18-08-2012, 04:11 PM
Robin Said
What I would say is that you can't FULLY prepare: while theory is no substitute for experience however there is no doubt that being prepared in the sense of knowing what to expect gives you the mental tools to deal with it. The sort of preparation I am thinking about is not about chess specific stuff (learning more endings or opening lines) but more about dealing with this sort of intense event.
I suspect one problem that players have is that their experience tends to be of playing in either 1 day junior thrash chess and weekend congresses in which the emphasis is on winning each game. I suspect to do better at the higher level you need to learn to be hard to beat: able to stay in the game until your chance arises.
I have tried to to explain to J. that many position you simply are not good enough to be 100% sure you have seen all the options and what you need to do, a bit like in poker is to judge the risk you are taking - both in terms of the position and your view of your opponent's capabilities.
It might be an idea that a hand book is developed that captures people's experiences and contains tips and advise.
One thing that makes sense to me is that the coach that goes gets time with the players individually in advance so that he/she can get to know them and their style of play. This could be at existing congresses or perhaps a training event can be held?
Quote:thing you can't prepare for is
What I would say is that you can't FULLY prepare: while theory is no substitute for experience however there is no doubt that being prepared in the sense of knowing what to expect gives you the mental tools to deal with it. The sort of preparation I am thinking about is not about chess specific stuff (learning more endings or opening lines) but more about dealing with this sort of intense event.
I suspect one problem that players have is that their experience tends to be of playing in either 1 day junior thrash chess and weekend congresses in which the emphasis is on winning each game. I suspect to do better at the higher level you need to learn to be hard to beat: able to stay in the game until your chance arises.
I have tried to to explain to J. that many position you simply are not good enough to be 100% sure you have seen all the options and what you need to do, a bit like in poker is to judge the risk you are taking - both in terms of the position and your view of your opponent's capabilities.
It might be an idea that a hand book is developed that captures people's experiences and contains tips and advise.
One thing that makes sense to me is that the coach that goes gets time with the players individually in advance so that he/she can get to know them and their style of play. This could be at existing congresses or perhaps a training event can be held?