TRAIN LIKE YOU MEAN IT! Apply the 5 elements of efficient training in chess... They cannot be missing from your system (!!!)
Often much
of the time spent trying to perfect a skill is dissipated in ambiguous
practices that have no long-term educational value. Particularly if one is
self-taught, a beginner, and does not have the support of a reliable mentor to guide
their interest in developing this or that skill.
In the game
of chess, for example, the wide variety of technical and conceptual nuances
involved cannot be ignored, despite the simplicity of its configuration and the
rules that govern it. Therefore, when approaching the study of its intricacies,
it is possible that, as it is popularly said, "one cannot see the forest for the trees". In other words, the abundant principles and rules of
chess can mislead the player from the simple objective of making a good move.
Which, to be honest, can happen to anyone (regardless of their level of
experience), but the preparation and clarity of thought that each one may develop
regarding the subject would certainly reduce the tendency to make mistakes and
increase the sensitivity to understand the lessons that result from them.
"To avoid mistakes is the beginning, as it is the end, of chess mastery."
- Eugene
Znosko-Borovsky
In fact,
one of the key concepts of embracing chess as a recreational activity is based
on the development of clear thinking to interpret spontaneous situations and
make practical decisions. Therefore, it is essential to know how to apply
efficient learning concepts in the training regime that one intends to
establish for oneself, with the aim of optimizing the processes that favor the
assimilation of productive didactic patterns and achieve maximum performance in
the hours dedicated to chess from such clarity of thought.
With this
in mind, here are the 5 elements that should never be missing from your
independent training system to strengthen the learning of the game efficiently.
1. FUNDAMENTALS
Have you
ever seen how watches are built? In all that impeccable engineering process,
the smallest components are reciprocally integrated into the mechanism that
governs the measurement of seconds, minutes and hours. Undoubtedly, its
functionality is based on the precision and order with which the basic
principles of dynamic and kinematic physics are applied.
In the same
way, to work systematically with chess, a good command of the basic theory of the
game is necessary, in order to classify the areas in which practical improvement
is required and to organize the themes that derive from those areas.
It is worth
emphasizing that with "basic theory" we are not referring to the
movement of the pieces or the knowledge of one or another opening variation,
but to the fundamentals of the essential logic of the game: How is a position
analyzed, what nuances should be prioritized to assess it, which is the most
precise order of moves to consider in the calculation of variations according
to its notable positional objectives, and in what cases should these analytical assessments be renewed in order to adapt them to the strategic changes of the chess battle?
In truth,
all the learning that is developed according to the most diverse tactical and
strategic concepts of chess, arises from having assimilated these basic
questions from its abstract content and giving them a practical meaning. It is
not about "reinventing the wheel", of course; the idea of knowing and
understanding the fundamental logic of the game is that from there the
incorporation of various standard ‘attack and defense’ themes in individual
preparation is much more beneficial in the long term than a short-term
memorization of variations or theoretical positions. Thus, in order to develop a natural understanding of chess it is necessary to assimilate these elementary thinking processes and put them into practice by experimenting with the variety of interactive resources the game offers.
"No
fantasy, however rich, no technique, however masterful, no insight into the
opponent's psychology, however deep, can make a game of chess a work of art, if
these qualities do not lead to the main goal, the search of the truth."
- Vasily
Smyslov
2. FOCUS
One of the
most influential nuances on carrying out any physical and intellectual activity
is the greater or lesser ability to concentrate attention for long periods of
time. Something that depends on nutritional, social, hygiene, reading habits,
etc., but that after all, constitute our clarity of focus to develop and apply a
certain knowledge.
In chess
training, beyond the healthy habits that support our attention span, the focus
can be approximated to the definitions of flexibility, objectivity and pragmatism,
but specifically it is about the individual affinity to complement the correct learning
techniques to the instructional resources available.
In other
words, it is necessary to recognize which learning style favors our independent
development. For example, focusing on researching chess literature if you are
someone who primarily likes to read, studying multimedia courses that deepen
strategic concepts if you are a audio-visual learner, or developing an
analytical discussion after a play session with a friend who shares your
enthusiasm for chess, if your style is more kinaesthetic, and even encompassing various of the aforementioned didactic approaches if it fits with our cognitive requirements. The essential thing
here is to be aware of what works best for you and to work in balance with your
natural learning approach for didactical efficiency.
The
following distribution of methods and resources for educational development in
chess is offered as a basic reference of which focus approach can be more or
less useful for the reader.
3. METHOD
“You should
keep in mind no names, nor numbers, nor isolated incidents, not even results,
but only methods. The method is plastic. It is applicable in every situation. The result, the isolated incident, is rigid, because bound to wholly individual conditions. The method produces numerous results; a few of these will
remain in our memory, and as long as they remain few, they are useful to
illustrate and to keep alive the rules which produce a thousand results.”
In my
opinion, little more can be added to this reasoning by Emanuel Lasker to
understand the importance of having a stable method, not only in chess, but in
any field of knowledge that requires a variety of learning approaches. The
fundamental purpose of implementing a method is, as can be inferred from the
previous bibliographical reference, to reduce to a minimum all inert accumulation
of purely circumstantial information and significantly increase the
intuitive perception of the studied facts.
As with the
focus element, to achieve a correct performance in every conceptual and
technical nuance of the game, self-knowledge is necessary in order to consider
the methodical approaches to which one has the best affinity and cultivate from
those processes the basic theory inherent to it.
A reasonable structure to implement in your method is as follows:
- Define a training goal (Opening, mid- or end-game study).
- Implement learning resources (Bibliography, multimedia courses, digital apps).
- Play a set of games applying the key ideas from your study sessions.
- Work out your analysis technique paying attention to the correction of mistakes and optimization of the thinking system (Masters' and own game analysis, problem solving).
- Keep a training diary to synthesize your results in feedback loops, by setting intervals of rest and training to renovate your learning program and assimilate the knowledge studied, through a sporadic review of the key ideas recorded in it.
To study a
general system of how to approach chess methodically by play and analysis
sessions, you could consider the training blueprint that I use to organize my own
learning routine. Now, if you really want to ensure optimal results in your own
method, you can't skip the next element, that is...
4. CONSISTENCY
To be
honest, nothing that can be considered a significant achievement has been done
without motivation and discipline. Consistency, in this case, is an objective
nuance of criterion that can help us to emphasize the concentration applied in
our methodical approaches and dismiss unrealistic expectations of immediate
results, while working on discipline and motivation in parallel with our present performance.
“You work
for a long period of time and the results don't really show, but at some point
everything just comes together and you start to play better, or get more
confidence.”
- Fabiano
Caruana
Consistency
is also related to our time management, since organizing a training program is
somewhat dependent on one’s personal schedule and calendar of activities, which
adds a certain level of commitment... but if one really likes chess, surely one could also play the chronological tetris and implement a few hours to dedicate to
chess between weeks. The important thing here is perseverance and equilibrium.
As Wilhem Steinitz said, better than studying 10 hours once a week is devoting
one hour to chess daily.
Personally,
what works best for me, at the time of writing this post, is a 27-hour program distributed
over 2 weeks, as illustrated below:
I should
mention that as it is a specific example, I cannot recommend anyone to use this
same routine, since some persons may require more or less hours of activity to
develop a constant learning in chess and the training subject requirements
could vary according to each one’s individual experience. In my case, it is not
just about saying something like “well, I will stick with this schedule and see
what happens…” Often, due to other occupations, I do not train at the same time
each day, so sometimes I develop my sessions in the morning, afternoon or night
as my availability allows me to, but always with the idea of applying the
training activities distributed on their corresponding days. Another thing is
that after completing a training program like the one in the illustration
above, if I consider that I feel somewhat intellectually and emotionally
overloaded by chess, I can pause everything related to the game, for example,
for a week, which allows my thoughts to become organized and stabilized, and
even to rethink if I need to add or remove something to my program in the
following weeks, and then resume the chess activities with the appropriate
mental agility. But in any case, I trust that this reference on how to plan a
consistent program to study and play chess moderately can be of instructive
use... if you already have the rudiments, the focus and the method, consider how
to integrate those elements into your training regime consistently (at what time controls to
play, what games to analyze, what patterns to add to the repertoire, what
resources to use, etc.).
5. FUN
There is an
interesting anecdote of Viswanathan Anand that comes to my mind… During his
youth he wanted to be a tennis player, but he was disappointed when all his
coach proposed as an activity was drills and no practical game.
It may be that his mentor had focused too much on the
rudiments of the technique that he underestimated the importance of active
learning developed in the pure practice and natural performance of his student. That bored Anand so much that he decided instead to dedicate himself to chess, where he could play whenever he wanted. But in the end, it does not seem like he made a wrong decision either, as he became
world champion in the game he loved. An example that many times one's own convictions are more valuable than the influence of teachers or "experts" with little or no pedagogical education nor the motivation to see others grow in their natural aptitude, about which little can be done apart from trying to improve oneself, avoiding comparing oneself to others in order to carry out a conscious and gratifying work.
The moral is that if a learning approach
is not exciting, one must find the right way for oneself to develop their
creative passion according to the key pragmatism that fuels the flame of
interest in learning. Of course, to dominate the fundamentals of a certain knowledge requires a lot of practice, but not more than it is not entertaining and healthy. It is vital to exercise creativity as well by deliberate practice.
“No one
ever learned the art of chess purely by reading books. Just as one must get
into the water to learn to swim. In order to learn chess, one must play
chess."
- Grigory
Levenfish
Being chess
an intellectually demanding activity, the fun that comes from playing and
studying it is directly proportional to the creative labor that goes into its
practical subtleties. So if at any point we find it boring to cover the
training sessions, this is possibly due to two things. First, the enthusiasm
for the game has dissipated because we find ourselves constantly and
uncritically doing the same things... for which it is essential to diversify
the exercises we solve, the time controls we use and the positional themes we
develop from analyzing the master games we cover. And second, it is possible
that we could simply be a bit exhausted after a long journey of work and study,
which diverts our focus from concentrating on training. It can be assumed that,
if this is the case, it is important to recognize when it is necessary to rest
from the game and not overload yourself by wanting to put in more hours than
are healthy to maintain proper focus and mental stability.
In
conclusion, being able to integrate efficient learning elements into the effort
to perfect a skill such as chess is something that demands objectivity and
self-knowledge, in order to consciously assimilate the fundamental ideas that
contribute to individual growth in this noble discipline. With this in mind,
you can now train like you mean it!
Get the 1st issue of my printable chess zine that summarizes this article and provides you with a checkmate challenge to solve, here!
Learn how to fold it in this link!
"Avoid
the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the
chess piece."
- Ralph
Charell
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