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Training beginners in Chess – Count till 10 and then see the results change drastically!
“When angry, count to 10 before you speak. If very angry, up to a hundred!” is a very apt technique in anger management.
However, when I say “count till 10” to my online chess students, it is not for anger, but for impulsive chess playing habits.
And I have been finding a huge improvement in the way the children respond to their opponent’s move.
Training beginners in Chess to count till 10 – is my idea of superimposing a conscious task-repetition, to a subconscious task and making a conscious effort.
And pretty highly effective too!
This way it makes the mind be here and now.
Why is it so difficult to Training beginners in Chess
Among chess players especially when you are a beginner (whether child or adult, doesn’t matter) the biggest problem that all trainers face is that the players do not understand the importance of giving a second thought to the move that they are about to play.
More so in online chess classes and tests.
They play impulsively and instinctively.
And that is innate in all of us unless we are trained differently.
It has to do a lot with the way our body responds to external stimulus – known as the flight or fight syndrome.
When Training beginners in Chess, (especially kids who are beginners), I focus on this aspect in my online chess classes before going deep into theoretical domains.
Training beginners in Chess – fight or flight?
This is the body’s response to any perceptible threat or danger.
During this reaction, some hormones like Adrenalin and Cortisol are released by the body to cope with contingencies.
This results in faster heart rate and various other autonomic nervous functional changes, providing the body with a burst of energy and strength.
This response prepares the body to either fight or flees from the critical situation.
The person’s body is getting ready to do one of two things in such a scenario:
- Confront the threat and deal with it, or
- Get as far away from the threat as quickly as possible.
This fight or flight response can actually be life-saving when there is an actual and real physical threat.
For example, when driving, if you see someone cross the road in front, you suddenly slam the brakes as you need to react quickly in order to prevent an accident.
What needs to be changed when training beginners – whether kids or adults – in Chess?
The fight-or-flight response, also known as the acute stress response, refers to a psychological reaction that occurs in the presence of something that is terrifying, either mentally or physically.
However… What is strange is that the response can be triggered due to both real and imaginary threats.
We have fear and stress in non-critical threat situations too (like in a game of chess) because of the way we perceive these situations.
Our bodies cannot always tell the difference between real and imagined threats.
Therefore, when we interpret a situation as critical on the chessboard, our body is going to respond as though that situation is dangerous and threatening, even if it really isn’t in actuality.
The fight-or-flight response was first described in the 1920s by American physiologist Walter Cannon.
Cannon realized that a chain of rapidly occurring reactions inside the body help mobilize the body’s resources to deal with threatening circumstances – source
Training beginners in Chess – Count till 10 before making a move
This is my idea of making a chess move whether in online chess classes or games to slow down the untrained mind of chess kids.- a conscious effort reduces impulsive reactions.
This makes the mind to be in the mindful state of here and now.
So how do we get about doing this?
Simple. By asking the child to count till 10 before making a move, however, forced and obvious it may be.
They will be irritated by your advice, initially. Let them be.
Over time, they will understand why this drilling took place, and they will thank you for this.
Once the child has grasped the importance of this training he/she is free to play without counting.
Suggested reading for coaches and parents:
Tournament Chess Set Triple Weighted – 100% satisfied!
Psychology of Chess Weaknesses | 4 Easy Hacks
Correct Attitude to Learning chess | 5 Tips to success
3 Important Questions To Ask Before a Chess Move
13 Free Smart Chess Training Ideas that Actually Work
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