Looked through a lot of interesting games and articles, some of which include players posting about improvement…
https://www.chess.com/blog/dpnorman/...aste-of-caviar
This article showed me how you need to treat games against stronger players like GMs as a lesson rather than as a lost. You’re really freerolling here (with no real risk of rating loss too) and you should let them show it to you how to win from their position.
So go all out and make them prove the win.
Another interesting one here, the chess trainer put forths the notion that using chess engines to train yourself as a method for rapid improvement, especially if you are already at a strong level
http://chessncognac.com/new-start-here/
The article says that using engines that aren’t stockfish or komodo, and ones that play at a lower level (e.g. 2300-2400) but
have a specific style, can help you discover interesting ideas in a types of position that they excel at (something that I might talk about more in the future on this thread).
For example, Chess System Tal, a 2300 rated program, which favours kingside hacks and tactical ideas, can be used to pick up ideas in your opening lines that requires such a plan.
My own study materials
I’ve decided to get rid of a lot of materials I use to study chess and give them to friends, as rather than quickly reading random books, it’s probably better to focus on a few material deeply (e.g. for Endgames use chessbase video series and Dvoretsky’s Endgame books).
These are just some of the books I have…
Some of the stuff I will give to my friends include opening books of openings I no longer play… however I look to still keep the books on tactics, theory and endgame. However, I’m probably getting rid of the books written in old notations. I’ll keep the deeply theoretical books such as dvoretsky’s books.
I will also keep some of the notes I typed or written, even tho
I felt I could’ve spent my time better last year (instead of writing those notes, maybe play those positions on computers). I will revise them too. But some of the worse quality notes I written earlier in my career, I’ll be getting rid off.
Decent game notes I took below, it was Fischer v Rosetto 1959
Notes on a International Chess School Video that I studied, it's about candidate move
Already preparing for my tournaments, the result of my play this year, particularly in the club and state tournaments against fellow players will decide my decision to whether I’ll be playing the zonal next January or skipping that and going to the Aussie Millions early. While it’s nice to have a shot at 6/9 for the FM title (titles are for life!), if I’m not playing near that strength, I would have a very low chance at putting up a title worthy performance. Also, there’s
no point having an FM title and being nowhere near 2300, not only will it be a
cop out to this thread, constantly losing to weaker opposite while having the FM title is kinda embarrassing and unworthy of the title. This year, I will definitely be taking a lot of aggressive ideas and risk taking system to score wins.
Having a CM title at least mean I got something out of my chess, and it takes pressure off me psychologically and made me focusing less on ratings and more on just playing. This is important if I want to be able to go for the plus 3 score in the zonal. I’m quite known to have a high draw rate in my career. Not so much from not taking risks or going for the sharper continuations, but more so from
not correctly converting middlegame or endgame advantages that I accumulate from opposition-ally outplaying my opponent.