Chess is a fun game, till you enter your first tournament!
After which all hell breaks loose and two things may happen. Either you will be consumed by passion – or – stand as a bystander in frustration or awe. My intention is not to scare you out of the sport called chess but to help you prepare for it with a proper mindset without any fear or phobia. Separating the wood from the trees …
Chess is both science and art – and chess improvement will come when you consider this fact in your training.
Separating the wood from the trees – Key points to keep in mind.
If you practice only tactics, you will miss out on the connecting-big-picture while playing, and if you only play with strategic understanding with a weak tactical acumen you will be running a race with just one leg.
What is the best way to stand calm amidst the chaos regarding your Chess improvement?
Lets take some important points and talk about it in case you decide to take up the challenge of a real tournament Chess game!
Absolute passion or interest in Chess. Why? Its simple. Just as coal or water is needed to fuel a Steam Engine train – in the same way the fuel of excellence is interest or passion in whatever we do. Without this basic foundation, the building will collapse for sure. Ask yourself – are you passionate about your chess improvement and if so how much? Your chess improvement is directly proportional to your innate passion.
Time management. What do we mean by Time management? Its just a way of squeezing time whenever we are able to – for the sake of our training regimen. Plan for a day/week/month and keep looking for more. Do not allow lethargy or laziness come in the way. Diligent training will fetch rewards. Not just getting up one fine day and solving 50 positions and not looking at them for the next few days completely!Do you eat your food in the same way? I mean stuffing 3 meals at one time and then going without food the whole day?
Weeding out the negatives. What is meant by negatives? It can be anything. Eating too much or too little. Watching too much TV or having a late night sleeping time every day. It can also be anger or frustration or even lack of confidence. Just avoid these to the best you can.
Getting motivated in real life. I get motivated whenever I see the achievers and the dedication in almost all chess players who have been playing for more than a decade. (Not just in Chess but in other sports too). Our focus in chess gets a boost when we see the energy levels of the legends.Their achievements seem like a miracle but their efforts and sweat are hidden.Imagine and appreciate that hidden aspect and sit down for the training with a thought to achieving that height of dedication.
Let me know if you have any suggestions or doubts by way of comments. Share if you feel it will help others.
Golden Chess Centre conducts regular training sessions for upcoming chess players in Nanganallur, Madipakkam, Adambakkam, Moovarasampet, Kilkattalai, Kovilambakkam, Puzhuthivakkam, Ullagaram and Pazhavanthangal – Chennai, as well as online sessions for those players who live out of Chennai.
7 Tips – How to prepare for chess tournaments successfully
I would like to share some thoughts on this aspect of Chess. How to prepare for chess tournaments. I am sharing these techniques as I have seen the impact of these points personally.
The players I am directing today’s blog post are in the Beginner to intermediate strength and for higher rated players the mileage may vary depending on a myriad of other factors in play (mainly based on age).
Success does not come randomly in a day. It is merely a by-product of doing things correctly consistently.
Let us get on with the points in contention – how to prepare for chess tournaments:
Eating Right, Sleeping right, and Living Right: I would say in general keep a positive state of mind and nurture emotions and feelings of hopefulness, joy, and plenty of laughter (I recall watching loads of comedy films). This will ease the pressure that builds up for some players.
Creative Problem Solving: I would encourage you to keep your mind sharp and flexible by learning other games and puzzles outside of chess such as GO, Scrabble, Sudoku, Shogi, etc. Learning new skills and thinking about the connections to chess, is a creative way to give your mind a break from chess while still staying, “in the zone”.
The Power of Visualization and Positive Thinking: Let us face it. We all have hopes and fears of the upcoming event; why not build yourself up to being a confident player, who believes he is going to be fighting for the first prize in the final round and coming out on top. Try it while you are in the act of studying chess or playing casual games or training games; see yourself playing these same winning moves at the tournament. Try to imagine yourself putting all that work into action; playing strong chess and avoiding bad habits (playing too fast, getting up from the board, not getting tired, blunders). Confidence and “game” are huge parts of the chess battle. In many games, I have observed it comes down to who has more confidence, will, and energy than anything else.
Sharpening Up: Calculation (and evaluation) and Tactical Strength are the base level ingredients of being on form and achieving desired results. We all know what happens if we are not able to spot double attacks, combinations, or simply dropping pawns and pieces. The study of King and Pawn endgames along with solving tactical studies works wonders. The trick here is to choose a book (or software) that has just the right mix of problems that you can feel challenged yet still be able to solve many positions in a sitting. As a Chess Coach, I like to give tactical positions that are challenging, but not so hard to give my students a headache.
Going All Out: This idea ties into my thoughts on creative visualization, but I want to stress the importance of being psyched up to play great, uncompromising chess during the event. Be creative and cultivate your inner fire; become inspired at the actual tournament and believe that you have what it takes to take it all.
Relaxation with Family and Friends: Do not forget about making the most of the time you spend with your family, friends, and loved ones. This is your support team and you need to feel emotionally strong and loved in order to achieve maximal results.
Regular Exercise:Benefits of Exercise are well known and documented. However, from a chess point of view, I would suggest it primarily for one reason – the oxygen intake helps de-clutter your mind. If you would like more info I suggest this book as a must-read: Exercise Every Day: 32 Tactics for Building the Exercise Habit by S.J Scott. It contains some of the best tips.
My advice on how to prepare for chess tournaments – do not be afraid to dream and believe you are going to have a great result. Of course, this has to be backed by hard work before the event and during the games.
I do hope to see you playing the best chess of your life and more importantly – enjoy the process!
