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Used to all the time, I travelled from EK to Edinburgh by bus and back each day and would study chess. Since I became an arbiter, very little as I am not playing much
"How sad to see, what used to be, a model of decorum and tranquility become like any other sport, a battleground for rival ideologies to slug it out with glee"
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When I started on the tournament circuit I tried to stick to some sort of opening repertoire for both Black and White, and focus on books regarding those openings. That worked well initially, but at my level theory is rarely followed past move 6 or 7. So I switched to endgame study instead.
What I have found though is that I need to play positions on a board with pieces; reading alone is OK for memorisation but at my level I like to have the position in front of me. That way I can see more easily what's going on, and get a better feel for what's happening and what's likely to happen. I find physically playing through a position helps commit it to memory far more effectively.
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Good questions!
We can pop into chess suppliers and pick up books that will promise us everything from winning in 10 moves to being a master in two weeks but very few will say much about the technique of studying. We are overwhelmed with too much information which can lead players to believe that we don't improve because we don't have natural talent, the correct material or that we just aren't willing to put in the time. The truth is that everybody improve, (an do so significantly) but what we need to learn is how to learn and to find the right methods that will help us study more efficiently and productively.
How many people can relate to having a copy of MCO as kids. We open it up and the is page upon page of moves and column upon columns of tabia's. I would go through them and then reach a point where it would say..."and black has equalised"....oh right. That was me studying chess like it was homework. Memorising lots of lines without ever knowing the point.
But to answer some of your questions. Yes I do study it, but only because I'm teaching my kid. I spend a lot of time sieving through the masses of information to find him ideas and concepts that I think will truly help him improve. We follow 3 basic rules. (1) Every diagram is a lesson. (2) We will work on his weaknesses. (3) Practice, practice, practice. Everytime we are surfing a chess site or flicking through a book, we study every diagram we come across and look for what we perceive to be the best move. Doing this will force us to concentrate, to make a choice and to think critically. This is chess in a nutshell. Rule number 2 can be summed up with 'worst comes first'. As we progressed beyond beginner level we find that some things come easier than others and this is natural. Nobody is destined to as good at tactics as he is at positional play, or better at attacking than defending. This helps us figure out what we should be studying. I look for my son's weaknesses and we work on them. The best players are well rounded. Rule 3 is self explanatory. We should play as much as possible. I have only recently started playing again myself but Now I have a loads of correspondence game on he go. I play my computer regularly as well as beat up my kid once a night (having fun whilst it lasts). My performance rating has been better than my grade which is good enough for me in my last 5 or 6 tournaments and my son has tied 3rd place at the CFK final and we're off to Derby in a couple of weeks to play in the Uk Schools Delancey Gigafinal. Progress is being made following these 3 basic rules.
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joewatson07 Wrote:(3) Practice, practice, practice. Everytime we are surfing a chess site or flicking through a book, we study every diagram we come across and look for what we perceive to be the best move. Doing this will force us to concentrate, to make a choice and to think critically. This is chess in a nutshell.
This.
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nothing like promotion...I follow the chess column in The Scotsman daily. Play through the game and try (
take note...try!) to solve the daily puzzle. I have found through time it is not so much the knowledge of the specific openings but the basic strategy of middle and endgames that have helped the most.
Alan
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Seconding a couple of the above posts: practice practice practice, work on your weaknesses. And don't get totally obsessed with openings.
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-Analyse your own games thoroughly (with the help of a coach/stronger player)-wins and losses and draws!
-Find similar examples from master-level chess and study how they approach similar positions
-Study tactics EVERY day (solving puzzles, learning patterns and concepts)
-Play less internet blitz chess and use the extra time for more useful chess-related things!
-Prepare for opponents/tournaments/matches
-Focus on PRACTICAL improvement.
