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training events
suggestions for training events under the following headings
training for potential internationalists
training for strong players
training for intermediates
training for beginners
Training for coaches
Training for specific openings
Training for endings
Strategic training
All levels of training which can be performed both at regional and national level. All it needs is organising (and possibly sponsorship)
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My suggestion is that you can establish a series of online training matches immediately and at very low cost. It may not be the best, but it is a start. Generally, organising chess events seems to be a more productive way of developing players rather than writing questionnaires.
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Ian,
You can do lots of things, but everything has to start somewhere (or rather with someone!). Why not start simply and then you can add things on as you go along. If an online challenge between the top players was successful then you could maybe have some sort of physical final; you never know you might even attract a sponsor. In my experience if you spend too much time worrying about where it is going to end up, the problem is that you never actually start.
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OK. so I didn't quite tell the truth. I'm back for one more post.
Online training: -
Chess Scotland is looking to develop something along the lines of online training in partnership with a 3rd party. There are 4 of us involved at this stage, but we are not yet a position to release further information at this time. This is something that we will do in stages and once we have sufficient information and an implementation plan it will be brought to the table at a Management Committee meeting prior to public release.
Online training matches, as Matthew said, are relatively easy and cheap to organise but we are trying to offer facilities with a bit more than that.
This is more than I originally intended to release, but what has been said above is all that will be released at the present time.
Simply put - we are actively trying to negotiate and develop a suitable online resource for all ability levels.
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So here is how it could get started. We will pick somebody youngish, lets say Clement Sreeves (other youngish Scottish players are available) and offer them £500, this is their fee for setting up online competition for Scotland top 8 male Olympiad players. Out of this must come all expenses.
We then set out a few very basic 'rules' eg.
Competition must begin before Jan 31 2017 and a report must be with the International Director by Jan 31 2018.
Then lets go.
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Interesting but why would this sort of 'training' necessarily inspire anyone, who already has a training programme (read most top Scots)?
Why assume that Scotland's top players don't already train sufficiently?
Why (especially) consider that they haven't already worked out quite sophisticated methods of bespoke research and training ... that have, in fact, already got them to the top?
Most if not all top players tend to be doing such training already (or they would drop in the rankings fairly quickly these days), so that artificial methods quasi-imposed by others (even with the best intentions), while they may inspire some, may be unwelcome to others.
Formal training within teams already selected for events (say Olympiads) may be one thing (Russians and others do that pre Olympiads) but can you imagine a Botvinnik wishing others to decide on his training methods and (many) training games (and the experimental ideas/lines tried out in these games) ... or that they should be made 'public' (he kept them 'secret'), far less 'reported' to an international director (why?)?
Fischer, Karpov, Kasparov, Kramnik, Anand, Topalov ... right through to Carlsen et al, train in just the same, personal, bespoke and 'out of the public eye' way.
So to come down to a more practical Scottish level, I rather liked one of Jim's ideas: that someone say the international director (performing in this case a more appropriate role) got in touch with a top cadre of players to ask a few Qs about training, such as
1. How do you train (broad outline/system), e.g. research and practice games (not excluding physical fitness and stamina plus psychological aspects)
2. Are you happy with this approach (broadly)?
3. Is there anything that you think CS might do to help you work on and improve your training?
Then draw conclusions.
Hope helpful!
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Craig,
It is a start. If we have an online event presumably players will prepare for their opponents, this will both improve their own opening repertoire and expose weaknesses in other players repertoire. That would appear to be helpful in preparation for Olympiads, individual events and other things.
I am not saying that this is a panacea, I am simply saying it is a start. I would also note that getting the players together like this might actually be a very effective way of canvassing opinions and talking about effective training methods going forward.
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Not a problem, Matthew.
If it inspires sufficient interest, go for it!
All I am suggesting is that there are many more complexities (and probably much more cause for optimism) below the surface of all this.
Such online training events are, I would suggest, unlikely to elicit much about the way, say our top 5 or so most recently successful players train, yet we'd all like to share in such 'secrets' ... so why not simply ask them, especially if they aren't keen to take part in an online training event, as I expect some would be?
