A lack of focus while playing? I already suggested trying a bubble gum. But for some of you who would not be fan of chewing, you can give a try to this one minute focus hack:

• First, decide on a piece of your choice over the board
• Then select a specific point of this chess piece (The eyes of the knight, the king cross…)
• Next, give your full attention staring at this point during one minute.
• Finally, don’t let yourself think about anything else during the process and breathe quietly.

That’s it. One minute is all it actually takes to quiet your inner mind and find back your focus.

Why this works

How could possibly such a simple technique work? This trick is in fact the equivalent to a minute of deep mindfulness practice, which as explained in a previous article, is a form of meditation especially beneficial to develop your attention muscle.

Let’s recap. A chess piece, one minute and a focus hack. What do you have to lose?