If you are going to make your mark among masters, you have to work far harder and more intensively, or to put it more exactly, the work is far more complex than that needed to gain the title of Master
I am involved with junior chess and I always tell juniors to record their games so we can analyse them after with better players . You find that you tend to repeat the same mistakes at all stages of the game unless you are told what those mistakes are . Then you actively avoid making those mistakes and you improve . Endgame positions practice is a must especially rook and pawn endgames . The lucena position and phillidor positions . Capablanca endgames with rook play are magical and anybody who plays over his games can’t but be impressed how he gradually builds his positions and beats his opponents seemingly effortlessly . Magnus Carlsen also had this ability and his games are also extremely instructive . I was always a social player and because of work and family commitments never really progressed but for young players out there by proper opening , middlegame and endgame preparation your rating will improve dramatically . Critical analysis as recommended by Botvinick is the way to go . I would say 2 good openings and 2 good defences analysed thoroughly should get you to 1900 to 2000 with effort and determination
I admit that although I would love to get into my own and proper analysis of my games, I use the engine a lot. And it's a fact that it finds variants that I wouldn't have thought were in the position.
Jan Timman followed the Botvinnik method with great success, and even wrote a (great) book called The Art of Chess Analysis. Although I think he mentioned that the whole "countryside detox" didn't really work for him and he got better results sticking to his normal lifestyle :-)
Excellent post and enjoyable read. To me the self analysis piece seems spot on to decrease the bad moves and increase the good ones. Just have to filter out all the noise that gets in the way.
Fantastic post Martin! I might need to steal that Kasparov quote for a chapter in my book 👀
A key take away for me was “chess as the art of analysis”
I know it’s been commented on before, but skills from chess such as analysis, strategy, and planning are invaluable to almost any aspect of your life.
I am involved with junior chess and I always tell juniors to record their games so we can analyse them after with better players . You find that you tend to repeat the same mistakes at all stages of the game unless you are told what those mistakes are . Then you actively avoid making those mistakes and you improve . Endgame positions practice is a must especially rook and pawn endgames . The lucena position and phillidor positions . Capablanca endgames with rook play are magical and anybody who plays over his games can’t but be impressed how he gradually builds his positions and beats his opponents seemingly effortlessly . Magnus Carlsen also had this ability and his games are also extremely instructive . I was always a social player and because of work and family commitments never really progressed but for young players out there by proper opening , middlegame and endgame preparation your rating will improve dramatically . Critical analysis as recommended by Botvinick is the way to go . I would say 2 good openings and 2 good defences analysed thoroughly should get you to 1900 to 2000 with effort and determination
Great article. Sounds like an amazing guy.
Thanks for the great article, Martin!
I admit that although I would love to get into my own and proper analysis of my games, I use the engine a lot. And it's a fact that it finds variants that I wouldn't have thought were in the position.
Maybe that's why I'm not another Gukesh ;)
Jan Timman followed the Botvinnik method with great success, and even wrote a (great) book called The Art of Chess Analysis. Although I think he mentioned that the whole "countryside detox" didn't really work for him and he got better results sticking to his normal lifestyle :-)
Excellent post and enjoyable read. To me the self analysis piece seems spot on to decrease the bad moves and increase the good ones. Just have to filter out all the noise that gets in the way.