5 months to go before my first OTB tournament in over 2 decades. I just got hammered by Chessmaster in 2 training games, but have to admit, I forgot just how much fun OTB is! OK - Susan Polgar's tactics book first I think, then alternating openings study, training games, and endgame study. Supplemental: Youtube tactics training, and playing over Informant GM games. I feel like Pooh Bear, so much to be done.
The crowds, the clocks, the tension. Washington Open. Here I come!
P.S. Please ignore my babbling if you wish, but I've not been this excited in a long time. 🙂
@mchill
Congratulations and good luck.
If you are 1600 your openings are fine. The key to the next tactical training is bishops and knights in the middle game. The leap from 1600 to 1800 is based on strong pawn play (pawn structure) and being better than your opponent with the bishops and knights in the middle game.
my .02 :-)
@hope saidmynameislint and hope - Thanks for your comments. Good advise. 🙂
@mchill
Congratulations and good luck.
If you are 1600 your openings are fine. The key to the next tactical training is bishops and knights in the middle game. The leap from 1600 to 1800 is based on strong pawn play (pawn structure) and being better than your opponent with the bishops and knights in the middle game.
my .02 :-)
@mchill saidFundamentals, always fundamentals.
5 months to go before my first OTB tournament in over 2 decades. I just got hammered by Chessmaster in 2 training games, but have to admit, I forgot just how much fun OTB is! OK - Susan Polgar's tactics book first I think, then alternating openings study, training games, and endgame study. Supplemental: Youtube tactics training, and playing over Informant GM games. I feel like ...[text shortened]...
P.S. Please ignore my babbling if you wish, but I've not been this excited in a long time. 🙂
And by this, I mean
Chess Fundamentals by José Raúl Capablanca
@mchill
Ah, the smell of the crowd, the roar of the greasepaint -- a real tourney. Don't forget the clock. When you're out of your depth, complicate, complicate, complicate. Many a game seemingly lost on the board is won in the nick of time !
@moonbus saidNicholas von Zeit is one of the patron Saints of chess players. Along with St. Jude.
@mchill
Ah, the smell of the crowd, the roar of the greasepaint -- a real tourney. Don't forget the clock. When you're out of your depth, complicate, complicate, complicate. Many a game seemingly lost on the board is won in the nick of time !
@moonbus
In Britain tournaments are generally run with an incremental time control nowadays, which has made the "won games thrown away in time trouble" far less common than they used to be. Of course this means that digital clocks have to be used, and since the players usually provide their own equipment in the USA (is that still the case?), perhaps analog clocks are still prevalent.
@mchill saidGiven your rating and that the site rules allow databases and opening books playing here is probably enough to keep your openings sharp. Doing daily tactics puzzles is probably enough, it's easier to do the actual work if it's a game, but I won't discourage you from going through the Polgar book. In which case I tend to think your study focus should be on the endgame. You've got enough time to do some middle game study as well - but don't take on too much new material, you need to be able to absorb it. The last month or so should just be revision.
5 months to go before my first OTB tournament in over 2 decades. I just got hammered by Chessmaster in 2 training games, but have to admit, I forgot just how much fun OTB is! OK - Susan Polgar's tactics book first I think, then alternating openings study, training games, and endgame study. Supplemental: Youtube tactics training, and playing over Informant GM games. I feel like ...[text shortened]...
P.S. Please ignore my babbling if you wish, but I've not been this excited in a long time. 🙂
@deepthought saidThank You.
Given your rating and that the site rules allow databases and opening books playing here is probably enough to keep your openings sharp. Doing daily tactics puzzles is probably enough, it's easier to do the actual work if it's a game, but I won't discourage you from going through the Polgar book. In which case I tend to think your study focus should be on the endgame. ...[text shortened]... much new material, you need to be able to absorb it. The last month or so should just be revision.
@deepthought saidWell said. Studying endgames helps one understand the strengths and weaknesses of each piece, and how they interact with each other. It's sort of a "Mr. Miyagi" approach to tactics, in that it improves one's middlegame play without consciously attempting to do so.
Given your rating and that the site rules allow databases and opening books playing here is probably enough to keep your openings sharp. Doing daily tactics puzzles is probably enough, it's easier to do the actual work if it's a game, but I won't discourage you from going through the Polgar book. In which case I tend to think your study focus should be on the endgame. ...[text shortened]... much new material, you need to be able to absorb it. The last month or so should just be revision.
There is also a rebound effect- if you know what type of endgame to aim for and which ones to avoid, it makes middlegame planning that much easier. For instance, when there are pawn captures or piece exchanges available when it is your move, a consideration of the resulting types of endgames that could result makes such decisions a little easier to make.
Another side effect of studying endgames is that if you convince yourself that you are good at endgames (or at least better than your opponent) then swapping off to an ending can become your default plan if you can't think of what to do in the middlegame. I'm sure Greenpawn would approve of this.
@old-indian saidThank You for responding. My USCF rating was in the mid 1500's when I left OTB in about '93, though my peak was just below 1700. Travel time and costs are about the same as yours, so 2-3 a year will be my limit. I hope your return will be successful. Tactics study is highly recommended. 🙂
Glad to see you returning to tournaments eh?
I made a promise to myself to attend at least one this year eh?
For me it is a 2 hour bus ride and 3 nights in a motel so it is hard and costly eh?
What rating class will you be in?