A good question since I was not completely clear! I will follow the official broadcast with Dubov, when I have time to watch. Under normal conditions I would switch between broadcasts, social media and back again. Now I’m just following this one thing.
As I mentioned in a former reply to one of your posts, I am working through alle the workbooks of Steps method step 5. Steps 1, 2 and 3 are not only available as books, but also in a digital format (chess tutor 1, 2 and 3). Cor van Wingerden, (one of two creators of the stepsmethod, the other one is the late Rob Brunia) once explained to me that he preferred the paper version of the method for his students. Software invites the student to ‘guess’ the move because the software will give him immediate feedback. Instead of analyzing and selecting the move it all to often turns into guessing an erring and then guess again.
If you solve a page with puzzles on paper, write down the solution and check you answers after the page is finished (my current way of going through the workbooks), the analysis wil probably be more careful and complete. In a game the choice of a move is a proces of looking for moves, analyzing them and then verifying to see if you haven’t made a mistake. The last step is the first that suffers when I solve digital puzzles.
Since I started this stint of daily practice I have made another discovery. When I get stuck with a puzzle, it often helps when I get a chessboard on the table en setup the position. More than once I spotted the right move even during setting up the position. I am curious if other people have a similar experience.
Thanks Marino! I have heard a lot of positive things about the steps method :) and I agree with what your write! Have bought a little travel set for when I'm with the train :) I definitely also need to write down the variation more often
Thanks Marino! I have heard a lot of positive things about the steps method :) and I agree with what your write! Have bought a little travel set for when I'm with the train :) I definitely also need to write down the variation more often
First off, best of luck!! You mentioned that you will play at least +15 games, what about tactics, endgame etc, are all these from books ?
I have made a change a couple of weeks ago and have thought about adding to it. I was doing all my training and playing online (although I have only ever played 30 minute or more games online as I do not like short time formats), and I wondered if it was making me lazy. My calculation had dropped, even checking before each move for simple things like checks and captures I was getting lazy at. If I did puzzles and missed one, so what, move onto the next. So to try and fix this, I started doing some of my training from books. I am still playing, analyzing and doing puzzles online.
It seems that online chess has made chess, well, disposable. If you don't like your position, or you blunder a piece, or you don't calculate an exchange fully, no worries, resign and play another game. Or you get a puzzle wrong, who cares, move onto the next. Or you can't analyze a better move in post game, no worries, turn on an engine and see what it says.
I started to thing: If the only games you could play each week were 1 or 2 OTB games, I am sure the mindset would be to put everything into them to get as much as possible out of these games. And if you did game analysis OTB and puzzles and training from a book and set each one up on a board, again, you would spend the time getting it right since it takes work to keep setting them up etc. And that it the mindset I wish I had for online training and games.
Plus, what happens when OTB does come back, are we going to approach those games with this 'disposable' mindset ?
Perhaps a 30 day cleansing from all online chess is what I need. But do I have the courage to break my addiction?
Hi Nigel! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I definitely think that it is worth changing things up, when getting lazy or if you are not paying enough attention. I can recognise some of the behaviour you describe, so I’m interested to see how the experiment will go.
I tried to write that I will play only online games longer then +15 min. All studying will be done by reading books 📚
How do you follow the Candidates tournament? Do you? Some analog way to follow it too? Only look at the list of moves? No twitch/youtube??
A good question since I was not completely clear! I will follow the official broadcast with Dubov, when I have time to watch. Under normal conditions I would switch between broadcasts, social media and back again. Now I’m just following this one thing.
Hi Martin,
As I mentioned in a former reply to one of your posts, I am working through alle the workbooks of Steps method step 5. Steps 1, 2 and 3 are not only available as books, but also in a digital format (chess tutor 1, 2 and 3). Cor van Wingerden, (one of two creators of the stepsmethod, the other one is the late Rob Brunia) once explained to me that he preferred the paper version of the method for his students. Software invites the student to ‘guess’ the move because the software will give him immediate feedback. Instead of analyzing and selecting the move it all to often turns into guessing an erring and then guess again.
If you solve a page with puzzles on paper, write down the solution and check you answers after the page is finished (my current way of going through the workbooks), the analysis wil probably be more careful and complete. In a game the choice of a move is a proces of looking for moves, analyzing them and then verifying to see if you haven’t made a mistake. The last step is the first that suffers when I solve digital puzzles.
Since I started this stint of daily practice I have made another discovery. When I get stuck with a puzzle, it often helps when I get a chessboard on the table en setup the position. More than once I spotted the right move even during setting up the position. I am curious if other people have a similar experience.
Good luck with you digital diet!
Best,
Marino Kuper
Thanks Marino! I have heard a lot of positive things about the steps method :) and I agree with what your write! Have bought a little travel set for when I'm with the train :) I definitely also need to write down the variation more often
Thanks Marino! I have heard a lot of positive things about the steps method :) and I agree with what your write! Have bought a little travel set for when I'm with the train :) I definitely also need to write down the variation more often
What a great idea! I find this inspiring, we all need a good digital detox.
Thank you, Daniel!
First off, best of luck!! You mentioned that you will play at least +15 games, what about tactics, endgame etc, are all these from books ?
I have made a change a couple of weeks ago and have thought about adding to it. I was doing all my training and playing online (although I have only ever played 30 minute or more games online as I do not like short time formats), and I wondered if it was making me lazy. My calculation had dropped, even checking before each move for simple things like checks and captures I was getting lazy at. If I did puzzles and missed one, so what, move onto the next. So to try and fix this, I started doing some of my training from books. I am still playing, analyzing and doing puzzles online.
It seems that online chess has made chess, well, disposable. If you don't like your position, or you blunder a piece, or you don't calculate an exchange fully, no worries, resign and play another game. Or you get a puzzle wrong, who cares, move onto the next. Or you can't analyze a better move in post game, no worries, turn on an engine and see what it says.
I started to thing: If the only games you could play each week were 1 or 2 OTB games, I am sure the mindset would be to put everything into them to get as much as possible out of these games. And if you did game analysis OTB and puzzles and training from a book and set each one up on a board, again, you would spend the time getting it right since it takes work to keep setting them up etc. And that it the mindset I wish I had for online training and games.
Plus, what happens when OTB does come back, are we going to approach those games with this 'disposable' mindset ?
Perhaps a 30 day cleansing from all online chess is what I need. But do I have the courage to break my addiction?
Hi Nigel! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I definitely think that it is worth changing things up, when getting lazy or if you are not paying enough attention. I can recognise some of the behaviour you describe, so I’m interested to see how the experiment will go.
I tried to write that I will play only online games longer then +15 min. All studying will be done by reading books 📚
Let me know if you join me :)
I'm in !!
Great😁 starting tomorrow! If you need some tips watch this video with Cal Newport https://youtu.be/jSVhApzy8K4
It will be interesting to see if not doing online puzzles, negatively affects the ability to stop tactics during online games.
Only time will tell! I plan to start solving Yusupov’s series
thanks! One advantage I have is: I'm not on social media at all as far as FB, twitter, Insta etc etc
Have you gone mad?
Great idea and am sure it will prove beneficial in many ways. Look forward to following along but not on my phone 😉
Thanks, Michael 🙏🏻
Have you gone mad?
It’s just for 30 days 😄