Background
I played chess all my live on and off competitively, and I'm 20 now. My skill level probably around the rating range of 1700-1900 (Close to 1800 I think). But I do believe I have much more potential than this. I have a chess coach, who is one of the best out there (in my opinion, better than many Grandmasters in coaching) and helping me alot.


Goals
I'm aiming to get to the level of FM title, I don't know how long it will take, of if I'll persist on my task. This is one of my life goals As far as I know, the FM title can be achieved in two way: achieve a FIDE rating of 2300 or win it in a tournament (usually a zonal or continental or youth world champs) by scoring above a certain bench mark (e.g. 6/9 in the zonal). Whatever way you reach that title, most Fide Masters hang around the rating of 2250-2350 ish, although there are some much lower rated around and some higher. I will be playing my first FIDE rated tournaments very soon when I feel I'm ready with my preparations.


Progress
I don't know how long this will go. But at least for the next 140 days (the next zonal tournament), I'll be putting in alot of hours per day to chess. I'm not giving myself any expectations, but I aim to improve, but most importantly be able to sustain and put consistent effort into my game on a day to day basis.


Method
My study schedule is very systematic and structure (I might upload it later if people want). It involves everything from:

- Keeping my calculations, tactical visions and combinatory pattern recognition to top form with study and practice
- Building a tournament ready and solid opening repetiorre
- Learning Middle-game positional understanding, themes and planning
- Endgame technique and strategy
- Putting my understanding into practice, by playing and analyzing

I have allot of resources to my disposal, from game databases, interactive programs, engine analysis, video series to books (like Dvoretsky's), puzzles and structured programs like International Chess School's courses and much more.
(They will be mentioned in my posts)


Final Words
It's important that I put in as much effort as I can, because uni and earning money (e.g. poker) will start to take priority in the coming years, so time is running out. I want to reach as far as I can.

The point of this thread, is for me to update my progress on almost a daily basis, so I can keep motivated. This will also give insight to many people on how competitive to professional players study, train and prepare in their chess careers.

Good luck!

Welcome, and good luck! I'm excited to see how it goes for you!

Are you willing to share which zonal you'll be competing in 140 days from now?

My former 'mental coach' has picked a business wisdom from his friend: just after you wake up, do the things that will matter the most in the long run, e.g. watch a coaching video as opposed to playing a session, because you have the most energy in the morning and the effect of learning things that will be profitable for long will build up exponentially.

Do you have an idea about how little you'll be earning from chess-related activities as an FM/IM? If not, make sure to read the classical article 'Making Money in Chess' by WGM Natalia Pogonina.

If money is important for your happiness, apply the above wisdom to 'the morning of the life' and make the college or university the top priority right now (poker probably won't be around for long, whereas a real job will feed you for very long), poker the second biggest priority, but chess - only a hobby until you have enough money to retire altogether... or until big money suddenly starts flowing into chess, which is not so likely because the luck element there is too small and engine use is a such a big threat that chess can't be played for serious real money stakes online.

If money hardly matters to you in comparison with the immense beauty of chess (but why are you thinking about poker then?)... then good luck and skill, I'll be curious about your progress!

What level of opposition exists around you? All the study in the world won't help if the majority of your opposition tops out at expert/master.

Even if his toughest opposition consists of players of the 2000-2200 level, he can still cross 2300 by caruaning (crushing) them regularly (the FM title yet requires no norms)... but getting to such proficiency is of course as tough as any other way of getting the title.

It's hard to gain the skill and improve if your opposition isn't better than you, though.

Thanks!

Thanks, and it's the Oceania Zonal

Yes, You point out something very important, this is one thing constantly bugging me. I'm worried about how it will go. Most people would say that chess shouldn't be a priority for me, and I think to some extent they are right.

Yeah, there's a wide range. My oppositions varies all the way from club players to 2600s GMs, so it's fine. Plus, I might travel around (to China, Europe), so this is not a big problem.

I didn't know there were still zonal tournaments. I love the idea that anyone can turn up, go on a ridiculous winning streak, and get themselves into the WC cycle. Looks like there are no open zonal tournaments for Europe (zone 1), but there is an interzonal: the European Individual Chess Championships starting this month in Jerusalem awards 23 World Cup spots and is open to any European.

I don't bother to watch it because I've heard a lot of negative testimonials (about depiction of abuse there). Did you find it watchable or terrible?

That you're single is not automatically bad, it depends on your attitude to it. Are you romantic?

Edit: don't forget that Feb 14 is first and foremost the Ferris Wheel Day

Regarding the chess career: in case I didn't state it assertively enough, it must be a quest for the grandmaster title at the very least. I briefly thought recently about going for CM/FM myself from the same ~1800 point, but it's just not worth my effort, especially because I break down under pressure.

And as you seem rather depressed, I advise against going for GM because, as IM YouKnowWho stated wisely, chess is by 75% about psychology and execution and only by 25% about theory. If you look into your past games, you'll likely notice that most of your (half-)point losses happened not because of being less smart than the opponent, but because of making subpar moves that you wouldn't have made had you been in a calm state of mind and with no time pressure and if your success in life didn't depend on it.

It means that: 1) you might start loathing yourself for making those stupid mistakes like I do, 2) you might become afraid of making them OTB and thus feel more nervous and concentrate less on finding the right move, 3) your real-life problems might spill onto the board as well.

If you haven't read IM Joshua Waitzkin's 'The Art of Learning' book, you'd better do so asap. I was advised to read it in the poker context, which testifies that it's not only about chess and martial arts, but about competitive activities in general. It has a lot of insight into the psychological part of the game, can be rightfully called 'The Mental Game of Chess', being as instructive as Tendler's and Carter's series about poker.

UPDATE: 15/2/2015

Day 2

Was at the ER to get something, then played a monthly poker mtt (the only time I play live anymore)

It's already 10:30pm here, mostly done for the day, didn't make much progress in chess
Maybe I'll try to get something done.

Hopefully tommorow, I could start summarizing my strategic thought process checklist, and maybe even upload it here. It's based on the design by International Chess School which use a "To-Do list" to structure your plans and priorities in the middlegame.

Aim for day 3: Monday, get stuff done!

Haven't watched it.
I just don't like being alone
Thanks for the advise too

UPDATE: 15/2/2015

Day 3

I haven't done much, so another disappointing day (LOL, someone please give me some motivation :P). I did manage to complete my middlegame checklist that I made using material from International Chess School and such such.

It looks something like this:

The Middlegame thought process

1. Does the position require immediate answer?
• Tactical threats: king attack, material gain
• Strategic threats: piece position, gaining open lines, penetration, force exchange, restriction etc.

2. Record all the consequences into To-Do List
Unprotected pieces and squares (tempo gain etc.), pawn moves, time, castling etc.

3. Self-questioning to select candidate moves, ideas
Improvement
• Threaten material
• Create local superiority (To-Do List)
• King safety: both players
• Improve our pieces: mobility, position, role and stability

Prevention
• Opponent’s threats
• Where could my opponent go?
• Prophylaxis: restrict their development, force them out of play
Improve our space advantage?
Use our space advantage to increase piece quality via local superiority Stop their space advantage?
Exchange pieces to neutralize their space advantage?
Look for threats to seize the immediate initiative and could my opponent do the same?

4. Positional evaluation
General evaluation, or position with material equivalence (closer to endgame: king safety, minor piece, play coordinating piece, pawn majority and free pawn)

Material Equal, or compensations
King safety
1. Structure around kings
2. Resources around king
Resources + threats
• Discover the tactical resources of the position
• Possible tactical threats after each move
Minor pieces
a. Coordination (B+N)
b. Outposts

Are the bases of operation stable and protected?
King safety
• Structure in front of king
• Compare the forces

Play coordinating piece Important major piece
1. Defend minor pieces
2. Prevent penetration
3. Activity and invasion

King can be one such piece
Centre

• Central control
Plan links in with Type of centre

Existence of mobile majorities and free pawn possibility
The free pawn could tie down their pieces, if it’s well protected

Piece Value
1. Development, initiative
2. Piece out of play
3. Local superiority
4. Piece collaboration – rearrangement
Rooks – file, entry points
Bishops – diagonals, targets, pair
Knights – outposts, objectives
Queen – active and safe
Pawn Value Space advantage from the pawns

Pawn types
• Weak, Isolani
• Structure, flexibility and islands
• Dynamic structure
• Mobile majorities
• Free pawns

5. The To-Do List
All plans aim to achieve a purpose.
Use Self-Questioning to identify the themes and possible moves in the position.
Evaluation the position to find its essence, and create a plan to gain the advantage.
• Plan usually correlate with gaining local superiority and piece organizations
- Some sort of mobilization and attack
- target and create weaknesses
- Expansions and getting pieces to places
• Also includes what piece and how you want them.
• Note the resources and consequences

Design the task, change and refresh and have move priorities.



Sorry I had it in table on my microsoft form, so it's abit unorganised here

That's an actual in-game thought process? That is complicated as **** -- too many steps. It might serve way better as a checklist of concepts to learn and internalize. For the in-game positional stuff, this is way better. There's a bunch of overlap between it and the big list, but it's actually efficient. (Aagard's three questions can really be four -- add "What are the pawn breaks?")

Part of the problem with that elaborate thought process is that chess isn't a game of verbal logic. It's dominated by visual patterns and concepts.

Good luck! And I agree with what Rei said

Very good point. Yeah, it's for me to learn and internalize so when I play it becomes subconscious (just like tactics and combinations).

GM Jacob Aagard is a great teacher of the game, thanks for bringing up his questions (I'm reading his grandmaster preparation series :P)

UPDATE: 17/2/2015

Day 4

Another disappointing day of time wasting

I did look at an interesting game tho: Ponomariov v Ivanchuk 2002, FIDE World Championship, knockout match 1-0, 64 moves, use link below:

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1240662

Ivanchuk lost this game, and it was a tragedy, simply because he had some many chances to win. The creative genius, called the greatest player to never be world champion, may have suffered another one of his notorious psychological breakdowns, where he screws up in high stakes situation.

But I did learn and looked at some interesting Endgame techniques + themes:

1. You can build a ladder to help promote double pawns with double bishop, usually it's hard to promote when opponent also have double bishops, so this technique is important - Ivanchuk didn't use this, and let White gain counterplay

2. Rule of square - Keep your king close to their passed pawns (should be inside the "square" region near the pawn - look it up online)

3. Use bishops (especially double bishops) to restrict opponent's king and prevent him from coming in and help, especially when you are about to promote, this is part of the art of "prophylaxis"

All these themes happened in a variation that was never played in the game - Ivanchuk didn't control entry squares and missed White's counterplay, White managed to penetrate and generated pass pawns and a winning endgame.

It's also important to not overestimate the safety of your king, they can be more exposed than you think, especially with Queens still on the board in a relatively dynamic endgame.

UPDATE: 18/2/2015

Day 5

Did way less than I would've liked to (started watching person of interest :P )... I did do some position puzzles tho...
Had to evaluate the position and determine the best plan of play.

I made an interesting observation, where I notice in some games,alot of Russian grandmasters, have an almost scientific approach to the game. E.g. Istratescu,Andrei v Nevednichy,Vladislav 1999, White was up an outside passed pawn, and he systematically trade down all of blacks defending pieces, then use the passed pawn to direct the black king away and won the easy pawn endgame. But i noticed, white could've won much quickly if he played an aggressive move (39. Qd4 instead of Qxb5 trading queens) creating threats and prepare for invasion against the black king, and also using a pin resource. So its definitely justified in saying that some players (even top grandmasters) have a rather rigid but pragmatic approach to play the game. They will always take the path taken many time, whether this is a good thing or bad thing I don't know, but I rather be more flexible and creative in my way of playing.

It comes from Botvinnik's systematic approach. He was the father of the Soviet school of chess and also a Doctor of Sciences (stronger than PhD) in electrotechnics (both pursuits got combined in his late life, when he was studying move search heuristics for his chess engine Pioneer that influenced modern engines). Don't forget about the influence of Petrosian and Karpov as well.

Yeah, I was about to mention Botvinnik, been studying his games. Very technical and pragmatic. So he would have influence on many of the greats. I feel like his underappreciated (same can be said for Karpov and Petrosian) compared to someone like Kasparov, Fischer and Tal because his style is not as aggressive and romantic. So people might interpret this as being less creative and profound (but I think this is an incorrect assessment).

"The Method in Chess" by Josif Dorfman
"Pump up your Rating" by Axel Smith
HIARCS Opening Book
Stockfish 6

I think your goals are too unrealistic at this point in time. I'd recommend revising for a slower start or else the disappointment of constant failure may sabotage the overall goals.

I know it looks bad, but It's a start. This is nothing out of the ordinary to be honest. Alot chess players (semi-professional to professionals) have trouble keeping the schedule of work consistent. Thats why I made this post to keep me motivated. Comments like these help remind me of my objectives. I usually take a while to get things going.

Trust me, this thread is one of the most honest and forward thread about how a chess players keep up a schedule of studying amidst other commitment, and the obstacles that he has to face. Chess is probably a way tougher game than poker, both technically and pyschologically.

And when I talk about keep a schedule, I'm talking about 6+ hours study a day. Even though I'm dissappointed in my current effort, I'm still easily getting 1-2 hours at minimal per day.

6+ hours study is unrealistic amidst other commitment. Part of the fun of goals is that you get to achieve them, if you set them properly. I know this is different from person to person, but for me personally the big turn around from 'failing' student to succesful student was by starting with extremely small goals to get going, and plan these small goals such that a large goal would be obtained in a few weeks. At some point you will be doing 2 days of work in 1 day and you can set your goals more challenging if you want to, or just enjoy your leisure time, knowing you're on track.
Setting too ambitious goals will do nothing for your confidence, fun, or motivation.

Posting this thread is great, holding you accountable to us when you slip in order to help maintain motivation. But when you set unrealistic goals and then don't worry when you fail them every single day, you're not doing anything to help yourself. They're not really goals at that point.

I think that if you make an honest assessment of what you can and will do, and then base a plan on that, it will be more helpful to you in the long run.

OP, have you ever heard about S.M.A.R.T. goal setting?