Summer Chess Solitude
My summer vacation is nearing and for the last couple of years, I have made an effort to read real, non-digital chess books.
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My summer vacation is nearing and for the last couple of years, I have made an effort to read real, non-digital chess books. Last year I read ‘My System’ by Nimzowitch. In 2020 it was Bent Larsen’s best games and the orange Yusupov tactics books. Back in 2019, it was the mammoth book ‘How to Reassess Your Chess’ that I managed to finish.
In today’s digital world there is something amazing about disconnecting from the constant inputs. Cal Newport, the author of ‘Digital Minimalism’, writes the following about being in a state of constant interaction with others:
“Solitude Deprivation: A state in which you spend close to zero time alone with your own thoughts and free from input from other minds.”
— Cal Newport
In the same way, there can be a state of solitude deprivation in chess training, where you never spend time working on your game alone without constant feedback.
There seems to be a disconnect between the bombardment of advice you get when you are part of the online chess community and the apparent solitude you experience during a game.
When you play chess you are in an extreme state of solitude. You only have your inner voice to guide you through the game. You cannot ask for help from a teammate, send a tweet, ask on Discord, check Stockfish, call your coach, look up the line on Chessable, or even say a word.
So, if you never practice being in this state, formulating your own thoughts, you will be very alone when you sit at your next tournament. Getting feedback is a lot easier compared to thinking. It takes a lot more effort, energy, and grit to force yourself to do deep thinking.
The advice-giving was recently also mentioned by @space_Amy on Chess Twitter:
I’m sure that most of the advice is well-meant and given with the best intentions, but as Amy tweets, it can be overwhelming. And the constant jumping around between training methods and openings is often ineffective.
When I think back on my own chess studies over the last couple of years, I got the most joy out of the books I finished during my summer holidays. They were the only chess material I brought with me. And I could go into depth with the material I had in my hands.
This summer I plan to read another chess book, properly Alekhine’s best games collection, and solve puzzles from my own new tactics book. This will hopefully be a good break. What books will you be reading this summer?
I will most likely also take a break with the newsletter during July to relax and recharge my batteries.
I wish you a great summer!
/Martin
Finally, remember to check out my new book in The Tactics Ladder series if you havn’t done so yet.
Where did you get that portable magnetic chess board? that would come in very handy on vacation.
Hmmm my username on Twitch is SummerOfSolitude and it used to be the same at chess.com. Currently using Solitude.