I have set myself the goal to reach ELO 1800 by Summer 2013. I don’t play enough tournaments or league games so what will count is a consistent rating around 1950 on ICC. To make it possible, I came up with my own systematic chess training. You can find a lot of input on the internet but it’s important to find your own way. Together with Paul, a good friend and passionate chess player (you can find his blog here) the different methods have been discussed in and out.
I can highly recommend the Chess Exam and Training Guide. It’s absolutely brutal. Most players think that they play much better and that the current rating doesn’t reflect their real strength. This book will take away all illusions and reveal the strengths and weaknesses. Based on the individual performance the author gives good recommendations on how to improve in the various areas.
Update September 2010: The following paragraphs have been completely revised. I have reviewed my training after 5 months and found out that some things didn’t really work for me. I also found a very interesting article about how to learn effectively (see my blog entry) and it was time to for a change.
The most important tip is to find a chess buddy, one who keeps you motivated, analyzes games with you and plays training games. Playing styles are often very different and your buddy will see things you would never consider. Progress will come faster and it’s more fun as well.
The second tip is to stick to your trainings plan. This is an obvious point but consistency is the key for an effective training, not sudden burst of energy. My schedule is very free and I use a Google Doc to keep track of it. Here is a dynamic graphic that shows how much time I have spent on which area (it’s always up-to-date):
Time spent on topics since September 2010
The modules are:
- Tactics: solve tactical puzzles of all kind. Pattern recognition is very important but you need to learn the basic patterns first. Doing just 5-10 puzzles every day helps more than rushing through 100s and then taking a break. Make sure that the puzzles are not sorted by theme. This is a big mistake. It’s good for the initial learning but not for practicing.
- Calculation: thinking up to 20 min about a complex position. Chess is a concrete game and to be able to calculate concrete variations accurately is an important skill.
- Opening: I usually use Blitz (nice excuse, I know) to get familiar with opening lines. A quick review is necessary to check that the repertoire is correctly memorized.
- Middlegame (and strategy): read a book about basic strategy, study middlegame plans from positions that arise out of your openings, solve “find the plan” or “it’s your move” puzzles, later start to annotate master games. The point is to really work out why a side is better, to break down a position and to come up with a logical plan. It’s better to have a bad plan than to have no plan at all. Once the plan is clear, find good squares for your pieces so that you are able to make the next moves faster.
- Endgame: study endgame manuals, solve puzzles, endgame training against a computer.
- Match: long, serious games (at least G30+10, better G60 or G45+45) and careful post-game analysis (first without the computer). Write down at least 3 new things you have learnt from the game. (This is a tip from Andrew Soltis.) If you are a member of ICC, you can join a team in the Team4545League, play the monthly STTourney or look at the chess9030 site.
As time is limited it’s necessary to set priorities. Simple tactics is a must and should never be skipped (3-10 puzzles are enough). In the past I was convinced that strict focus on one single topic works better but I will try the recommendation of psychologists to study distinct but related topics. This can be done by annotating complete master games. Whenever something is unclear one can look up the underlying strategic principles (e.g. games with similar middlegame plans or endgames) to deepen this area. It’s hard of course, especially when you try to guess the next move, but this kind of active learning works much better than memorizing endless lines of theory.
Okay, that’s it, no big secrets at this stage. Until ELO 1800 it will be enough to focus on tactics, basic strategy+ endgames and to avoid blunders.
Last Update: September 2010
