Thanks!
As you can tell my posting ethic has drastically declined. I realized that all the Yusupov stuff I was posting I basically wasn't ever referencing later and it was a waste of time. I still track my results although haven't done a new chapter in a couple of months. But I still plan to track my overall results when I get back to it.
This year I've played a game almost every week and am at the point now where I am doing very little other chess work. In fact, I'd say almost no other real work other than playing, going over that game, and having some lessons going over the game(s) - although I'm not sure a lesson I count as work.
I do stuff on openings but mainly just for entertainment and at this point don't consider that real work. I think I've posted about this my last couple of posts but I guess I'll continue to complain about it until I fix it
.
I'd list things like this in terms of what is real study and what is pretend study (this is similar to what Andrzej Krzywda said on
The Perpetual Chess Podcast recently - which was all on adult improvement.
- Playing long, rated, games
- Going through your games and writing everything important down (1hr/game at least)
- Yusupov study (not as Aagaard advises but as Yusupov does)
- Analysis homework (as my coach recommends, which ends up being at least 1 hr/game)
- Studies (the ones I've mainly done were a long time ago from YKW or from Yusupov)
Other stuff that I'm not sure really makes me improve:
- Opening memorization or fixing lines - I should say anything above and beyond having a repertoire and more or less knowing it...that certainly has made a difference in a practical way on my results and I've likely won at least a few games 80%+ due to it. But the vast majority of my games really involve making good moves after the opening and I've even been lost or screwed up in the opening even since "knowing" my repertoire.
- Chess tactics (e.g. not logged in via chesstempo) - I guess this is training too but more like keeping sharp than making me too much better most likely
- 100 endgames/tactics/other memorization training stuff via chessable
- Chess 24 videos
- Going through books like Modern Chess Strategy by John Watson
- Going through opening books
That "other stuff" surely can be made to be "real study" but me sitting and really concentrating on it and pushing the limit of my calculation and strategic thinking. However, I don't do that and I'm not sure many do.
Another way to put this is that there is Training and Learning. I think the Training is really what allows for improvement once you've hit a plateau and learning won't really move the needle (at least without the training).
When YKW says I was 2000 strength already my opinion is he meant in terms of Learning but I certainly was not 2000 strength in terms of actual ability 3 years ago. I mean, my rating just stayed at ~1800 until the last 1.5 years. It is the training that makes a bigger difference.
I may have a bit of this jumbled or change my mind but it's what I've been thinking recently.
Last edited by The Yugoslavian; 06-13-2018 at 02:56 PM.