Wednesday, 26 April 2017
Friday, 21 April 2017
My weaknesses in chess and how I can improve upon them
After playing 27 standard rated games in just over a month I feel that I have a pretty good grasp of my weaknesses in chess. I will list them in no specific order here and comment about I can fix them.
1. Poor time management
Simply put, my time management skills are horrid. In many of my games, even against fairly weak players, I would be surviving solely on the increment. In one game I spent around around 20 minutes deciding which rook to move to the open file, when I should've spent at the most 10 minutes. My time management problem is also the main reason I have bungled some very good or even winning positions. I think I can improve on this by just being more aware of my time. In some cases I was too aware of it and so played some stupid moves which I wouldn't have played otherwise if i'd used more time. So I need to strike that balance between playing good moves whilst not burning gratuitously through my time.
2. Inaccurate calculation and visualization
This is also a big problem, despite doing the woodpecker exercise (1000 tactics in one day repeatedly) this is still a significant problem of mine; my inaccurate visualization and calculation skills has resulted in many dropped half points and even full ones. I can resolve this by simply doing tactics everyday, which I haven't been doing much of lately. Or even by doing studies or even blindfold chess.
3. Being unaware of opponent's plans
Another large problem. In many games I would just forget what my opponent was planning because I was too scared to even consider what they were up to! This can be resolved by simply thinking about what my opponent's counter-play may be and taking steps to prevent it through prophylaxis.
4. Lack of self-confidence
Perhaps the ultimate issue. My lack of self-confidence has resulted in my poor time management and fear of my opponent's counter-play. What can I say, I guess I just need to tell myself that I am amazing! I have spent many hundreds of hours on chess with some significant victories over strong opponents, I've committed a significant portion of my life to this royal game, so there is no reason that I should not be confident in my own abilities. To be successful in anything you have to have a strong belief in your own abilities.
1. Poor time management
Simply put, my time management skills are horrid. In many of my games, even against fairly weak players, I would be surviving solely on the increment. In one game I spent around around 20 minutes deciding which rook to move to the open file, when I should've spent at the most 10 minutes. My time management problem is also the main reason I have bungled some very good or even winning positions. I think I can improve on this by just being more aware of my time. In some cases I was too aware of it and so played some stupid moves which I wouldn't have played otherwise if i'd used more time. So I need to strike that balance between playing good moves whilst not burning gratuitously through my time.
2. Inaccurate calculation and visualization
This is also a big problem, despite doing the woodpecker exercise (1000 tactics in one day repeatedly) this is still a significant problem of mine; my inaccurate visualization and calculation skills has resulted in many dropped half points and even full ones. I can resolve this by simply doing tactics everyday, which I haven't been doing much of lately. Or even by doing studies or even blindfold chess.
3. Being unaware of opponent's plans
Another large problem. In many games I would just forget what my opponent was planning because I was too scared to even consider what they were up to! This can be resolved by simply thinking about what my opponent's counter-play may be and taking steps to prevent it through prophylaxis.
4. Lack of self-confidence
Perhaps the ultimate issue. My lack of self-confidence has resulted in my poor time management and fear of my opponent's counter-play. What can I say, I guess I just need to tell myself that I am amazing! I have spent many hundreds of hours on chess with some significant victories over strong opponents, I've committed a significant portion of my life to this royal game, so there is no reason that I should not be confident in my own abilities. To be successful in anything you have to have a strong belief in your own abilities.
Monday, 17 April 2017
Journey to Master (2200 FIDE)
Hi everyone reading (if anyone), from this point onward I will be documenting my journey towards the master level in Chess (FIDE rating of 2200). I'm currently 19 years old and have been hovering around the FIDE 1900 mark for three years (my initial FIDE rating was 1893), it's actually been four years but I completely stopped playing competitive Chess for a year so I'm taking one off :). I am currently during my gap year before I go to university in the United States. Due to the excess free time that has suddenly been thrown onto my lap, I made it my goal this year to reach a FIDE rating of 2100 by the time i'm 20 (March 2018) and perhaps a rating of 2200 FIDE by the time I turn 21. (March 2019). I hope to achieve the FM title by the time I finish university which would be around the year 2021. My ultimate goal would probably be the International Master title, I would go for the GM title but then I wouldn't want to compromise my real aspiration which is to work in the film industry! I plan to post analysis of games on this blog as well as talking about my experiences along the way; this is of course to motivate me as I know this journey will be very tough and I will experience a lot of setbacks. I hope anyone who follows this will find the documentation of my journey to be insightful and inspirational. Here's to all of us!
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