
#5: Memorize It</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Several strong players advocate memorizing chess games. For example, Yasser Seirawan recommends the practice in his excellent book <i><a href="http://amzn.to/2os8T6n" target="_blank">Winning Chess Brilliancies</a>.</i> I have tried this in the past with a couple games - the first one I memorized was Morphy's famous Opera Game - and I have found that it helped me quite a bit. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here are a few of the benefits I experienced:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>I understood the reasons behind the moves quite well - I had to learn them well in order to memorize the moves.</li>
<li>It boosted my confidence to be able to play through a master game completely.</li>
<li>I think the practice in memorizing the games improved my focus and concentration.</li>
</ul>
<div>
If you try this, don't go overboard. Just try a short game (like Morphy's 17-move Opera Game) first. It helps to try to understand the reasons behind the moves. Pick a game that you enjoy playing through.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
#6: Sleep on It</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Don't neglect your sleep and rest. I've written about this in <i><a href="http://www.betterchesstraining.com/2016/04/better-sleep-better-chess.html" target="_blank">Better Sleep for Better Chess</a>. </i>Basically, you simply can't function at your best when you are fatigued. I have more tips in the article, but here are a few tips:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Try to get 7-9 hours of sleep each night.</li>
<li>Get to bed around the same time every night.</li>
<li>Avoid screens like laptops and phones that emit blue light before bed. Check out this article to <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/q-a-why-is-blue-light-before-bedtime-bad-for-sleep/" target="_blank">understand why blue light is bad for sleep</a>.</li>
</ul>
<div>
I bring this up a lot, but it's just that important!<br />
<br />
<h3>
#7: Write it Down</h3>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When doing calculations for medium or difficult tactical problems, experiment with writing down your analysis. This can be done for any training exercise you do where you have to produce a move. <b>Write down your thoughts! </b>Then you can go over them later:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>What variations did you miss?</li>
<li>Did you go too deep? </li>
<li>Did you not go deep enough?</li>
<li>Did you consider enough candidate moves?</li>
<li>Check your analysis (for tactical positions) with a chess engine.</li>
<li>If you are working from an annotated game, compare your analysis with that of the author's.</li>
</ul>
<div>
I keep a composition notebook for my analyses. I recommend writing them down physically instead of just using your computer.</div>
</div>
<br />
I created a series of videos on Youtube based on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4dABMbxdng&list=PLwqbH0JpY22nPggQGMWL21x6IVZUxB_pM" target="_blank">solving tactical positions</a> with in-depth analysis. You can use those as well as positions from <a href="http://chesstempo.com/" target="_blank">Chess Tempo</a> for this type of work.<br />
<br />
<h3>
#8: Recall It</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There is a difference between <b>recognition </b>and <b>recall </b>in studying and remembering material. It is more important to recall material when tested on it than to just recognize it. This is more taxing on your memory, but will help you learn and understand the material better.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You can look at say an endgame position and say, "Oh, I've seen this before." This is recognition. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This is less effective than being shown the position and then being asked to produce the next move or to explain the winning method.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The same goes for opening lines. When <a href="http://www.betterchesstraining.com/2017/03/how-to-prepare-for-chess-tournaments.html" target="_blank">preparing for a tournament</a> or studying your opening lines in general, it's much better to quiz yourself than it is to just play through the lines. Websites like <a href="http://chessable.com/" target="_blank">Chessable</a> that allow you to enter your opening lines and then quiz yourself over time are very effective in helping you remember your openings.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So in general, test yourself to see if you truly understand or remember your chess concepts or material.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
#9: Schedule It</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If something is important, schedule it. We put appointments for the dentist on our calendars, but we just squeeze in chess whenever we have time. However, if improving is important to us, we need to find time in our schedules - and commit to it.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'm not telling you to neglect your other responsibilities in life. With a home, business, and family, I know about the scarcity of time in my week. However, I try to schedule time in my week where I can study chess for 30 minutes or an hour. Usually this is early in the morning before my children get up or after the kids go to bed. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Don't prioritize it over work and family responsibilities. However, ask yourself whether it's more important than that television series you were watching or that video game you were playing. I can't answer that for you, and I cannot judge your priorities. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
#10: Live It</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Perhaps the most important idea I can share with you is to stay present-focused in your training. It is important not to get distracted mentally or emotionally by worries of the future or regrets of the past. We have our chess aspirations as well as those "could have been" moments in our chess. However, all that matters is the chess position in front of you at the moment.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Think of it this way. You may want to become a master and you've read that it takes 10,000 hours or ten years of hard work to do it. Despite whether you believe those specific time periods, let's just agree that it takes a lot of hard work to master chess - or almost anything worthwhile. In order to get all of that hard work in, you need to take it one moment at a time. You can't fast forward to the future. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Being present-focused will also help reduce your stress and frustration in your progress. Why? Because once you realize that <a href="http://www.betterchesstraining.com/2017/04/perfect-where-you-are.html" target="_blank">the present is the only place you can be</a>, what is there to worry about?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Plan for the future. Learn from the past. Live in the present.</div>
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<br /></div>
<h3>
Your Turn</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I hope this article gave you a few things to think about and ideas to apply to your training. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>If you had to write an 11th idea...what would it be?</b></div>
Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15914218228584003868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256076550910823212.post-10801112742904255662017-04-14T07:00:00.000-07:002017-04-14T07:00:19.873-07:00How Do You Open a Chess Game?I'm going to try something a little different this week. Partly because I'm a little tight for time with the Easter holiday coming up, but also because I wanted to start a conversation with you.<br />
<br />
So I'll ask you a question, and based on you're answers and those of other readers, I'll write an article.<br />
<br />
<b>What do you play for your first move and why?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
What do you play with White and why?<br />
<br />
What do you play against 1.e4 and 2.d4 with Black and why?<br />
<br />
I'm looking forward to your answers!<br />
<br />
Happy Easter!Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15914218228584003868noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256076550910823212.post-57340847165884295832017-04-08T13:18:00.003-07:002017-04-08T13:18:58.627-07:00Perfect Where You Are<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<br /></blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqynrpTuUAVTkPsUS3Ho1RE-YfGQOuHbrLeJtew49uVURHTtOynsyx17ob9bfCBJxJXOq-bUaPK-oqGXYv8ICYzu5YLRFMRuoRezuLAMp1D6ItxP-UbLrPKBwCjH3gRiX_WtzvwNwB6Nex/s1600/flower+mountain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqynrpTuUAVTkPsUS3Ho1RE-YfGQOuHbrLeJtew49uVURHTtOynsyx17ob9bfCBJxJXOq-bUaPK-oqGXYv8ICYzu5YLRFMRuoRezuLAMp1D6ItxP-UbLrPKBwCjH3gRiX_WtzvwNwB6Nex/s320/flower+mountain.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Years ago, I was helping a young player I had met on the internet with his chess. We had informal lessons, and we would go over master games together. This relationship continued for about three months, and we met weekly.<br />
<br />
I started to make an odd observation - my young friend never played any rated games. However, every week, he would ask me some version of the question, "What strength do you think I am?"<br />
<br />
My answer was the same: "Play some rated games and find out."<br />
<br />
He kept complaining about not "being ready." Despite my encouragement, he never made the leap. We stopped meeting together, due to some mutual changes in our schedule. A couple months later, he wrote to me. I no longer have the original message, but here was the paraphrased message:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Thank you for our time together. I really appreciate it. I have started taking lessons with a grandmaster, who has been very helpful. Although I do not feel I am ready to play rated games, he assures me that I am a 'Class B' player. That would make me as strong as you! I hope you are doing well, etc. etc.</i></blockquote>
Well, I was happy for my friend (whom I will refer to as Joe for the rest of the article) and I wished him well, but I looked him up on the chess server and again noticed that he had not played any rated games!<br />
<br />
What is the point of me telling you this story? Well, there are a few lessons here which I will share.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Worrying about Ratings</h3>
<br />
Ratings are important...and not important. Ratings are a measure of performance. However, in and of themselves, they only tell us so much. There are general conclusions we might be able to conclude. For example, the training needs of someone rated USCF 2000 are a lot different than someone rated USCF 1000. However, in between there is a lot of variance with regard to the needs of players.<br />
<br />
When Joe asked me what I thought his rating was, I think he was looking for validation. The problem is that unless you actually play rated games, you cannot judge a person's ratings, because of performance factors.<br />
<br />
For example, he might have master level knowledge of openings, middlegame, and endgame, but if he gets really nervous or impulsive during actual competition, his performance might be a lot lower than his knowledge level.<br />
<br />
Ratings are <b>descriptive </b>in nature. They are a result of good results that are a manifestation of your knowledge and skills in the opening, middlegame, and endgame as well as performance areas such as attention, endurance, composure, and clock management. Ultimately, your rating should follow your overall strength.<br />
<br />
However, your rating is not <b>prescriptive </b>in nature. Your rating does not tell me about what your needs are to improve. Two players may have the exact same ratings, but may have very different strengths and weaknesses. Here are just a few areas where the players may have differing levels even with the same rating:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Opening repertoire development</li>
<li>Calculation skill</li>
<li>Clock management</li>
<li>Composure - staying calm under pressure</li>
<li>Playing frequency</li>
<li>Endgame skill</li>
<li>Planning</li>
</ul>
<div>
The point is that worrying about your rating doesn't have much of a practical purpose. However, it may have a psychological purpose to players - as I believe was the case with Joe.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Being Honest with Yourself</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I recently had an unpleasant experience at a recent tournament. I had won in the first three rounds of the tournament and was tied for first place going into the final two rounds. However, I lost the last two games and finished 11th out of 56. This is not a bad result, but I was very disappointed in myself. Why? Because I was the highest rated player in my section and the first seed in the tournament and I <i>expected</i> to win.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
After a day or so, I was able to distance myself emotionally from the result and about to look at my games and my performance. I found the following areas that need additional improvement - at least relative to my other skills:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Opening repertoire - there were some clear holes in my understanding in several of my openings systems.</li>
<li>Avoiding pawn structure weaknesses around my king - although this seems basic, I overvalued the dynamic nature of pawn structure weaknesses. Interestingly, this is something my coach had pointed out.</li>
<li>Endurance/Energy management - After 10 hours of chess on day one of the tournament, I was "spent" on day two, and the quality of my chess moves went down dramatically.</li>
</ul>
<div>
There were a few areas of strength as well! </div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Endgame play - in two games where we reached clear endgames, I outplayed my opponents to win.</li>
<li>Composure/Fighting back in bad positions - In all three of my victories, I had even or worse positions coming out of the opening. However, I stayed tough and active in defense.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Here is the point. I couldn't have discovered these things about my game if I didn't play in the tournament. The "payment" for these insights was the emotional roller coaster of victory and defeat. Your chess strength can't exist in a vacuum. There is no such thing as a "closet Grandmaster."</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Perfect Where You Are</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;">"At what point in a flower's life, from seed to full bloom, has it reached perfection?"</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
~Thomas Sterner, <i><a href="http://amzn.to/2ns3Vu1" target="_blank">The Practicing Mind</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<div>
So what is the solution? I think it's the nonjudgmental acceptance of where you are. Realize that you have strengths and weaknesses in your chess. Fortunately, for the most part you can improve your weaknesses! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The mistake that Joe made and one I have made (and probably will make) is the desire for validation from other people. He didn't get it from me, so he found a grandmaster who was able to give it to him. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Instead, embrace the totality of your chess skill. The more you can accept where you are and realize that it truly is <b>the only place you can be, </b>the more you can actually move towards improvement.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Why? We need to be honest about our needs before we will seek out the knowledge and improve it. I remember taking a chess lesson about 15 years ago and my instructor telling me that the books I was studying were too advanced for me. I was offended, and my refusal to seek out appropriate material probably hindered my development. Fortunately, I have gotten over that weakness but many people do not.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Remember that you are <b>perfect where you are. </b>The only validation you need is that which you give yourself. Accept your strengths and your areas that need improvement. Don't worry about your ratings, and don't fear playing rated games against strong players. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Do these things and continue your study and training of our beautiful game, and you'll find yourself on the path to <i>better </i>chess.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Your Turn</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Do you ever worry about your ratings? </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Have you ever had a "blind spot" that hindered you from taking the steps you needed to improve?</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Share your thoughts in the comments.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
</blockquote>
Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15914218228584003868noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256076550910823212.post-36016112251983432132017-03-31T08:23:00.002-07:002017-03-31T08:24:13.171-07:00Capablanca vs. Tartakower, New York 1924Dear readers,<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I apologize as I don't have an article ready for you today. I have a big chess tournament coming up this weekend - the <a href="http://www.nychess.org/center/Marchand.html" target="_blank">Marchand Open</a> and I didn't prepare an article beforehand. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I will return to my weekly schedule next week, and until then, please enjoy this video I created this week.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-epgKc053GA" width="560"></iframe>
</div>
Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15914218228584003868noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256076550910823212.post-18556948858694469782017-03-24T06:27:00.000-07:002018-12-08T17:41:50.324-08:00How to Prepare for a Big Chess Tournament<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"The good fighters of old put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy." ~Sun Tzu</i></blockquote>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglcm8cQOV9FCLuZ99ikGy5h-h48ZoWSt1kRi7vcmdcDCO3dl5T6z_zAReNHZAWZxxFS9QepbIlKCsqk01bDnClPWQKPCvwq56mAuIChZ4xaGet6SiRliERAIwwx8P5n7XzVXm8zkRmHd8/s1600/Castro+De+Los+Santos+1+edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglcm8cQOV9FCLuZ99ikGy5h-h48ZoWSt1kRi7vcmdcDCO3dl5T6z_zAReNHZAWZxxFS9QepbIlKCsqk01bDnClPWQKPCvwq56mAuIChZ4xaGet6SiRliERAIwwx8P5n7XzVXm8zkRmHd8/s320/Castro+De+Los+Santos+1+edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Your humble author (left) in a tournament game.<br />
Photographer: M. McDuffie</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We play chess fairly often. There are online games and correspondence games. Over-the-board, we have various tournaments, leagues, and casual play. Every once in a while, though, we have a BIG tournament. This could be a scholastic championship, your club championship, or a large prize tournament. It's something with a little more significance than your other chess play.<br />
<br />
In this article, we will discuss some practical and effective ways to prepare for these tournaments. These methods are useful for chess play in general, but are especially useful when preparing for a tournament that is very important to you.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Sleep</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I've written several times about the importance of <a href="http://www.betterchesstraining.com/2016/04/better-sleep-better-chess.html" target="_blank">sleep and chess improvement</a>. Although sleep is important all the time, in multiple-round tournaments over several days it is vital. With long time controls and two or three rounds in a single day, you can be in a single match for four or five hours and be playing chess for up to ten hours! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Read <i><a href="http://www.betterchesstraining.com/2016/04/better-sleep-better-chess.html" target="_blank">Better Sleep for Better Chess</a> </i>for more details, but here are some of the benefits of proper sleep.</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Increased cognitive functioning.</li>
<li>Increased vigilance - e.g. you won't miss as much.</li>
<li>Increased attention.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep at night and youngsters may need more. This could be the most important preparation for your tournament (assuming you maintain your other chess training).</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Tactics Training</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I also recommend increased tactical training. International Master <a href="http://www.betterchesstraining.com/2016/06/tournament-preparation-nazi-paikidze.html" target="_blank">Nazi Paikidze</a> noted that she often solved 50-100 tactical problems in preparing for her victorious run at the 2016 U.S. Women's Championship. You don't need to solve as many as Ms. Paikidze, but the idea is to <b>sharpen your tactical sword</b>. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I recommend a mix of tactics training, including your traditional tactical problems that you see on <a href="http://chesstempo.com/" target="_blank">Chess Tempo</a> or <a href="http://chessity.com/" target="_blank">Chessity</a>, as well checkmate problems and endgame studies to help develop your calculation and visualization skills.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If you already study a lot of tactics, you may not have to increase your volume. For example, if you are doing tactics for an hour a day or more, it may be best to just maintain that and work on some of the other training activities I will mention.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Exercise</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiE16uS63RXSmkbhdLQc-Vv0xIAy8N7AYO9D08YqEIpFMHF0LoqYxah8HgidDdrieZONGXu8hMmrNGj_2BdoCG6J3Dk5vEmJphTwCWIP18SBHW726HpQUUd9D5DdUbuRiTpussryGYGo8/s1600/runningnew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiE16uS63RXSmkbhdLQc-Vv0xIAy8N7AYO9D08YqEIpFMHF0LoqYxah8HgidDdrieZONGXu8hMmrNGj_2BdoCG6J3Dk5vEmJphTwCWIP18SBHW726HpQUUd9D5DdUbuRiTpussryGYGo8/s320/runningnew.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exercise is good for your body and your mind.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Long tournaments are not just a test of your chess skill, but also a test of your stamina and endurance. Physical activity is important to maintaining your mental effort during the long matches and days. Most of the world champions (particularly the more recent ones) often had very rigorous physical training. Bobby Fischer used to swim many laps underwater to increase his body's ability to utilize oxygen efficiently.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Although any physical activity is better than none, I recommend you emphasize two specific areas in your exercise. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
First, cardiovascular endurance is very important for oxygen utilization by the brain (and body). Basically, any activity that gets your huffing and puffing and sweating will be effective. It could be traditional cardiovascular exercise like running and swimming or training methods such as kettlebells or Crossfit that include a strength component to training the heart and lungs. One Filipino martial arts expert used to run a lot but then he realized he got the same benefits and had more from playing basketball with his boys!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Second, strengthening the core muscles around the lower back and abdominals is important. The reason is that we will be sitting at the board for a long time, and our ability to maintain our posture and be comfortable will keep us from getting distracted. Exercises that strengthen your core include squats, crunches, and planks.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If you are not familiar with exercise, please start slow and with short sessions. Having a physical injury is not helpful for chess, so work within your experience and skill level. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Also remember that exercise won't make you a grandmaster (at least not overnight), but it will help your energy levels during the fourth and fifth hours of a tournament match.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Your Openings</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Reviewing your openings is an essential aspect for tournament preparation. This can be overdone, so I'll just give you a few guidelines.</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Review lines within your opening repertoire. There are several good tools for assisting in this, including <a href="http://chessable.com/" target="_blank">Chessable </a>and <a href="http://chesspositiontrainer.com/" target="_blank">Chess Position Trainer</a>. You can read my <a href="http://www.betterchesstraining.com/2016/07/chessable-review.html" target="_blank">review of Chessable</a>.</li>
<li>As most of my readers are amateurs, I recommend focusing on one response to each of the major openings. For example, you do not need to learn both the French and the Sicilian against 1.e4. Pick one and focus on it and then do this for every major junction in your opening repertoire.</li>
<li>Once you are within a month or two of the tournament, I do not recommend learning a totally new system to play in the tournament. Your experience within the systems of your repertoire are as important as the specific lines you play. So play what you know!</li>
<li>My only exception to the previous point is if you have a glaring hole in your repertoire. For example, if you don't have a system you are confident in against either 1.e4 or 1.d4, then I would suggest picking one and then studying it, because most likely you will face it in one of your matches.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Being confident with your opening repertoire will help you greatly in the tournament. Tournament time is not time to experiment with new openings. </div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Playing with a Purpose</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Before the big event, you will probably have several opportunities to play either over-the-board or online. Use this time to work on specific parts of your game that may need some practice.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It is important to review your recent games. I've written several articles about this include the following:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><i><a href="http://www.betterchesstraining.com/2014/07/4-Step-Game-Analysis.html" target="_blank">4-steps to Analyzing Your Games for Improvement</a></i></li>
<li><i><a href="http://chessimprover.com/seven-questions-to-ask-yourself-after-each-game/" target="_blank">Seven Questions to Ask Yourself After Each Game</a></i></li>
</ul>
<div>
You should start to notice a few habits that you might want to improve in future games. I recommend picking one or two of these aspects and make them practice objectives for your non-tournament games.<br />
<br />
Here is the process I use:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Identify the objectives to focus on. I write these down on an index card, and usually have no more than one or two.</li>
<li>Play the game, being mindful of these objectives during my play.</li>
<li>After the game, review my progress and success in accomplishing the objectives.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
For example, I recently had noticed that I was playing passively in the endgame, particularly with my rook. In the last several games, one of my objectives was to have "Active pieces in the endgame." The following game is a demonstration of that habit I have been developing (from a recent tournament).<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" border="0" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.chess.com/emboard?id=3380662" width="574"></iframe><br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<h3>
Mental and Emotional Training</h3>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The final area that you might want to include in your tournament preparation is some type of mental and emotional training. This involves learning to control your emotions as well as learning to be present in your games. Here are a few of the chess benefits of training your mind and emotions:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Focus and attention during deep calculation</li>
<li>Resilience when under pressure</li>
<li>Bouncing back from setbacks</li>
</ul>
<div>
How does one train one's mind and emotions? There are many methods and I am not an expert, but here are a few methods I have used to improve myself in this area.</div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Meditation: It doesn't have to be complicated. I use <a href="http://headspace.com/" target="_blank">Headspace </a>as well as general breath awareness meditation.</li>
<li>Deep breathing: This is related but also separate from meditation. Learning to breath well can help you keep calm and provide your body and mind with oxygen. This is especially helpful during tense chess positions!</li>
<li>Visualization: I visualize myself playing confidently and calmly. I play some classical music in the background and imagine myself at the board playing against a tough opponent. There is a lot of information out there on visualization but again, you don't have to make it complicated. See yourself and the qualities you want to have when you are playing. A few minutes a day can do a lot!</li>
<li>Journaling: I have journaled for years, and I find it very helpful in terms of getting thoughts out of my head and onto paper (or more recently, onto the computer). If you try this, I would recommend writing down your goals and ambitions surrounding the big event, and also your fears and worries about it. When you see it written in front of you, you can start to think rationally about it and see that a lot of your fears and worries are either without warrant, or something you can overcome with preparation.</li>
</ul>
<div>
If you are more interested in mental training and sports psychology, I would recommend checking out the books of <a href="http://amzn.to/2nPwb9L" target="_blank">Bob Rotella</a> and anything by psychologist Michael Gervais.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Preparing for Success</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hopefully, your chess training has been consistent and steady for a long time before your big events. A solid foundation of chess knowledge and practice is essential for success. These tips are not meant to replace the hours spent studying and practicing and can't make up for neglecting that training.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
However, tournament chess is different than playing online or casual games with your friends. The amount of focus and effort your opponent will be exerting will be much higher and you need to be ready to meet the challenge. Similarly, the pressure you put on yourself will be greater. More intense preparation is often helpful to bridge the gap from your everyday chess play and the rigors of tournament play.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Follow these tips and you'll find yourself in the best place mentally, physically, and emotionally to tackle the challenges of your next big tournament!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Good luck!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Your Turn</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
How do you prepare for tournaments?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Do you have a big tournament coming up?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Share in the comments!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05909433338448836005noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256076550910823212.post-83618295069564001342017-03-17T09:20:00.001-07:002017-03-17T09:20:57.557-07:00Three Levels of Chess Training Strategy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war and then seek to win."<br />-Sun Tzu</i></blockquote>
What are your goals in chess?<br />
<br />
Do you have a plan for your chess improvement?<br />
<br />
Do your chess training activities align with your goals?<br />
<br />
It's okay if you don't have answers for these questions. In this article, we're going to discuss planning your training strategy on three different levels:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Vision</li>
<li>Strategy</li>
<li>Tactics</li>
</ul>
<div>
Here on Better Chess Training, I try to address all three levels. Let's discuss each one in more detail and what you can do to apply these concepts to improve your chess.<br />
<br /></div>
<h3>
Vision</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The most important level is your vision. What are your aspirations for chess as a player? Do you want to mainly enjoy the game with your family and friends? Do you want to play in tournaments and progress up the ratings ladder? Do you want to be a national champion?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Your answer and perhaps more importantly your belief in this vision is the foundation for the strategy and tactics that you employ.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For example, I have a vision of becoming a USCF rated master (and perhaps a little better) - somewhere around USCF 2300. Although I feel this is quite challenging, I think over time it is definitely possible with a lot of the right work and perseverance. However, I make no delusions of ever becoming a grandmaster. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This is quite different than the vision of a friend of mine. He enjoys keeping up with the current world class chess tournaments on the internet and playing chess with his grandchildren. His vision is to be able to be a good sparring partner for his grandson and be able to understand at least a little of what is happening between the world's elite players.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We both would like to improve our current level of chess knowledge and skill, but our differing visions may set us on slightly different paths in terms of the strategy and tactics.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So what are your goals in chess? What is your vision? Feel free to share in the comments because I'd love to read them (and by knowing them I might be able to write more helpful articles).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Once you have a clear vision for your chess, you can look at strategies to achieve your vision.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Strategy</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Of course, we know what strategy is in relation to our chess games. It involves looking at the pros and cons of our position with the ultimate vision of checkmating our opponent. Your strategy in training is similar.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Strategy is your plan on how you will get better at chess (or achieve your vision). A good strategy (or strategies) takes into account your current strengths and weaknesses as well as your life's circumstances. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Let's use myself and my friend as examples.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
My strategy for improvement takes into account a few things:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Understanding what it takes to become a USCF master</li>
<li>Assessing my current level of understanding and skill in various areas of chess</li>
<li>Accounting for my responsibilities in my life that take time and energy - e.g. work, family, and home</li>
<li>Taking into account the financial resources I can allocate towards chess</li>
</ul>
<div>
In order to assist me in developing my training strategy, I am now working with a coach - <a href="http://tigerchess.com/" target="_blank">GM Nigel Davies</a>. I wrote about the role a coach can play in <i><a href="http://www.betterchesstraining.com/2017/03/chess-coach.html" target="_blank">Should You Hire a Chess Coach?</a> </i>Besides teaching chess, we also discuss our training on a strategic level based on what he is seeing in my games. Here are just a few examples of strategy based on the factors above and what he has seen in my games:</div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>We have simplified my opening repertoire to take into account both my skill level and the amount of time I can spend studying openings.</li>
<li>Noting an underdevelopment in certain aspects of my positional knowledge, we focus on these specifically during lessons and fill in gaps with the <a href="http://tigerchess.com/" target="_blank">Tiger Chess</a> program.</li>
<li>Although I think daily tactical training is essential for players, we noted that this was a strength, so I spend a little less time on it in order to focus on other areas of chess study. However, I still do my <a href="https://youtu.be/4YmV3slja7s" target="_blank">tactics training</a> daily.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Besides these training elements, I've also introduced a few other strategic elements into my personal training program:</div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>I've become more consistent with meditation and practicing mindfulness. I use simple breath awareness meditation mainly using <a href="http://headspace.com/" target="_blank">Headspace</a>. This has helped me to manage my energy better as well as increased my focus, which is important in chess and life.</li>
<li>I try to get at least seven hours of sleep at night. I track my sleep and performance on tactics, and there is a definite correlation between the hours of sleep and my results. As I write in my <a href="http://www.betterchesstraining.com/2016/04/better-sleep-better-chess.html" target="_blank">article on sleep</a>, there is much scientific evidence supporting the importance of sleep for cognitive performance.</li>
<li>I tend to do things in a disorganized fashion. In order to combat this in my life and in my chess training, I have started using organization tools more effectively, including scheduling my training in my daily calendar and using <a href="http://evernote.com/" target="_blank">Evernote</a> for work, home, and chess.</li>
</ul>
<div>
In the example of my friend, his strategy for improvement is a little different. He's retired, so time isn't as big of an issue. Also, he told me that he wants chess to be fun. He's spent his whole career working hard, so he doesn't want to do anything that will feel like "work." Instead of arguing with him on the definition of work and chess - I enjoy all of my chess "work" - I decided to go with him on his thoughts and helped put just a tiny bit of strategy into his chess "enjoyment."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here are a few things that he does regularly:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>He watches videos on Youtube including my channel and a few others. Mainly, he enjoys watching videos that have commentary on games.</li>
<li>He plays his grandson in chess regularly. He also looks at his games regularly after he plays them, doing a super quick version of my <i><a href="http://chessimprover.com/seven-questions-to-ask-yourself-after-each-game/" target="_blank">Seven Questions</a>. </i>I don't think he records the games, so he just goes over them for 15-20 minutes after playing them from what he can remember. </li>
<li>He reads the chess books that his grandson reads, and tries to solve all of the chess puzzles.</li>
</ul>
<div>
His strategy for improvement is quite different then mine, but help him to achieve the vision he has for himself. He has gotten improved gradually and so has his grandson!<br />
<br />
So when reflecting on your own strategy, make sure that your strategies for improvement align with your vision. Also, you want to make sure your strategies align with your life circumstances. If your strategy for improvement account for these factors, then you're on the right track!</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
These strategies are what we need to do to reach our vision. Executing them is what <b>tactics</b> is all about.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Tactics</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Vision is what you want to accomplish. Strategy is plan to get there. Tactics is the execution of that plan.<br />
<br />
There are several objectives that we try to accomplish through tactics:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>We want our training to be <b>effective</b> - e.g. to accomplish what we set out to do.</li>
<li>We want our training to be <b>efficient - </b>e.g. we want to maximize our learning or training within the time we have.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Here we can see the importance of strategy. You can have the most effective and efficient method of training your openings, but if you lose most of your games due to blunders and you don't train your tactics sufficiently, you will likely not improve very much.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I discuss this topic in more detail in a two-part series <i>Principles of Effective Training </i>(<a href="http://www.betterchesstraining.com/2017/02/principles-of-effective-training.html" target="_blank">Part 1</a> and <a href="http://www.betterchesstraining.com/2017/02/principles-of-effective-training-2.html" target="_blank">Part 2</a>). Here I will just highlight a few points and how they relate to <b>tactics.</b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><b>Appropriate material</b> is important for effective training. For example, a chess grandmaster probably doesn't need to spend much time solving mates-in-one problems. Similarly, a beginner probably doesn't need to study much opening theory.</li>
<li>Having <b>clear objectives</b> is critical because otherwise it is difficult to measure the effectiveness of training. </li>
<li>Have <b>feedback loops</b> helps us measure whether or not we accomplished the objectives and gives us a way to adjust our tactics to make our training more effective.</li>
<li>Regular <b>review</b> ensures that our training and learning stays in our memories.</li>
</ul>
<div>
With regard to efficiency, these principles are also relevant. </div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>If your study or training methods are too hard, you will need to do it again when you are strong enough to understand or tackle it. If your methods are too easy, you will not improve very much or very quickly.</li>
<li>Without clear objectives, you may improve "accidentally" but the path might be windy and long as opposed to straight and direct.</li>
<li>Proper feedback loops will help you understand where you need to make adjustments in our training.</li>
<li>Regular review will keep you from forgetting and having to relearn the material, which would be inefficient.</li>
</ul>
<div>
You can learn more specific methods and tactics on Better Chess Training and in some of my other writing. Here are a few articles that talk about various training methods:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><i><a href="http://chessimprover.com/supercharge-your-training-with-solitaire-chess/" target="_blank">Supercharge Your Training with Solitaire Chess</a></i></li>
<li><i><a href="http://www.betterchesstraining.com/2014/07/4-Step-Game-Analysis.html" target="_blank">4 Steps to Analyzing Your Game for Improvement</a></i></li>
<li><i><a href="http://www.betterchesstraining.com/2016/05/measure-your-chess.html" target="_blank">Measure and Improve Your Chess</a></i></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Some activities may belong to both strategy and tactics. For example, for me getting proper sleep was both a strategy to better health and thus more longevity in chess as well as a tactic, as I noticed my training was not as effective on days that I did not get much sleep. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Don't worry too much about classifying whether an element of your training is part of your strategy or tactics. These are just labels to help you understand your thought process behind your planning, not the goal themselves.</div>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Evolving Strategies</h3>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Planning your chess training isn't a one time deal. Over time, as you encounter different methods and different viewpoints, your vision, strategy, and tactics may shift. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Your vision might change due to a change in circumstance. For example, the vision of my chess changed quite a bit from the ambitious 20-year-old who had plenty of time to study and train to a 40-something-year-old father and businessman who has 1-2 hours a day at most for chess.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Your strategy will change as you grow in strength in different areas of chess. This is natural and necessary. Chess is too complex of a game to use a single strategy to improve throughout your chess career. Embrace the change and have fun with it.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Finally, tactics will probably change most frequently as advances in chess software and our understanding of training grow. Similarly, your experience with specific tactics will change as you find what works for you. Although there are certain principles of learning and training that are fairly universal, the specific way you manifest those principles might be different for you than another player - even if you are of similar strengths.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
My final advice is that besides your own analysis and assessment of your situation through these three levels, seeking the help or feedback from a coach or even other players is often helpful. They can objective as they are not emotionally attached to the outcome as you might be. They might be able to point things out that you may not see because of your own personal biases.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Your Turn</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Have you considered these three levels of planning in your own chess improvement? </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Is there one level that perhaps you were focused on more than the others?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Is there one level that you have neglected? What can you do to change that situation?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Let me know in the comments. I'd love to have a conversation with you about it.</div>
Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15914218228584003868noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256076550910823212.post-67134536749758933322017-03-16T04:36:00.001-07:002017-03-16T04:36:36.821-07:00Submit Your Games for Game of the MonthStarting this month, I'll be taking submissions for instructive game of the month.<br />
<br />
I'm looking for instructive games. They can be short games or long games. They can be brilliant attacks or defensive struggles. If you learned something from the game, then it was instructive.<br />
<br />
At the end of the month, I will select the most instructive game and create a video on the <a href="http://youtube.com/c/BetterChessTraining" target="_blank">Better Chess Training Youtube Channel</a>. I might also include excerpts from other games that did not get selected.<br />
<br />
The only requirement is that you be a subscriber to the Better Chess Training Youtube Channel and that your game be in pgn format. If I cannot read the notation with SCID, then it won't be considered.<br />
<br />
Here is my video invitation:<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Or2o9PpvE2M" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
Here is the link to the <a href="https://goo.gl/forms/6GkVAGK8E3QFKe5f2" target="_blank">submission form</a> (it is a Google form).<br />
<br />
Good luck and I hope this can become a regular feature!Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15914218228584003868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256076550910823212.post-30564029097847396282017-03-10T13:12:00.000-08:002017-03-10T13:12:02.643-08:00Some Endgame Training Resources<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 15.6px; font-style: oblique;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Agreeing to draws in the middlegame, equal or otherwise, deprives you of the opportunity to practice playing endgames, and the endgame is probably where you need the most practice. </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 15.6px; font-style: oblique;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">~ Pal Benko</span></span></span></blockquote>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMYqUunSKEEo96JUmoX9k0wNvyj2rO6ZdlJHLoGgQsaq-7_UsqFaWllQJi-HXieZuwqCxmGKjG0otpXK2cUr2WS_S0vv7GDS2ahxtF94Fa2v2ic45nWv79iQIU3TYwG2hIzkqNR3Nsu26m/s1600/Pal_Benko_1964.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMYqUunSKEEo96JUmoX9k0wNvyj2rO6ZdlJHLoGgQsaq-7_UsqFaWllQJi-HXieZuwqCxmGKjG0otpXK2cUr2WS_S0vv7GDS2ahxtF94Fa2v2ic45nWv79iQIU3TYwG2hIzkqNR3Nsu26m/s320/Pal_Benko_1964.jpg" width="288" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pal Benko, Endgame Expert, in 1964.<br />Photo: Broers, F.N. <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/nl/deed.en" target="_blank">CC-SA 3.0</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Lately, I've been very interested in getting better at the endgame. This is for several reasons. First, I'm getting older and perhaps a little wiser, but it could just be that my memory is getting worse and it's easier to remember positions with less pieces on the board. Secondly, my children are starting to play and it's the easiest place to start to teach them. Finally, many of the masters whose games I admire - Capablanca, Smyslov, Rubinstein, and Karpov - were absolute masters of the endgame.<br />
<br />
In the past, I've recommended several good books to get you started on the endgame, including Jeremy Silman's <i><a href="http://amzn.to/2muytsV" target="_blank">Complete Endgame Course</a> </i>and Jesus de la Villa's <i><a href="http://amzn.to/2m9kLIP" target="_blank">100 Endgames You Must Know</a>. </i>I would add to this Nigel Davies' <a href="http://tigerchess.com/" target="_blank">Tiger Chess Program</a> if you enjoy watching chess videos and a systematic study program.<br />
<br />
In this article, I just want to highlight a couple other resources that I use in my endgame study and practice.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<a href="http://www.k4it.de/index.php?lang=en&topic=egtb" target="_blank">Nalimov Endgame Tablebases Online</a></h3>
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</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwpMAXUgOIaLjoJcQQH2YmPVV5Vh4eHnSwAkxq28mAmwI6Bd3i4js4ykzsswz6_78ClXqedK8LFMgCeBEmPvLEQXeECaX9k1tQTXe1nKbpn7Qw88OLeiFLZArkmXl9XQPogZYH9Gv-Q9V1/s1600/nalimovpic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwpMAXUgOIaLjoJcQQH2YmPVV5Vh4eHnSwAkxq28mAmwI6Bd3i4js4ykzsswz6_78ClXqedK8LFMgCeBEmPvLEQXeECaX9k1tQTXe1nKbpn7Qw88OLeiFLZArkmXl9XQPogZYH9Gv-Q9V1/s320/nalimovpic.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screenshot</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
This is actually a site for computer programming, but it has a very useful page for 6-man endgame tablebases. You can copy your FEN positions and paste them and then the site tells you whether it is a win, loss, or draw for every single possible move. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I recommend you use this in conjunction for learning specific endgame methods, for example, specific rook and pawn endgames like the Lucena or Philidor Positions.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It is important to know the <b>concepts</b> and <b>methods</b> first before you use this tool. This is similar to using computer chess engines to analyze your chess. If you do not have a clue about the underlying ideas behind the moves, it will do more harm than good.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The way I use it is when I'm practicing endgame positions against the computer or a friend. If I get stuck on the winning method, I might first go back to the book or video where I learned it, but then I'll plug the specific position into the tablebases and see what the best moves are. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I don't want to be redundant but I want to make one last emphasis that this is a tool to supplement actually learning how to play specific positions.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
<a href="http://www.chessvideos.tv/endgame-training/endgame-simulations.php" target="_blank">ChessVideos.TV Endgame Simulations</a></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFu3LqZqVv2KVPny-yMGUQIo7NZu03X_PPBJZjm52s5brYDt-3NLTywpNptU-kyemVH4879fqrXd8gtFeVU9GqiBlC2b7eO_H8V8PbLmLdKJsPQbidcUjxnSabzrHNhpWkxRPKvXr1ER2b/s1600/chessvideostv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFu3LqZqVv2KVPny-yMGUQIo7NZu03X_PPBJZjm52s5brYDt-3NLTywpNptU-kyemVH4879fqrXd8gtFeVU9GqiBlC2b7eO_H8V8PbLmLdKJsPQbidcUjxnSabzrHNhpWkxRPKvXr1ER2b/s320/chessvideostv.jpg" width="255" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screenshot</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<a href="http://chessvideos.tv/" target="_blank">Chessvideos.tv</a> has a simple endgame simulator that includes a few theoretical endgame positions including king and pawn, rook endgames, and famous endgames. The positions are loaded and you play against a chess engine.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The interface is very simple and there's no way to save the moves or interact with them any other way. However, I look at this site as a way you can reinforce your technique in these simple endgames. This is something I often set up in <a href="http://www.betterchesstraining.com/2016/04/intro-to-scid.html" target="_blank">SCID </a>to play against the chess engine. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The nice thing about doing them on this site though is that it will automatically set up the pieces randomly (within the parameters of the specific endgame of course), so you can practice your technique efficiently. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
With SCID, I would need to set up the board myself with the pieces in different positions. With chessvideos.tv's simulator I can just click "start over" and the board is set up with the pieces in different positions then the last time.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This is a nice little tool that I use occasionally when I'm relaxing and just want to play through some rook and pawn endgame positions. Again, it's important to learn the technique from a book or video first. </div>
<h3>
<br /><a href="https://www.chess.com/drills?ref_id=5066523" target="_blank">Chess.com's Endgame Drills and Fundamentals</a></h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwCaP_yxdnQCgucMBAUx7tR2wJOHjhhIRShOxkeiY-sZMDlK25lDEFOb1uDtKk6_zTAWTC34oqKqYSKzQ7qSVAw0liAPw91eEXQUId9ZLS7x7o5pI8A4RzmrAwHCHCGus7q8wnUNKk-ApR/s1600/chesscom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwCaP_yxdnQCgucMBAUx7tR2wJOHjhhIRShOxkeiY-sZMDlK25lDEFOb1uDtKk6_zTAWTC34oqKqYSKzQ7qSVAw0liAPw91eEXQUId9ZLS7x7o5pI8A4RzmrAwHCHCGus7q8wnUNKk-ApR/s320/chesscom.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://chess.com/?ref_id=5066523" target="_blank">Chess.com</a> has a lot of great resources and is a great place to play chess. In the last year or so, they've added a lot of new learning resources including their Endgame Fundamentals and Endgame Practice drills.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
These are similar to setting up positions on SCID and playing against the engine, but these positions are specifically chosen as a progression from simple to more complex. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The nice thing that seperates this chess.com drills from "doing it yourself" is that the computer engine gives you helpful feedback on the quality of your moves (other than the numerical evaluation) as well as the ability to analyze and download the pgn notation of your drill. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Access to the first few drills in each section is free, and access to the rest can be purchased through monthly or annual subscription. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
<a href="http://scid.sourceforge.net/" target="_blank">SCID</a></h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This isn't really an endgame resource, but instead a platform in which you can practice your endgames. Using positions I gather from the books mentioned above or from the downloadable pgn's provided through <a href="http://tigerchess.com/" target="_blank">Tiger Chess</a>, I set up the positions that are best learned through practice (such as the Philidor Position and its variations) as opposed to just memorization.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I've written about SCID before, and I use it for a lot of my chess study and game storage. I have created a special endgame database with all of my practice positions, and I'll go over them and practice against the engine. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Practice Makes Perfect</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I want to conclude the article with a pleasant endgame breakthrough I made. I recently studied king, bishop, and two pawns versus bishop (of the same color) and king in Tiger Chess. I was having the hardest time trying to figure out. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I was making simple mistakes such as the following:</div>
<div>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" border="0" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.chess.com/emboard?id=3361234" width="574"></iframe><br />
However, after using some of the tools mentioned above, I was able to figure it out. I re-watched the videos in Tiger Chess, then analyzed my attempts using the Nalimov Tablebases, and final practiced it several times with SCID. Here is the latest, with the strong chess engine Stockfish 7 as my opponent.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" border="0" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.chess.com/emboard?id=3361214" width="574"></iframe>
<br />
I hope you found some of these resources helpful for your endgame training. Like many parts of chess, continued practice will help increase your understanding. This is especially important in endgames because your knowledge and understanding of certain endgame positions will help you with move selection and evaluations in the middlegame (and even the opening). Also, during tournaments, you may be running low on time and your knowledge of a winning method may be the difference between a win and a loss.</div>
<div>
<br />
<h3>
Your Turn</h3>
</div>
<div>
Are there any other endgame training resources I didn't mention that you use?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Which of the resources I mention will you try this week?</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Do you like the endgame? Or is it a "necessary evil?"</div>
Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15914218228584003868noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256076550910823212.post-43479563861555396562017-03-03T07:14:00.003-08:002017-03-03T07:14:52.488-08:00Should You Hire a Chess Coach?<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span cwidth="0" eza="span_added_for_text:yes;cwidth:0px;;cheight:0px;;wcalc_source:child;wcalc:92px;wocalc:92px;hcalc:190px;rend_px_area:0;" style="font-size: 16px; max-width: 750px;">"The test of a good coach is that when they leave, others will carry on successfully." </span></span></i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span cwidth="0" eza="cwidth:0px;;cheight:0px;;wcalc_source:child;wcalc:59px;wocalc:59px;hcalc:32px;rend_px_area:0;" style="font-size: 14px; max-width: 750px;"><span cwidth="0" eza="cwidth:0px;;cheight:0px;;wcalc_source:child;wcalc:59px;wocalc:59px;hcalc:32px;rend_px_area:0;" style="max-width: 750px;">-Author Unknown</span></span></span></i></blockquote>
Chess coaches can be very beneficial for your chess improvement. I've worked with a few over the years and am currently working with one. In this article, I'll list a few of the benefits of coaching, We'll also discuss some ideas on how to best work with a coach. Finally, I will give a few tips on what to look for in a coach.<br />
<br />
<h3>
The Benefits of Working with a Coach</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOSvRPxYvvreqdHdgz-nkOIZpg8Zpn7lA2YmYq0urbNsgG01Dq2Gb0ApfyHqLNH-6qlFZQgjlRshmY256YGU9KrHi9l05JSUbxwZ1WsMnaPIj2q8H0VFgWutrCfvkNz7JusMXhUk2RzomF/s1600/coaching+101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOSvRPxYvvreqdHdgz-nkOIZpg8Zpn7lA2YmYq0urbNsgG01Dq2Gb0ApfyHqLNH-6qlFZQgjlRshmY256YGU9KrHi9l05JSUbxwZ1WsMnaPIj2q8H0VFgWutrCfvkNz7JusMXhUk2RzomF/s320/coaching+101.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
There are I believe two broad ways that a coach can help you with your chess. They can help you increase or correct your knowledge. They can also help you develop good training and thinking habits. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
One of the main reasons players seek out a coach is to help them increase their chess knowledge. This could include the following topics:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Rules of thumb or general principles (for all phases of the game)</li>
<li>Developing an opening repertoire or specific openings.</li>
<li>Understanding and learning endgames.</li>
<li>Strategic elements such as pawn structure, good and bad bishops, etc.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Although you can learn much of this knowledge from books, having a chess coach who could assess what knowledge is most important to you at your stage of development can accelerate your learning process. A good coach can also point out appropriate supplemental learning material such as books and videos.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The second main benefit that a coach can provide is helping you develop good training and thinking habits. Examples of this include the following:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Different types of thinking processes depending on the nature of the position - e.g. tactical versus positional, middlegame vs. endgame.</li>
<li>How to determine the most important aspects of specific positions.</li>
<li>Pointing out bad habits or misconceptions you may have.</li>
<li>Controlling your emotions and stress during tournament games.</li>
</ul>
<div>
I think this aspect of coaching is highly underestimated and vitally important, especially as your skill level grows. This might also include activities such as tournament preparation.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Qualities of a Good Coach</h3>
<div>
Although coaches come in many varieties of personality, approaches, and areas of expertise, I think there are a few qualities that almost every good coach should exhibit.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
First, I think the coach needs to be a <b>good communicator</b>. This includes being able to speak the same language as the student very well, but also to be able to present concepts in a way that is appropriate for the level of the student. For example, communicating chess concepts to a 12-year-old is much different than teaching the same concept to a 40-year-old.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I think coaches should be <b>professional</b>. I'm not to say they shouldn't be friendly and personable - my current coach certainly is - but they need to treat the time that you pay for the lesson professionally. For example, I took piano lessons for a short time from a teacher who was friendly, but ended up spending half the lessons talking about his piano playing career - this is not professional. I want to be careful here, because I do think some banter and tangential conversations are healthy and normal in a coaching relationship, but remember that you are paying for your coach's time and expertise. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
A coach should be <i><b>strong enough</b></i> to teach you what you need to know at your level. I hesitate to provide minimum ratings that you should look for in a coach, because I think the communication skill and ability to relay the appropriate information is more important than absolute strength. I know some very strong players that I've taken lessons from that I would not consider great coaches - or at least not a fit for my needs. Similarly, I've analyzed and discussed chess with players around my same level that I've learned a lot from (although these were post-mortem analysis or casual conversations). These players, although not masters, were great communicators and I feel could teach beginning or weaker players very well. The general principle though is that the stronger you get, the stronger your coach should be. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Working with a Coach</h3>
<div>
Working with a chess coach is a two-way relationship. As a student, there are a few responsibilities that you have as well as ways to maximize the benefits of working with a chess coach.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
First, I think you should be clear about your goals and ambitions in chess. This will be helpful for your coach to determine what material and approach he or she can take. For example, if you are a full time professional who wants to enjoy the game more by getting a little better and being able to understand the game, your coach's approach would be a bit different than if you were an up-and-coming junior hoping to play in your country's national scholastic championship. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Second, I encourage you to be an<b> active participant</b> in lessons. If you do not understand something your coach is teaching, you should ask him to further explain the concept. Similarly, if there is an aspect of your game that you think needs more attention, bring this up before your lessons, so your coach can prepare the appropriate material for you.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Finally, it is important to understand that the coach is a supplement to your overall training and study plan for chess improvement. Like a physical trainer, your coach can guide and teach you, but <b>you are the one who must do the work</b> - the push-ups and squats in terms of exercise - to improve yourself. You need to go over your games, practice your tactics, and study between lessons. This is assuming that you don't have very frequent lessons. I read of a grandmaster whose early training consisted of playing in local tournaments several times per week and then meeting with three different coaches (one for opening, middlegame, and endgame) on the other days. However, most of my readers do not have this luxury.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
A Personal Coaching Experience</h3>
<div>
I wanted to share a recent insight from my own experience with my coach, <a href="http://tigerchess.com/" target="_blank">GM Nigel Davies</a> (you can read <a href="http://www.betterchesstraining.com/2016/06/gm-nigel-davies.html" target="_blank">my interview with him</a>). Our lessons mainly revolve around analyzing my recent tournament games. I am also a member to his <a href="http://tigerchess.com/" target="_blank">Tiger Chess program</a>, which gives me the foundation in chess knowledge that is reinforced and supplemented by my private lessons with him.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here are a couple recent positions we studied from my games as well as a breakthrough insight I gained from it.<br />
<br />
In this first game, I have a nice pawn wedge on e5. Instead of supporting this by preparing an f2-f4 pawn lever, I decide to push forward with g4, much to Nigel's dismay.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" border="0" frameborder="0" height="475" src="https://www.chess.com/emboard?id=3351911" width="574"></iframe>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In a game played a week after the first example, I again have a wayward pawn push. I was actually quite happy to notice this as it is now something I can become aware of and work to change.<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" border="0" frameborder="0" height="475" src="https://www.chess.com/emboard?id=3351925" width="574"></iframe>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There are a few points to these examples worth noting:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Because of Nigel's experience, he was able to explain not only that my moves were not great, but why and how to look at the position in the future to determine the proper plan.</li>
<li>We discussed that the difference was not only between the quality of the move - e.g. good and not-so-good - but also the type of resulting position and the difference in thinking. For example, the g5 move in the Martinez game would be a candidate, but he would require much more "proof" in terms of concrete analysis in order to choose this move over the more positionally based plan to prepare f2-f4 with Nh2. </li>
<li>We were able to connect these moves not only from these two games, but from other games and observations from previous lessons. For example, I seem to overvalue the initiative and dynamic play while undervaluing strategic elements such as pawn structure. Both are important, but Nigel noted that they need to be in the right balance.</li>
<li>These insights are building upon the material I am learning in the Tiger Chess curriculum with regard to pawn structure and pawn levers. I should note that this type of "building upon a foundation" doesn't have to necessarily come from a coach's own material. For example, several of the <a href="http://www.betterchesstraining.com/p/interviews.html" target="_blank">masters I have interviewed</a> require their students to study specific books as a foundation for further instruction.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Finally, it is these types of insights I am hunting for. Things that I could not see on my own, and how to change my bad habits. This is perhaps one of the biggest things a coach can provide - <b>objectivity</b>.<br />
<br />
As you can hopefully tell, I enjoy my coaching relationship with GM Nigel Davies. That being said, he would be the first to admit that he is not the coach for everyone. That brings me to the final area we will discuss on this topic.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Choosing a Coach</h3>
</div>
<div>
If you think a coach might be for you, here are a few suggestions on how to go about finding and choosing a coach.</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Talk to your chess friends who have coaches and ask for a recommendation. Make sure to ask your friends about some of the aspects discussed in this article - how does your coach conduct lessons? Is he a good communicator? </li>
<li>Check out the <a href="http://www.betterchesstraining.com/p/interviews.html" target="_blank">interviews</a> I have conducted. Many of my interviewees, besides being masters, also provide coaching services. Although a short interview won't tell you everything, it might give you some insight into the coach's personality and a potential fit for you.</li>
<li>Consider your financial situation. Different coaches charge differently for their services. Although many provide excellent value for the price, it is important to be able to afford coaching for several sessions, as I think results will come over time after working with a coach for a while - e.g. coaches are not miracle workers.</li>
<li>If private lessons are not affordable, consider looking at subscription services that provide a curriculum for instruction. Although not personalized, they can provide you access to a teacher's instruction and insights at a more afforable rate. I like <a href="http://tigerchess.com/" target="_blank">Tiger Chess</a> of course, but I also think highly of<a href="https://improvemychess.com/imc-home" target="_blank"> GM Mesgen Amanov's Improve Your Chess</a> program (and you can read <a href="http://www.betterchesstraining.com/2016/05/gm-mesgen-amanov.html" target="_blank">my interview with GM Amanov</a> here).</li>
<li>Remember that much of the progress you make in chess will be from your own training and study, so besides considering a coach, make sure you are doing your own work to improve.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<h3>
Conclusion</h3>
<div>
I believe that a chess coach can be a great addition to your chess improvement program. I think it is important to know what you want from chess and know what to look for in a good coach. I hope this article will help in that area.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If for some reason a coach doesn't work in your current situation, remember that you can make a lot of progress through your own effort - and your own effort will be required whether or not you work with a coach. I provide a lot of ideas here on Better Chess Training to improve yourself and there are many good books that will help you on that journey as well.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Finally, I want to thank GM Nigel Davies as well as the coaches I have worked with in the past. I'm not finished with my chess improvement journey, but the journey so far has been very enjoyable in part because of the coaches that have helped me to understand this beautiful game of ours.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Your Turn</h3>
<div>
Tell me about your experiences with coaches? </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
What other qualities do you look for in a chess coach?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<br /></div>
Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15914218228584003868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256076550910823212.post-26935886221422461742017-02-24T05:00:00.000-08:002017-02-24T05:00:20.642-08:00Are You Studying Too Much Chess?<h3>
The Case of a Young Chess Blogger</h3>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4D4bFyE6CBUUjssE_fRp9ONhq_bj2jR4mjBngf79rzwz0jWe4nNQpxd_M8hdiNyQCijqmuYgfL2OsQb80wiDiklCK2OZhdinXq7H8ADu-moz3slX-iVDmOnMJhQEVvm_ZsWieQJneO3In/s1600/clocktime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4D4bFyE6CBUUjssE_fRp9ONhq_bj2jR4mjBngf79rzwz0jWe4nNQpxd_M8hdiNyQCijqmuYgfL2OsQb80wiDiklCK2OZhdinXq7H8ADu-moz3slX-iVDmOnMJhQEVvm_ZsWieQJneO3In/s320/clocktime.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photographer: AJ Montpetit. <a href="https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/" target="_blank">CC0 1.0</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Several years ago, I remember reading a chess blog of a young man who was excited about an opportunity to study chess for 7-8 hours a day. At the time, I thought that was neat (although lamenting that I did not have that kind of time with a family and work).<br />
<br />
However, as I progress steadily in my own chess journey, I realize that perhaps the extra time to train may not have been a blessing after all.<br />
<br />
The young man eventually got a job and nearly altogether quit chess, with little improvement to show from his summer of full time chess study.<br />
<br />
This article is not about judging or criticizing those of you who have a lot of time to study chess. Instead, I want to discuss the benefits of setting upper bounds or limits to your chess study and play.<br />
<br />
Some of the concepts I discuss in this article were inspired by an article by James Clear called <i><a href="http://jamesclear.com/upper-bound" target="_blank">Do Things You Can Sustain</a>. </i>Mr. Clear approaches the concept from the viewpoint of sustainability of growth, which I agree with, and I'll be also adding a few other benefits.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Sustainability</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The main point that James Clear makes in his article is that there is a sweet spot for practice and improvement. Too little effort and time and you're basically being lazy - e.g. assuming you're not just too busy to study chess. Too much effort and you'll burn out. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I actually set limits to my play and study partly for these reasons. Part of it is a practical matter of fitting it in with a family of three young children and work. Part of it is a strategic decision.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I try to play competitively over-the-board (OTB) about once a month or so. This frequency allows me time to analyze my games on my own as well as with my coach. Also, it helps me maintain and foster my relationships with my wife and children, as I use the other weekends to spend with them. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Playing more often would probably make this a little tougher. If I played less frequently, I think I would come into each tournament somewhat rusty as playing online and studying isn't quite the same.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Prioritization</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When you set limits to your studying and playing, it also forces you to pick and choose the most important activities. When I was in college and first started playing competitive chess. I studied chess books, my <i>Chess Life </i>magazine, as well as playing hours and hours of blitz chess on the Internet Chess Club. Although I improved, I think a lot of this was due to the fact that I was a beginner.<br />
<br />
However, as I got a job, got married, and had children, I realized that I couldn't spend 4+ hours a day on chess. I had to prioritize my study and training time. I started to emphasize analyzing my losses as well as reducing my blitz play. Surprisingly, my improvement accelerated!<br />
<br />
I think this is partly because I focused in on the areas that were most important for improving my play at the time. Of course, I needed to work on all parts of my game, but the most relevant materials within those areas yielded good dividends.<br />
<br />
For example, instead of studying random master games - which was still helpful - I started to focus on games within my opening repertoire when possible. This helped me to learn patterns and variations that I would be more likely to see in my own play. Also, when I encountered these patterns in my own play, I was able to integrate my personal experience with what I was learning, which compounded the learning effect.<br />
<br /></div>
<h3>
Attention</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
One of the other benefits of setting limits is attention. Your capability to attend to tasks - especially mental energy consuming tasks such as chess study - is limited. Have you ever played a long four or five hour chess match and then felt that your brain was fried? If not, then perhaps you weren't thinking hard enough (or your endurance is just greater than mine).<br />
<br />
When we are studying chess for a long time at a stretch, or like our friend in the beginning of the article, for many hours in a day, we get tired. When our minds fatigue, we start to ignore or miss small details. This effects both our performance and our ability to retain knowledge.<br />
<br />
A few months ago, my tactics routine consisted of doing three rounds of tactics on <a href="http://chessity.com/" target="_blank">Chessity</a>. This usually averaged out to around 30 tactical problems. Because I <a href="http://www.betterchesstraining.com/2016/05/measure-your-chess.html" target="_blank">measure</a> my progress, I noticed that I was plateauing and that often the performance on the 2nd and 3rd rounds was not as good as the first.<br />
<br />
I decided to try something. I started to only do one round of tactics on Chessity - so usually 9-12 problems. This did a couple things. First, I didn't tire as I did my tactics training. Second, it increased my focus and attention, because I knew I would only get <i>one shot. </i>I realized as I looked back at my journal entries that I was getting too casual in my training. Instead of calculating variations, I was <i>guessing </i>just based on initial impressions - and I was getting enough of them correct to reinforce this habit.<br />
<br />
Similarly, I eliminated nearly all of my blitz play. Part of this is my desire to create beautiful chess and thus wanting to focus on longer time control games. Also, although I believe blitz has a place in chess training, I felt since my time comes at a premium with my family and work, I needed to place my chess time elsewhere.<br />
<br />
Because of this shift, I am much more attentive when I play both online and in over-the-board tournament games. When I played blitz, I often "binged" - if I lost, I would play again until I won a few in a row. I would spend an hour or two and get 5-10 games in. However, the quality of those games and their instructive value were fairly low. Now, playing only two or three longer time control games per week, I have a different level of focus and effort.<br />
<br />
Although I generally have an <i>abundance </i>mentality about life, this is a case where having a <i>scarcity</i> mentality creates both urgency and effort in a positive way!<br />
<br />
<h3>
Applications</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here are a few suggestions on how you might apply what I'm talking about to help optimize your chess training.</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Measure your effort levels and focus during your chess training. Use a journal or spreadsheet.</li>
<li>Measure how much time you train and play each day. Compare this with your effort levels and focus - if you find a drop-off after a certain amount of time, you could be burning out or overtraining.</li>
<li>Consider setting an upper bound to how much time or how many activities you will do each day. For example, set a two hour cap on your study time or a 10 problem cap on your tactical training.</li>
<li>Observe differences in your mood, energy, and level of effort after you have made changes.</li>
<li>Experiment with different aspects of your training - e.g. playing, studying, training drills, etc.</li>
<li>Consider the time and effort you spend on non-chess activities that can effect your chess performance such as sleep and nutrition. Redirecting some time and effort towards those may be a beneficial change.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<br />
<h3>
Conclusion</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When it comes to training at chess, it's not only the amount of time that we put into it. It's also the activities we choose to engage in as well as the level of engagement, attention, and effort we exert during that time that effect how much we can improve. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The right strategy I think is an individual choice, based on factors such as your other responsibilities, your mental endurance (which can be trained to some extent), as well as your ambitions and goals in chess. Like chess, the pieces on your own personal "board" looks different than the next person's, and thus different plans and moves have to be considered.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Your Turn</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Did you enjoy this article?</div>
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Are you going to try some of the ideas I mention? </div>
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If you enjoyed it, please consider sharing it on Twitter or Facebook. </div>
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Also, follow me on <a href="https://twitter.com/YourBryanCastro" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, where I share all of my chess writing and activity as well as try to spread positive messages in general.</div>
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<div>
Good luck and as always, <i>Better Chess!</i></div>
<br />Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15914218228584003868noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256076550910823212.post-8537034472342488552017-02-17T05:00:00.000-08:002017-02-17T08:01:56.583-08:00Four Beginner Mistakes and How to Avoid Them<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few."</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>-Shunryu Suzuki</i> </blockquote>
<br />
I was playing in a tournament recently and was watching some of the games in the U1000 section. Most of the players had just started playing that year and it was good to see their enthusiasm and competitive spirit. It was also a special tournament for me because my own children started their chess journey and played in the unrated section for their first tournament.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As I watched their games, I began to notice a few common types of mistakes the players were making in their games. I've been there too. In this article, we'll discuss a few of the prominent ones I noticed and how to avoid them.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Ignoring Your Opponent's Moves</h3>
<div>
The tell-tale sign of this was seeing the player's hand make a move and press the clock and then hover over the next piece he plans on moving (often the same one he just moved). All of this without even looking at his opponent's side of the board. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Remember in chess that <i>it takes two to tango. </i>Chess is a very interesting art because not only do you use your own creative powers along with your logic and reasoning, your opponent does as well. In fact, his creative and reasoning ability is focused on plans and intentions diametrically opposed to yours! We just can't ignore what he's doing or capable of doing.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here is one of the positions I saw.<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" border="0" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.chess.com/emboard?id=3327809" width="574"></iframe>
</div>
<div>
<br />
This is an extreme example but it is not an uncommon one for beginners to make.<br />
<br />
Our next example comes from a more conventional middlegame position. In this case, Black sees the simple threat of an under-defended piece and makes a move to resolve the situation. However, she ignores (or doesn't see) the potential tactical shot.<br />
<br /></div>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" border="0" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.chess.com/emboard?id=3327845" width="574"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
Often times, when beginners make these mistakes they often kick themselves, because it is not necessarily a concept that they don't understand, but usually a move they did not see.<br />
<br />
In the example above, if Black was given the position in from White's point of view and told that it was White to "Move and Win" she would have seen the fork in less than 10 seconds. However, because Black isn't in the habit of considering her opponent's responses, it wasn't a part of her decision making process.<br />
<br />
How can we fix this mistake? First, I think a lot of experience will help naturally as players will start to come up with ways to avoid simple mistakes lest they continue to lose because of them.. I think we can accelerate the process though by being aware of it and taking action. Here are a few ideas:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Follow <a href="http://exeterchessclub.org.uk/content/blumenfelds-rule" target="_blank">Blumenfeld's Rule</a>: Before you make your next move, as yourself, "Am I allowing mate in one? Am I allowing my queen to get taken? Am I allowing my rook to get taken?" and so on. Although this may seem like it takes a lot of time, it will become automatic and it will save a lot of heartache as you avoid dropping those queens!</li>
<li>When studying master games or going through your own games, identify the attack and defense relationships between the pieces. For example, when you move a piece, identify what pieces are attacked by it or defended by it. This will help you develop your awareness.</li>
<li>Practice checkmate problems. Although I primarily use Chess Tempo and Chessity for tactics training, I really like Ideachess for its ability to select checkmate problems from two-movers to four-movers. Start with two-movers and move on to mates-in-three. Doing these will develop your board vision as you will need to know how each piece works to checkmate or defend the opposing king.</li>
</ul>
<h3>
Lone Wolf Pieces</h3>
<div>
The second thing I noticed was that the players were often sending in one (maybe two) pieces to attack a target.<br />
<br />
Sometimes this might be in the opening when a player gets his knight or queen out, and then tries to probe for weaknesses that just don't appear. Or they see a piece that's <i>en prise</i> so they attack it, only for it to be defended on the next move.<br />
<br />
Here are a few tips to cure this particular issue:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Remember to develop your pieces in the opening before starting an attack. I discuss this topic more fully in my <a href="http://www.betterchesstraining.com/2016/04/beginner-guide-to-openings.html" target="_blank">article on learning opening moves</a>.</li>
<li>When you decide to attack a target, think about your opponent's response and how you will follow-up to the initial defense. See if you can build up an attack on a single target.</li>
<li>Make sure that all of your pieces are participating in the game. When you're not sure what to do, ask yourself, "Which of my pieces are not doing anything yet?" Find something for it to do.</li>
<li>Study the games of the great masters for examples of how players coordinate their pieces. <i>See the Morphy game I have included below.</i></li>
</ul>
<div>
Here is an example of planning ahead and building up pressure on a simple target using the example of an isolated pawn.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
One of the great Paul Morphy's skills was using all of his pieces to conduct an attack. Here he demonstrates this ability in fine fashion against Spanish-Cuban master Celso Golmayo. You can also check out my <a href="https://youtu.be/AWWQb2PrqKA" target="_blank">video on this game</a>.<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" border="0" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.chess.com/emboard?id=3328223" width="574"></iframe>
</div>
<br />
There are times when one must "go it alone." However, your chess pieces in general shouldn't!<br />
<br />
<h3>
Lacking Basic Endgame Knowledge</h3>
<div>
There are many reasons why studying the endgame is very useful for beginners.</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Endgame positions involved fewer pieces and thus are simpler to learn.</li>
<li>Endgame knowledge transfers to other parts of the game.</li>
<li>Since many beginners (and intermediate players) neglect the endgame, your knowledge of the endgame will give you a competitive advantage.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Here was the ending of a game that was painful for everyone to watch. Both players were rated around 600.<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" border="0" frameborder="0" height="425" src="https://www.chess.com/emboard?id=3328983" width="574"></iframe>
<br />
In the beginning, you don't need to know that many concepts and specific endgames. However, the following are useful and very common at all levels:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Queen and King versus King (shown above)</li>
<li>Rook and King versus King</li>
<li>Two Rooks and King versus King</li>
<li>King and Pawn versus King</li>
<li>Understanding the concept of the opposition</li>
<li>Understanding the "square" of the pawn.</li>
</ul>
<div>
You can study these in Jeremy Silman's very useful <i><a href="http://amzn.to/2kKp2lM" target="_blank">Silman's Complete Endgame Course</a>. </i>For overall chess training, including a comprehensive endgame course, I also recommend GM Nigel Davies' <a href="http://tigerchess.com/" target="_blank">Tiger Chess</a> program.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
</div>
<h3>
Missing Opportunities</h3>
<div>
The final beginner mistake I will discuss today is missing opportunities. Specifically, in this tournament I saw a lot of missed mates-in-one and hanging pieces. In a way, this is the opposite of the first mistake. Instead of ignoring your opponent's threats, you are ignoring your own opportunities. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here is a game I saw between two beginners in their first tournament.<br />
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<div>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" border="0" frameborder="0" height="425" src="https://www.chess.com/emboard?id=3328905" width="574"></iframe>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There may be many reasons for this. For example, one side may overvalue the threats of their opponent (like we saw above). However, I think a lot of this is general board awareness and being careful. The solutions are similar to what I mentioned above:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Follow Blumenfeld's Rule for <i>offense: </i>"Can I checkmate my opponent? Can I take his queen? Can I take his rook?"</li>
<li>Before making a move, ask yourself, "Can I find a better move?"</li>
<li>Study basic tactics problems on <a href="http://chessity.com/" target="_blank">Chessity</a> or from a book like <i><a href="http://amzn.to/2ljWLG3" target="_blank">Chess Tactics for Students</a> </i>by John Bain.</li>
<li>Study checkmate problems on <a href="http://ideachess.com/" target="_blank">Ideachess</a> or from a book like the massive <i><a href="http://amzn.to/2lk18B1" target="_blank">Chess: 5334 Problems, Combinations, and Games</a> </i>by Laszlo Polgar (father of the famous Polgar sisters).</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Enjoying the Journey</h3>
<div>
I hope this article provided some useful advice. I think the first step to improvement is awareness that you need to improve. The second step is to take action towards that improvement. I hope you find the tips and suggestions I provided helpful for you.</div>
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<div>
It was a joy to watch my children play in their first tournament, and I remember the pain I felt when I lost because of a "silly" mistake. With continued study and experience, you'll avoid these common mistakes. Until then, keep playing and enjoying this beautiful game of ours.</div>
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<h3>
Your Turn</h3>
<div>
Did you enjoy this article?</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
If you are a beginner, what is your biggest struggle at the moment? Put it in the comments and I'll see if I can create more articles or videos to help you get through them.</div>
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</h3>
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Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15914218228584003868noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256076550910823212.post-33784245410847343842017-02-12T20:08:00.004-08:002017-02-13T11:42:32.043-08:00Principles of Effective Chess Training (Part 2)<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>My confidence comes from the daily grind - training my butt off day in and day out.<br />-Hope Solo, Olympic and professional soccer player</i></blockquote>
<br />
In <a href="http://www.betterchesstraining.com/2017/02/principles-of-effective-training.html" target="_blank">Part 1</a> of this 2-part series, we discussed the first two of four principles of effective training. The four principles are:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Appropriateness </b>of training - e.g. skill level, complexity, modality, etc.</li>
<li>Having <b>clear objectives</b> - knowing what you want to improve or the goal of the training task.</li>
<li>Having <b>feedback loops </b>to regulate and adjust the training activities.</li>
<li><b>Systematically reviewing </b>the learned material or skills to ensure retention.</li>
</ul>
<div>
So this week, we will be going into more detail about <b>feedback loops</b> and <b>systematic review</b>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Feedback Loops</h3>
<div>
I am writing after having recently watched the 2017 Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons started off very well and had a 28-3 lead early in the 3rd quarter. Many people thought that the New England Patriots were done for. However, as my Buffalo Bills have found out many times over the years, Tom Brady and the Patriots weren't finished until the final whistle blows. </div>
<div>
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<div>
Sure enough, the Patriots, led by a rejuvenated Tom Brady (who didn't play will in the first half of the game) came back to tie it and eventually win it in overtime. Although it was a history making event - the biggest comeback in a Super Bowl as well as the first overtime in a Super Bowl - I wasn't surprised by the outcome.</div>
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<div>
One thing that I read about the Patriots years ago was that head coach Bill Belichick and his team were excellent at making halftime adjustments. I'd seen this pattern firsthand when the Patriots played the Bills: New England starts slow, goes into half time slightly behind, then comes back to crush the Bills in the second half.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Well, the point of this story is that <b>feedback loops </b>are like coach Belichick's halftime adjustments. They help us adjust our path when we go astray. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
We have a lot of feedback loops in our life that regulate our behavior. For example, when we perform our profession properly and do what we are employed to do, we received positive feedback in terms of a paycheck and perhaps some praise from either clients, customers, or managers. If we choose not to eat for a very long time, our body will soon give us negative feedback in terms of hunger.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
How can we apply this to our chess training? Here are a few ideas:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>We can analyze our games - see my article <i><a href="http://chessimprover.com/seven-questions-to-ask-yourself-after-each-game/" target="_blank">Seven Questions to Ask Yourself After Each Chess Game</a> </i>for a process to do this - to find out mistakes and as I discuss in that article to also find our good moves! By doing this, we can reinforce the good aspects of our game (positive or <i>reinforcing</i> feedback) and we can also try to reduce our mistakes or the type of thinking that led to that mistake (negative or <i>balancing</i> feedback). </li>
<li>We can post our games on public forums for others to see and comment on. This has the effect of both motivating us to play our best during our games, but also provides the feedback mechanism of their comments, praise, and criticism to help us adjust our play.</li>
<li>Tactics servers such as Chessity and Chess Tempo give you immediate feedback when you get a problem right or wrong. I like <a href="http://chessity.com/" target="_blank">Chessity </a>because it gives you a pleasant "ding" of a bell when you get a problem correct and a slightly harsh buzzer when you get the problem incorrect. </li>
<li>Schedule it into your routine to get feedback or review your games. My <a href="http://www.betterchesstraining.com/2017/01/chess-workflows.html" target="_blank">article on chess workflows</a> explains how to create these useful routines.</li>
<li>Journal about your insights you gain after your training sessions and games. Schedule times periodically - e.g. weekly or monthly - to review these insights and see if you should make any additions or changes to your training.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Without feedback, it's hard to know what we need to do to improve. An analogy I found very useful to understand this is that it's like "bowling with a curtain in front of the pins."<br />
<br />
For more information about feedback loops, check out this <a href="http://jamesclear.com/feedback-loops" target="_blank">article by James Clear</a>.</div>
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</div>
</div>
<div>
<h3>
Systematic Review</h3>
</div>
<div>
We get appropriate study material. We are clear about what we want to learn or improve. We have set up some useful feedback loops. All of this means nothing if we don't remember.<br />
<br />
The fact is that we as humans have memories that fail us at times (especially as we age - which I'm noticing a lot more these last couple years). Or perhaps the more accurate way to look at it is that our access to our memories fails us at times.<br />
<br />
Since our memories are not perfect, we need to review what we have learned regularly in order to remember and apply it when it matters most - during our games.<br />
<br />
Now if you've taken care of the first three steps, you're ahead of the game. The previous principles we've discussed will ensure that the knowledge you've learned is in its best state for future recall. Before I discuss some ideas on how you can review systematically, here are a few more tips about learning and memory:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Strive for understanding before memorization.</b> For examples, it will be much harder to remember complex opening variations if you do not understand the underlying tactical and strategic reasons behind the moves.</li>
<li><b>Start from simple to complex.</b> This is one reason why studying the endgame is so effective in helping you improve your overall game. By understanding the power and nuances of each piece in the endgame, your handling of these pieces in the middlegame and opening will improve naturally.</li>
<li><b>Build upon your existing knowledge. </b>Our memories work like the internet in a way...the more links that a piece of knowledge to other knowledge in our memories, the better we understand it and the more likely we are to remember it. For example, studying positions from your opening repertoire or from your own games are easier to remember than other positions.</li>
</ul>
<div>
The general idea behind systematic review is to refresh your memory and to strengthen these memories so that they can be recalled during your games. An effective method of this is called <i>spaced repetition. </i>Basically, you attempt to recall knowledge over time. I've discussed this concept in previous articles, and I think it's a great way to combat forgetting.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
How can you apply spaced repetition and systematic review to your training? Here are a few ideas I use in my training:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>You can try certain software that incorporate spaced repetition. For openings, you can check out <a href="http://chessable.com/" target="_blank">Chessable </a>or <a href="http://www.chesspositiontrainer.com/" target="_blank">Chess Position Trainer</a>. (You can read my <a href="http://www.betterchesstraining.com/2016/07/chessable-review.html" target="_blank">Chessable review</a>). Although it's not chess-specific, I also enjoy using <a href="http://supermemo.com/" target="_blank">Supermemo</a> which first introduced me to the concept of spaced repetition. </li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghfvpT6dIzeGUmLEK9oVILNDnbUJ6QTj4bicpiM3v4Rjne42vK5cS6ceLh7oUA30-VQkhBV5lmHNypKZ19LLQ5snqiKpM22U1j4g_FcWuEgTWUehe6Qk7kpMdzNMXTKe0zb6FK_qpIUiA/s1600/cpt+schedule.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghfvpT6dIzeGUmLEK9oVILNDnbUJ6QTj4bicpiM3v4Rjne42vK5cS6ceLh7oUA30-VQkhBV5lmHNypKZ19LLQ5snqiKpM22U1j4g_FcWuEgTWUehe6Qk7kpMdzNMXTKe0zb6FK_qpIUiA/s1600/cpt+schedule.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chess Position Trainer schedules your review</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li>You can schedule a weekly review of specific positions you want to remember. I got this idea from <i><a href="http://amzn.to/2kDsRZW" target="_blank">Chess Master at Any Age</a> </i>by Rolf Wetzell (who creates sets of flashcards). On a weekly basis, I review tactical problems I got wrong on <a href="http://www.chesstempo.com/" target="_blank">Chess Tempo</a> and <a href="http://chessity.com/" target="_blank">Chessity</a>.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Imy2aaniF9Z9w8P2cq-4u9TjuxRA0ScADjA-D14l7j-lFNeqOR1CJYa3nmyPWrWXXkB0M4MbItgpQ92Jw_FX_DWThD7MqjmbH5DbaFR8hEvcDmtTP2jN_N3vDULa5TRGWAiefFjr94c/s1600/chesstempo+screenshot.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Imy2aaniF9Z9w8P2cq-4u9TjuxRA0ScADjA-D14l7j-lFNeqOR1CJYa3nmyPWrWXXkB0M4MbItgpQ92Jw_FX_DWThD7MqjmbH5DbaFR8hEvcDmtTP2jN_N3vDULa5TRGWAiefFjr94c/s1600/chesstempo+screenshot.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I review the "red" problems on a weekly basis (Chess Tempo screenshot)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li>Consider setting up "theme" days for reviewing certain parts of your game. For example, you might schedule days for reviewing your opening repertoire from either the white side or the black side. </li>
<li>When I'm first learning a more complex endgame, I will schedule a weekly session to practice it against the computer. As I feel I understand it, I will increase the time in between practice sessions.</li>
</ul>
<div>
The idea is to have a system or routine to review material you have learned. Some material you may know so well that you don't need to set up a way to review it. For example, I do not need to review the "square" of a pawn or the opposition in my endgames. However, specific king and pawn endgames with king path nuances I still review on a regular basis.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If you want to learn more about memory and space repetition learning, I encourage you to read some very interesting <a href="https://www.supermemo.com/english/contents.htm#Articles" target="_blank">articles on the Supermemo website</a>. </div>
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<h3>
Conclusion</h3>
<div>
If you apply the principles that you learned in these last couple articles, I think you'll be very pleased with the results. These are principles that I've learned studying how we learn and remember things as well as from experience both in chess and other endeavors, including martial arts and other sports. They've served me well and I hope they will help you improve and enjoy chess more effectively and efficiently.</div>
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<h3>
Your Turn</h3>
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I hope you enjoyed the article. If you found it helpful, please share it with others.</div>
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Which of these principles do you plan on applying to your training first?</div>
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Which of these principles do you already apply to your training?</div>
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Do you want to learn more about any of these principles?</div>
</div>
Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15914218228584003868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256076550910823212.post-13481303932841379952017-02-03T06:00:00.000-08:002017-02-23T17:38:38.996-08:00Principles of Effective Chess Training (Part 1)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3MMUg-gTyhxEYhnP7sJH0qJ73QQITLehPld1uQFRi3MV5ZynqTJpjoctOAu2FSz3rhPGX3L6myPoFIeIyWHYo_q2MdxymMyaaz9nWl7SK_VYvcVCrs2D8Rv1wr-vxKYuRK2d2pfoP5ec/s1600/mountainneitche.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3MMUg-gTyhxEYhnP7sJH0qJ73QQITLehPld1uQFRi3MV5ZynqTJpjoctOAu2FSz3rhPGX3L6myPoFIeIyWHYo_q2MdxymMyaaz9nWl7SK_VYvcVCrs2D8Rv1wr-vxKYuRK2d2pfoP5ec/s320/mountainneitche.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Derivative of Photo by Simon Matzinger, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/" target="_blank">CC0 1.0</a></td></tr>
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Part of my philosophy for Better Chess Training is that although there are many ways to get better at chess, there are ways to <i>improve </i>the way you improve. So in this article I want to discuss a few principles of an effective training program and then discuss how we can apply them to our training.<br />
<br />
In 2014, I wrote an article about <a href="http://www.betterchesstraining.com/2014/05/4-dimension-model-of-learning-chess-and.html" target="_blank">four dimensions of learning</a>. The principles we will discuss today don't replace these, but perhaps look at training and learning from a different point of view.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Principles of Training</h3>
<div>
Whether you choose to study with books, coaches, software, or videos, there are a few aspects that help you get the most out of your study and training.</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>First, the training should be <b>appropriate </b>both for your current skill level and your current needs.</li>
<li>Second, there should be <b>clear objectives</b> for each training or study session.</li>
<li>Third, there should be a <b>feedback loop </b>to let you know whether or not you accomplished the objectives as well as guide you when you have not.</li>
<li>Finally, it is helpful to have a method to systematically <b>review</b> what you have learned so that you don't forget it!</li>
</ul>
<div>
Let's go into a little more detail about each of these and see how my tactics program applies the principles.<br />
<br />
<i>This article (Part 1) will cover the first two principles, and I'll cover the next two principles next week!</i></div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Appropriateness</h3>
<div>
If is fairly clear that our training needs to be at the appropriate level. There are two aspects of this. First, the difficulty of the material or training exercise needs to be challenging but not overwhelming. Second, the material should be relevant to your needs.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
To illustrate this, let's look at a few of my tactics stats on <a href="http://chesstempo.com/" target="_blank">Chess Tempo</a>. </div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Standard Rating (as of 2/1/2017): 1963</li>
<li>Percentage of Problems Solved Correctly: 66.96% (72% for the last 50 problems)</li>
<li>Average Problem Rating (last 50 problems): 1805.3 (I calculated this statistic myself)</li>
<li>Highest Problem Rating (last 50): 2051</li>
<li>Lowest Problem Rating (last 50): 1619</li>
</ul>
<div>
What does this mean? It means that for the average difficulty of the problems I receive when doing the rated Standard Problems on Chess Tempo, I get about two thirds of them correct and one-third wrong. This seems about right for training tactics. If I got half of the problems I attempted wrong, it would be very discouraging. If I got over 90% of them correct it probably wouldn't stimulate my ability to improve (as they problems would be too easy).</div>
</div>
<div>
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<div>
The neat thing about Chess Tempo is that it regulates this for me automatically. I'm not quite sure how, but I have noticed as my rating has gone up over the years, the problems have gotten more difficult.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
The second part of appropriateness is that the material should be relevant to one's needs. For tactics, this is fairly easy in that you should focus on practicing tactics that are from actual games as opposed to composed studies that do not resemble positions you might encounter in your games.<br />
<br />
Here are some other ways to ensure appropriateness in your chess training:<br />
<ul>
<li>Emphasize studying master games that have openings within your opening repertoire.</li>
<li>Play opponents who are on average slightly better than you (with a small percentage being weaker players or <i>much </i>stronger than you).</li>
<li>Study chess books that are appropriate for your level of understanding. For example, a book like <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Grandmaster-Preparation-Calculation-Jacob-Aagaard/dp/1907982302/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1485979924&sr=1-1&keywords=calculation+aagaard" target="_blank">Grandmaster Preparation: Calculation</a></i> is appropriate for players with ratings above say USCF 2000 while beginners might be better served by studying <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Chess-Tactics-Students-John-Bain/dp/0963961403/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1485980001&sr=1-1&keywords=chess+tactics+for+students" target="_blank">Chess Tactics for Students</a>. </i></li>
</ul>
<div>
Sometimes it's fun to try something incredible difficult to get a sense of what lies ahead. It is also beneficial to occasionally do really easy stuff too for a mental break. However, <i>challenging but not overwhelming </i>is what you want to aim for with a bulk of your study and training.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Clear Objectives</h3>
<div>
Before you begin a study or training session, it is important to identify what you are trying to learn or train during that session. One reason for this is that the brain is very good at finding something when you are clear what you are trying to find, while it has great difficulty when the objectives are unclear - or there are too many. </div>
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<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLwuHyxsHcEzG5_DadFjWLNW6ebcWg4x5yCTyUPVpKCggPHKlyyrf3glaNiAbUVe2rwDzTuIq1e0sk05_I1BedLHGBDJitvNgfz_CPGSNlE_zz94NIOpY-pTo49GaKRfOaRuCUV8q3-3UB/s1600/Nodes_myelin_axon.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLwuHyxsHcEzG5_DadFjWLNW6ebcWg4x5yCTyUPVpKCggPHKlyyrf3glaNiAbUVe2rwDzTuIq1e0sk05_I1BedLHGBDJitvNgfz_CPGSNlE_zz94NIOpY-pTo49GaKRfOaRuCUV8q3-3UB/s320/Nodes_myelin_axon.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.brainfacts.org/brain-basics/neuroanatomy/articles/2015/myelin/" target="_blank">Myelin insulates nerves and speeds up <br />electrical signals in the brain. </a><br />
Desmazieres, et al. Journal of Neuroscience, 2014.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
To use the model proposed by scientists about the brain development - I first learned about it in Geoffrey Colvin's <i>Talent is Overrated, </i>our brains form a substance called myelin around nerve fibers, which increases the speed at which impulses are conducted by insulating those nerve fibers. <i>(For more information, I found this <a href="http://www.brainfacts.org/brain-basics/neuroanatomy/articles/2015/myelin/" target="_blank">easy-to-understand overview</a> of the how myelin works)</i></div>
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<div>
My (very simple) understanding behind this process is that the more specific nerves fire, the more this myelin is produced to insulate the nerve fibers. From this point of view, having clear objectives (and designing your training around this) will help you isolate the key nerve fibers onto which to build myelin. </div>
<br />
It's the difference between someone who goes out for a jog to break a sweat and an athlete with no objective and a professional runner going for a training run. The professional has specific objectives for that run, which may include pace, technical form, distance, and breathing technique coordinated with a long-term plan that juggles many objectives. The professional (perhaps with the assistance of a coach) - who may be training for say a marathon several months - doesn't just go out and run. He has specific objectives for each run that fit into a bigger puzzle to gradually reach his peak on the right day.<br />
<br />
How can you apply this to your training? Here are a few ideas that I have used:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>When you are playing a training game (or a tournament game), identify one or more objectives you want to accomplish in your <i>performance. </i>This could include trying to stay more focused by not leaving your seat as often, trying to identify a plan for each move you make, or trying to stay relaxed through your games.</li>
<li>Try to isolate aspects of your through process when you analyze your games and practice them in analysis positions. You can check out my article on <a href="http://www.betterchesstraining.com/2014/05/how-to-think-in-chess-better-chess.html" target="_blank">thinking in chess</a> for more on the thought process.</li>
<li>When studying a chess book, try to focus on a theme or aspect of the games and positions you study. For example, you are studying an annotated book of master games, you can you focus on how the masters handle their minor pieces, or how they treat certain pawn centers. </li>
<li>I write down my objectives on index cards and keep it in front of me when playing online or doing tactics on <a href="http://chessity.com/" target="_blank">Chessity </a>or <a href="http://chesstempo.com/" target="_blank">Chess Tempo</a>.</li>
</ul>
<div>
This type of clarity in your training will help both your understanding an retention. Instead of a "shotgun" approach where you do a bunch of stuff and hope it sticks, you can be a sniper and seek out the knowledge or skills that will take you to the next level. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
This is where a qualified coach might be helpful, in pointing out weaknesses and pointing you towards proper training material. Of course, the hard work must be done on your own.</div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<h3>
Your Turn</h3>
<div>
What is your current level and what books or activities do you find appropriate for your level?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Have you ever done any training that was way too hard for you? Too easy?</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
What types of objectives are you going to use in your upcoming training?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Check out <a href="http://www.betterchesstraining.com/2017/02/principles-of-effective-training-2.html" target="_blank">Part 2</a>, where we'll discuss <b>Feedback Loops</b> and <b>Systematic Review</b>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05909433338448836005noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256076550910823212.post-64919107246297302392017-01-27T07:50:00.001-08:002017-02-15T19:37:06.624-08:00How to Change Your Limiting Beliefs and Improve Your Chess<h3>
Unlocking Your Chess Potential</h3>
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I recently had a birthday. One of my acquaintances and I were talking about getting older and chess and he casually said, "Well, probably time to give up on your dreams of becoming a chess master."<br />
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I was a little shocked! First, I thought my friend knew my passion for chess a little better and should have realized that this would offend me. Secondly, I think he's <b>absolutely wrong.</b><br />
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His words were probably meant with good intentions. He didn't want me to "waste" my time going after a dream that <i>he </i>felt was unattainable at my age. So I will forgive him for his well-intentioned words. However, it brings up an important topic in chess as well as in life. That is that our beliefs often shape our world.<br />
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Our beliefs shape our world in a few ways. If our beliefs are positive and uplifting, they make our world one of possibility and opportunity. If they are negative or limiting, they build walls around us. These walls can protect us from discomfort or fear, but they also prevent us from fulfilling our portential.<br />
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Consciously and subconsciously, our mind wants to manifest our perception to fit with our beliefs. If we believe something that limits us, we will act to confirm that belief.<br />
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In this article, I will explore how this applies to our chess training, and give you some tips on how to change your limiting beliefs.<br />
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Limiting Beliefs Limit Our Chess</h3>
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Limiting beliefs in chess can take a few forms. They can be beliefs about our ability and capabilities. They can also be beliefs about what it takes to get better in chess. Finally, the beliefs can be about the game of chess itself. Let's take a look at a few examples.</div>
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<li>I'm too old to get better at chess.</li>
<li>I'm just not good at calculating.</li>
<li>You need to spend hours a day to get better at chess.</li>
<li>You need to be up-to-date on every recent game in opening theory.</li>
<li>If you're not a master by your teens, you'll never become a master - I heard this one yesterday!</li>
<li>I need to play tactical openings to get better at tactics - this is something I hear beginning players say and I think it's been repeated by chess writers over the years.</li>
</ul>
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The common thread among these beliefs is that they're <b>not necessarily true!</b> However, when we believe it, we act accordingly. The four-minute mile was once believed physiologically impossible to break until Roger Bannister did it in 1954. Interestingly, as soon as Bannister broke the 4-minute mile, several runners did it in quick succession afterward. (For a fascinating account of Bannister's quest to break the 4-minute mile, I recommend Neal Bascomb's <i><a href="http://amzn.to/2kAcrAX" target="_blank">The Perfect Mile</a></i>).</div>
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<b>Note: </b>Some of our "limiting" beliefs are actually very helpful to us. For example, "I can't survive a fall from a two story building" may technically be a <i>limiting belief </i>because it might not necessarily be true. However, this belief is not one we necessarily need to change right away.</div>
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So what do we need to do to change these limiting beliefs. Here are a few steps.</div>
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Identify Your Limiting Beliefs</h3>
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The first step is to be aware of your limiting beliefs. Sometimes, we are not even aware of our beliefs. Here are a few ideas on how to do this:</div>
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<li>Brainstorm for a specific period of time - say 20 minutes - and just jot down everything you can think of.</li>
<li>Listen to how you talk to yourself. Watch out for phrases like, "I <i>never..." </i>or "I <i>can't." </i>There is often a limiting belief behind these.</li>
<li>Keep a journal where you can jot things down because sometimes the realization of a limiting belief might come at a time when you're not expecting.</li>
</ul>
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You can do this about any aspect of your life! Some articles I've read on the topic discuss trying to find the source of the limiting belief. Although this may be helpful, I personally think it's not necessary in order to change your limiting beliefs.</div>
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Find Evidence to the Contrary</h3>
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Once you've identified your limiting beliefs, look for contradictions to this belief. As Anthony Robbins wrote in <i>Awaken the Giant Within</i>, you need to knock the supports out from underneath your limiting beliefs.</div>
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When I was early in my business career, I was struggling to attain new clients. I thought to myself that I wasn't very good at what I did. One of my mentors pointed out that I had several clients who trusted and liked me and that I had done very good work for them. </div>
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The key lesson was that my belief that I could not be good at what I was doing was <b>simply wrong - </b>with the evidence of my current good business relationships as proof.</div>
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In my chess training, my own limiting beliefs about being too old to excel at chess were shattered by reading Rolf Wetzell's <i>Chess Master...at Any Age</i>. Although I didn't agree with a couple of his training ideas (although I did like many), Mr. Wetzell was living proof that I wasn't too old to become at least a national master.</div>
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So how do we find this evidence? Here are a few ideas:</div>
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<li>Check out chess forums and ask questions. For example, to use the age example, you can ask something like, "Have any of your get a rating over 2000 after age 30?" (If you find someone who answers, you can then ask them how they did it).</li>
<li>Look for examples within your own games. For example, if you believe you are not good at tactics, look for positions where you found a tactical shot! (This is one reason why I recommend not only finding your mistakes in your games, but also finding the good moves your made...as I recommend in my <a href="http://chessimprover.com/seven-questions-to-ask-yourself-after-each-game/" target="_blank">article about analyzing your games</a> on the Chess Improver.</li>
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Replace Your Limiting Belief with an Empowering Belief</h3>
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The next step would be to replace your limiting belief with a positive and empowering belief. I have found that an essential aspect of this is that it has to be a challenging but not a delusional belief. For example, I believe that I can reach the national master level - around a rating of USCF 2200-2300. However, I do not believe that I can become world champion! <i>You're off the hook, Magnus. </i></div>
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Becoming a national master will not necessarily be easy for me, but I believe with consistent training I can attain it. And although this <i>may</i> be a limiting belief, thinking that I can become the chess world champion I think would be detrimental to my training - e.g. as it might lead me to neglect other responsibilities - as well as the fact that my subconscious mind would not accept such a notion!</div>
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Here are a few examples based on our limiting beliefs I listed above:</div>
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<li>Replace "I'm too old to get better with chess" with "With consistent training and competitive play I can get better than I am."</li>
<li>Replace "I'm just not good at calculating" with "I can get better at calculating."</li>
<li>Replace "You need hours a day to get better at chess" with "Consistent training over time will lead to improvement!"</li>
<li>Replace "You need to be up-to-date on every recent game in opening theory." with "I can update my opening repertoire when I face new moves in my games, and this will help me be prepared for future games in this line."</li>
<li>Replace "If you're not a master by your teens, you'll never become a master" with "There are chess masters at many different ages, and I better keep training because I can be one of them too!"</li>
<li>Replace "I need to play tactical openings to get better at tactics" with "I will play openings I feel I'm suited to and I can get better at tactics along the way!"</li>
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<h3>
Take Action to Confirm Your New Empowering Belief</h3>
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Sports psychologist Bob Rotella asks his clients how they would train differently if they thought they <b>knew</b> they could become champions. So I ask you, if you believe your knew empowering beliefs, how would you act differently then you do now? Would you be more organized in your training? Would you be more focused? </div>
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It is important to take immediate action because your old beliefs may be deeply embedded in your subconscious mind. This action will both help confirm and strengthen your new empowering beliefs as well as give you confidence.</div>
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Here are some articles I have written that may help with some of the new actions you might be thinking of taking:</div>
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<li>Measuring your progress in any activity is important if you want to improve it. Check out how I do it in <i><a href="http://www.betterchesstraining.com/2016/05/measure-your-chess.html" target="_blank">Measure and Improve Your Chess</a>.</i></li>
<li>Understanding what stage of development you are in can be helpful in choosing appropriate training activities. My first article in the series is about the <a href="http://www.betterchesstraining.com/2016/07/imitation-to-master-chess.html" target="_blank">imitation of the masters.</a></li>
<li>One of the most important aspects of chess is analyzing your chess. I wrote a <a href="http://www.betterchesstraining.com/2014/07/4-Step-Game-Analysis.html" target="_blank">detailed method for analyzing your games</a> that should give you a starting point.</li>
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Although this is the last step in the process for changing your limiting beliefs, it is perhaps the most important. Changing your beliefs can be a very fast or a very gradual process. However, in either case, taking action based on your new empowering beliefs is the common ingredient to making lasting change.</div>
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Believe and Achieve</h3>
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There are many aspects of improving chess or any other aspect of your life. One of the most foundational of these aspects if your belief in what is possible. We are often not aware of these beliefs and how they affect us. I hope this article has helped make you aware of how your mind and beliefs may be either limiting and empowering you to better chess.</div>
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Your Turn</h3>
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What limiting beliefs are hindering your progress?</div>
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What empowering beliefs have helped your progress?</div>
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If you enjoyed this article, please share it with others!</div>
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