It has been a year now that I started researching and testing different techniques to take my chess skills to another level. While results may not have always been as expected, positive signs will certainly encourage me to persevere in my quest. Although I need to put aside the project for now, my work is certainly not finished… Read More »
As promised, here are the last valuable lessons from 2700+ players! 25 – Nakamura on recovering from a loss HN: The most important key to being a great chess player is the ability to kind of forget, or to compartmentalize a very bad game or a very bad loss, and to come back the next day and just… Read More »
Dear chess friends, Since I started this project, I had decided to collect progressively all the articles, videos and other selected pieces of advice from books that could be valuable to improve my chess level in a minimal amount of time. What I realized is that top GMs tend not to unveil their secrets so easily, as they… Read More »
Which player has never heard that chess is all about tactics? Well, as the game requires also a good dose of strategy, we cannot say this claim is entirely true. But the thing is it is not totally wrong either. Indeed, until a certain level, let’s say 2000 Elo or so, most games are decided with a tactic… Read More »
The game has just started… Your opponent plays a couple of moves you anticipated thanks to your preparation the day before and suddenly, it all goes blank… Despite all your efforts to look inside your head, it’s impossible to recall the correct continuation, leading to the advantage you worked so hard to establish yesterday, exactly as if your… Read More »
When you think about chess confrontation, you must think of preparation. Getting ready for your game against a specific opponent can give you a tremendous advantage over the board; under the condition that you do it efficiently. So here are all the steps to follow in order to get the most out of your chess preparation, as well… Read More »
Have you ever found yourself astray in your thoughts during a chess game, so much that you lost track of time and forgot about the outside world? Being fully immersed in an activity like that is a state of mind called flow. As a chess player, entering this flow mode will give you a higher sense of control… Read More »
When I launched my project one year ago, I wanted first to experiment something totally different in terms of chess improvement. I decided to stop any form of chess training and rely exclusively on new habits that would boost my physical and mental form. The idea was first to find out how these non-chess habits would affect the… Read More »
Did you know that positive and consistent self-talk can lead you to success? There is evidence[i] showing that the identity you choose for yourself will eventually translate into your behavior and actions. Talking about that, I recently introduced to you the notion of visualization. Positives affirmations represent another excellent way to condition yourself to act successfully. The concept… Read More »
Whatever its origins, stress is part of the chess game and clearly inevitable in our everyday lives. When it becomes chronic, anxiety can slow down your memory functions, weaken your game and make you underperform. Releasing the pressure is a real but necessary challenge to overcome in order to finally play at your optimal level. Don’t worry anymore!… Read More »
I don’t know about you, but personally, I’ve already lost on time. Seeing the flagfall is quite frustrating, because you know you could (should?) certainly have avoided this situation. The tendency in tournaments is generally to reduce time controls and to apprehend these changes, it is better to get prepared. So, here are 7 helpful strategies to optimize… Read More »
If you have to choose only one non-chess-related technique to help you improve your game, it should be meditation. The benefits of this exercise are quite extensive and will be visible in numerous areas of your life. But why is meditation so valuable for a chess player? First, let’s answer this question as well as the concept and… Read More »
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Aristote It is well-known that one of the quickest ways to develop a skill is to learn from the best. Consequently, I thought it would be interesting to analyze as much information as possible about what Magnus Carlsen does to improve his game… Read More »
Endings being really complex in nature, finding the right path to either win or save a half point is definitely no easy task. Hopefully, a few rules exist to help you navigate more safely into their meanders. So here are 10 endings rules you certainly must know! Unleash the King’s power The fewer the pieces on the board,… Read More »
The endgame is probably the toughest phase to study. The fewer the pieces left on the board, the more subtle it becomes to manoeuver and thus, the harder it is to create weaknesses in your opponent’s camp or to defend your position. Developing an ending technique is somewhat close to being an art. On top of that, you… Read More »
If you haven’t been following my adventure, I have recently attempted to get my mind free. By free, I mean without any distractions from the day-to-day life. The idea behind this experiment is to enjoy not being disturbed at all during the tournament next week and thus be fully concentrated when I play. Consequently, I rigorously followed a… Read More »
Have you ever played a chess game while pondering about this task at work you didn’t manage to finish in due time? Or being interrupted in the middle of a critical calculation wondering if you finally did what your partner asked you to prepare, among the never-ending list of to-do’s you have? Often annoying, isn’t it? David Allen,… Read More »
Legendary human rights activist Malcolm X once said, “There is no better than adversity.” This quote is especially valuable in a chess loss, because the post-mortem analysis gives you much more insight than r a victory and reveals to be an excellent growth opportunity. As I just lost my two first ICN games of the season, writing these… Read More »