2 Questions

A. I am wondering, does anyone here keep a catalogue or database of their past games? (including OTB) I know a number of players who do this. They say it's a good reference tool. What say you all? RHP keeps all or most of games on this site, but do you folks keep your own database as well? I'm not sure replaying my deeply flawed games time and again is a great idea.

B. I'll be finishing Susan Polgar's tactics book soon, and am considering buying The Woodpecker Method by Axel Smith and Hans Tikkanen. Is this a good book for a club player in the 1400 - 1500 range?

@mchill said
A. I am wondering, does anyone here keep a catalogue or database of their past games? (including OTB) I know a number of players who do this. They say it's a good reference tool. What say you all? RHP keeps all or most of games on this site, but do you folks keep your own database as well? I'm not sure replaying my deeply flawed games time and again is a great idea.

B. I'l ...[text shortened]... hod by Axel Smith and Hans Tikkanen. Is this a good book for a club player in the 1400 - 1500 range?

All I tend to do is go to analyze game on games where I have lost or losing to see where I went wrong and try to remember not to make the same mistakes again!!
I once started a database of my openings analysing the ones where I'd had the most success but got fed up after a while.
I don't bother with books at all.
At one time I used to have chess magazine but I found following the moves on a board too laborious so I gave that up as well.
I do read all greenpawn's blogs though and play thro'the games he posts which can be quite instructive

@mchill

I have the Woodpecker book, if you like tactics/puzzle solving
then it's a good thing to do if you can spare the time.

Every single puzzle is taken from a game played by a former (or current)
world champion, which is nice.

You will be forced to time yourself as you go through them each day,
then after so long you repeat the process over again with the SAME puzzles,
until you complete them all within 24 hours.

As for databases, every single OTB game I've ever played since May 2017
has been input on my copy of Fritz 13, purely as then I have quick access to them
if I ever want to reference previous opening approaches or share certain games.

So to answer both questions... Reveal Hidden Content

@64squaresofpain said
@mchill

I have the Woodpecker book, if you like tactics/puzzle solving
then it's a good thing to do if you can spare the time.

Every single puzzle is taken from a game played by a former (or current)
world champion, which is nice.

You will be forced to time yourself as you go through them each day,
then after so long you repeat the process over again with ...[text shortened]... opening approaches or share certain games.

So to answer both questions... [hidden]DO IT![/hidden]

Thank You. Much appreciated. 🙂

@venda said
All I tend to do is go to analyze game on games where I have lost or losing to see where I went wrong and try to remember not to make the same mistakes again!!
I once started a database of my openings analysing the ones where I'd had the most success but got fed up after a while.
I don't bother with books at all.
At one time I used to have chess magazine but I found followin ...[text shortened]... do read all greenpawn's blogs though and play thro'the games he posts which can be quite instructive

Thank You

Hi mchill,

I think most (all) OTB players have put there games in their own DataBase.
I put all my 60's,70's, 80 games into a D.B. in the late 90's.
Brought back some happy memories and more than a few nightmares.

I do not have the Woodpecker book, It will be OK, these things can hardly fail.
Any book on tactical puzzles will suffice. The best book I have one this subject is
the one I used to kick off Blog Post 315 I say more about in the Blog.

Edit: Just re-read that Blog. I have still not worked my way through that book.

@mchill

What is your name at the "other site"?

@mchill said
A. I am wondering, does anyone here keep a catalogue or database of their past games? (including OTB) I know a number of players who do this. They say it's a good reference tool. What say you all? RHP keeps all or most of games on this site, but do you folks keep your own database as well? I'm not sure replaying my deeply flawed games time and again is a great idea.

B. I'l ...[text shortened]... hod by Axel Smith and Hans Tikkanen. Is this a good book for a club player in the 1400 - 1500 range?

I don't keep every single game here, but I have separate databases for certain openings I was trying to learn. I have all my OTB games in databases, as I go over each one after a tournament.

As for books, the best book for you is one in which you are interested, and will actually read and finish. If you are actually interested in it, and you make the effort to understand it, you WILL get better.

As a parenthetic reference, GM Lars Bo Hansen once told me that the two most influential books he read were "Rubinstein's Chess Masterpieces" by Hans Kmoch, and "Lasker's Manual of Chess" by Emmanuel Lasker. He became a very strong player based on those two books, and lots of hard work.

A DB of your games can be useful but if you don't know the reason you are making mistakes/losing etc then it would be better if you had someone else stronger than you analyse and provide feedback.

Defeats in chess can be very painful, so the DB can hold painful memories. Who has played people online and they become rude because they have lost?

For arguments sake you could be 1400 be weak in openings and endings but be 1800 in the middlegame. Or you might be getting a good position then crumble because you are making a middle-game errors i.e. moving your Queen too much or trying to start attacks with pieces undeveloped.

You could email your DB of games to your coach/stronger buddy so that could be useful so that you don't end up making the same mistakes.

@mchill said
A. I am wondering, does anyone here keep a catalogue or database of their past games? (including OTB) I know a number of players who do this. They say it's a good reference tool. What say you all? RHP keeps all or most of games on this site, but do you folks keep your own database as well? I'm not sure replaying my deeply flawed games time and again is a great idea.

B. I'l ...[text shortened]... hod by Axel Smith and Hans Tikkanen. Is this a good book for a club player in the 1400 - 1500 range?

I keep a database of my games here, one of my LiChess games and one of my OTB games, at least the ones serious enough that we keep score. It's interesting to compare results in different openings over time.