NL Loki's Chess Improvement and Motivation Thread
09-14-2017
, 11:00 AM
You say that as if it is surprising to you or couldn't be taken into account.
Unless you decide to become a chess professional there will always be "[my actual responsibilities] have definitely taken time off my chess"
.
But, you are still plenty young to go after FM slowly but surely if you want.
I am not sure at what age that becomes not possible and you kind of need to quit everything else to have a shot. For instance, am I past that point, at that point? No clue. However, I guess I don't have any real goal to become an FM. But more and more I think becoming an NM would be cool.
Unless you decide to become a chess professional there will always be "[my actual responsibilities] have definitely taken time off my chess"
.But, you are still plenty young to go after FM slowly but surely if you want.
I am not sure at what age that becomes not possible and you kind of need to quit everything else to have a shot. For instance, am I past that point, at that point? No clue. However, I guess I don't have any real goal to become an FM. But more and more I think becoming an NM would be cool.
09-14-2017
, 02:27 PM
I've recently started taking chess a bit more seriously and began reading one of those Yusupov books, too (the one for scrubs like me, Build Up Your Chess - the Fundamentals). Great stuff. I can see why it won awards. There's also a donkament coming up near where I live with an open section, a sub-2,000 section and a borderline ****** section (sub-1,400).
I'll be playing in the latter.
I haven't played a tournament since I was a kid, which was ~30 years ago, and I don't estimate myself anywhere north of 1,200 - 1,300 FIDE (even lower in my national rating, which tends to be lower than FIDE). We'll see how many 8 year olds will whoop my ass.
Good luck in your endeavours, mate. Even though this is my first post in here, I've been following along and rooting for you.
I'll be playing in the latter.
I haven't played a tournament since I was a kid, which was ~30 years ago, and I don't estimate myself anywhere north of 1,200 - 1,300 FIDE (even lower in my national rating, which tends to be lower than FIDE). We'll see how many 8 year olds will whoop my ass.
Good luck in your endeavours, mate. Even though this is my first post in here, I've been following along and rooting for you.
09-14-2017
, 09:32 PM
09-15-2017
, 02:48 PM
09-16-2017
, 08:11 AM
10-02-2017
, 11:59 PM
12-03-2017
, 11:20 PM
Hi Loki, do you need a training partner for the holidays? I have loads of spare time (uni holidays) and I have the same goal as you - to get FM. I helped Clive prep the Be3 line for the zonals 
. I'm studying loads of chess as well. Couldn't pm you for some reason. I'm short_dog on lichess and Ibex_King on chess.com
. I'm studying loads of chess as well. Couldn't pm you for some reason. I'm short_dog on lichess and Ibex_King on chess.com
12-04-2017
, 10:35 PM
Quote:
Hi Loki, do you need a training partner for the holidays? I have loads of spare time (uni holidays) and I have the same goal as you - to get FM. I helped Clive prep the Be3 line for the zonals . I'm studying loads of chess as well. Couldn't pm you for some reason. I'm short_dog on lichess and Ibex_King on chess.com
. I'm studying loads of chess as well. Couldn't pm you for some reason. I'm short_dog on lichess and Ibex_King on chess.com
12-23-2017
, 10:19 AM
It's Christmas Eve here
I hope everyone is enjoying their holidays.
I've been doing some chess study, not sure if I want to do any during Christmas or New years, but I got a tournament coming up right after New Years (which I'm grossly unprepared for), so I might as well...
Had some sessions with a Hungarian coach, we just went through alot of opening lines
I've mainly been just doing openings and tactics (including the Yusupov Chapters), so nothing too unusual.
I've decided to alternate between tactical programs: CT ART, Chesstempo Tactics, Chess24 Tactics Trainer, I haven't done much chess.com tactics puzzles, but heard its not as good.
I get alot of different opinions from IMs and GMs and some dislike one program but like others, it seems there is no consensus as to which program is the preferred.
Overall, here is how I compare the three, btw you have to pay a fee (either one off or monthly fee to a site)
CT ART
Pros: most systematic and thematically organised puzzles, one off payment, many players use it up to IM+ levels
Cons: some puzzles are pretty bad, with unclear variations and often even non best moves as the puzzles often aren't checked by stockfish
Chesstempo
Pros: have long and timed speeds, puzzles are usually quite good with clean lines
Cons: monthly fees, that about it
Chess24 Tactics Trainer
Pros: has some of the hardest puzzles I've seen with alot of focus on intermezzos, alot of GMs are struggling at the 2000-2100 level
Cons: Some of the puzzles are outright unsolvable, either with too many unclear variations (which is not optimal for practicing), or simply bad lines, also monthly fees
I use other stuff too.
Forcing Chess Move is a great chess book with around 600+ puzzles and probably a must
Aargard's calculation series also a very tough book aimed at 2100+
Doing endgames and endgame studies naturally also quite important...
Chess is really 99% tactics (especially sub 2400) even though people don't want to admit it, most GM advice is "tactics, tactics, tactics" so I recommend people do all of these, by the time you've done most of these which is around near 10,000 puzzles, you will have prob master level tactical vision anyway
Another thing I recommend people to do is analysing their tactical errors, knowing what type of weakness they have...
Here are the few categories of tactical weakness/errors I noticed:
1. Missing your own resources (straight up missing candidate moves and not calculating forcing lines)
2. Missing opponent's resources (such as counter threats, intermediate moves)
3. Missing hidden resources (missing resources that only pops out in the middle of a line like the opening of a file)
4. Missing intermediate moves (probably the easiest stuff to miss)
5. Missing opponents intermediate moves (even GM miss this)
6. Visualisation errors (not seeing far enough down the line, especially in endgames)
This along with using chesstempo or CT ART to converge of the type of tactics you miss the most (e.g. trapping themes, interceptions), can optimise the honing of your tactical skills.
I hope everyone is enjoying their holidays.
I've been doing some chess study, not sure if I want to do any during Christmas or New years, but I got a tournament coming up right after New Years (which I'm grossly unprepared for), so I might as well...
Had some sessions with a Hungarian coach, we just went through alot of opening lines
I've mainly been just doing openings and tactics (including the Yusupov Chapters), so nothing too unusual.
I've decided to alternate between tactical programs: CT ART, Chesstempo Tactics, Chess24 Tactics Trainer, I haven't done much chess.com tactics puzzles, but heard its not as good.
I get alot of different opinions from IMs and GMs and some dislike one program but like others, it seems there is no consensus as to which program is the preferred.
Overall, here is how I compare the three, btw you have to pay a fee (either one off or monthly fee to a site)
CT ART
Pros: most systematic and thematically organised puzzles, one off payment, many players use it up to IM+ levels
Cons: some puzzles are pretty bad, with unclear variations and often even non best moves as the puzzles often aren't checked by stockfish
Chesstempo
Pros: have long and timed speeds, puzzles are usually quite good with clean lines
Cons: monthly fees, that about it
Chess24 Tactics Trainer
Pros: has some of the hardest puzzles I've seen with alot of focus on intermezzos, alot of GMs are struggling at the 2000-2100 level
Cons: Some of the puzzles are outright unsolvable, either with too many unclear variations (which is not optimal for practicing), or simply bad lines, also monthly fees
I use other stuff too.
Forcing Chess Move is a great chess book with around 600+ puzzles and probably a must
Aargard's calculation series also a very tough book aimed at 2100+
Doing endgames and endgame studies naturally also quite important...
Chess is really 99% tactics (especially sub 2400) even though people don't want to admit it, most GM advice is "tactics, tactics, tactics" so I recommend people do all of these, by the time you've done most of these which is around near 10,000 puzzles, you will have prob master level tactical vision anyway
Another thing I recommend people to do is analysing their tactical errors, knowing what type of weakness they have...
Here are the few categories of tactical weakness/errors I noticed:
1. Missing your own resources (straight up missing candidate moves and not calculating forcing lines)
2. Missing opponent's resources (such as counter threats, intermediate moves)
3. Missing hidden resources (missing resources that only pops out in the middle of a line like the opening of a file)
4. Missing intermediate moves (probably the easiest stuff to miss)
5. Missing opponents intermediate moves (even GM miss this)
6. Visualisation errors (not seeing far enough down the line, especially in endgames)
This along with using chesstempo or CT ART to converge of the type of tactics you miss the most (e.g. trapping themes, interceptions), can optimise the honing of your tactical skills.
