Breaking Chess Stagnation - All Time High October

Inspired by Zwitchenzug's blog post

Hello readers, long time no see! I took a break from writing for a while to attempt to focus on my chess improvement rather than my chess writing and introspection. I think seeing these two things as separate has been part of the issue, but that’s a blog post for another day. The results have been… mixed. Readers of this blog will know I had a terrible tournament earlier this year, (Blog Post:‘Moving Through Chess Failure’) losing a whopping 50 rating points in a single event to drop from 2116 to 2066. After making some changes that I talked about in that blog, I was able to have a great comeback all the way back to 2116. This included co-winning the Green Bay Open with a draw against IM Erik Santarius as black, finishing the event with 4.5/5. I even made it on TV!

https://www.nbc26.com/greenbay/wisconsins-best-chess-players-showcased-during-the-46th-annual-green-bay-open

I thought, ‘Now it’s time for smooth sailing all the way to the goal, 2200 USCF!’. I was very wrong:

Another 50+ point loss! Ouch! After some introspection, I realized that the truth is, I am just not yet good enough to avoid these type of results on occasion. I need to be more consistent, and that comes from consistency in my PRACTICE and thinking process. I am not discouraged in my journey for national master, and the bright side is that I still am at the same rating as the beginning of the year, despite losing 100 points over 2 tournaments in the middle! In the past 2 years, I am still up nearly 180 rating points. Now that some perspective has helped me stop wallowing, how can I get the ship going in the right direction again?

All Time High October

Due to life circumstances (just bought a house, full time job, other unimportant non-chess things) I won’t be able to attend OTB weekend tournaments until November. I was looking for a goal to latch onto, to inspire some difficult and consistent training. Then I stumbled upon FM Nate Solon’s personal goal and subsequent blog post.

Should You Have a Rating Goal?

FM Nate Solon:

What a fun idea! I am not very into blitz, so I took a glance at my lichess rapid rating. I’m currently rated 2310 lichess rapid, with a high of 2410 (that I frustratingly TIED about a month ago). The goal is clear:

I will hit 2411 lichess rapid by October 31st, or in November I will learn how to checkmate with a bishop and a knight against the computer in under 1 minute.

It’s a lofty goal with how far away I am currently with only 2/3rds of the month to go, but I am confident I can do it. I DO NOT want to learn how to checkmate with a B+N, let alone repeating the pattern enough times to get it under a minute on the lichess analysis board. The main purpose of this goal and punishment is to inspire difficult and consistent training. So what does that training towards this goal look like?

Evan’s October Chess Training Plan:

I’ve always struggled with creating a training plan that improves my online rapid skill, as well as my OTB classical skill. This indecision has lead to decision paralysis, and I end up just not training well at all. With some inspiration from this goal, and a lot of thought, I think I have a solid plan. I am going to split up my training, with half the days of the week to be dedicated to online/rapid training, and half to focus on OTB/Classical training. You can also think of this split as ‘System 1’ vs ‘System 2’ training. GM Jesse Kraii of the ChessDojo does a great job breaking down these differences in chess thought:

On M/W/F, I will focus on ‘System 1’ thinking, and rapid play. System 1 being, memorization, intuition, making correct decisions without extremely deep thought.

SYSTEM 1 DAILY TRAINING PLAN

The goal of this part of the training plan is to load my brain with tactics and positions, and use the ‘survival puzzles’ to make sure I am fully tactically ‘awake’ when getting into the rapid games. The rules are meant to make sure I am being ‘introspective’ about my mistakes, as well as not wasting my time by not giving my chess the full focus it deserves. Mistakes should be noted, and posted in my personal ‘mistake list’ chessable course that I maintain.

On T/Th/Sat I will focus on my ‘System 2’ thinking. This is deep and intentional thought, stretching the edges of your calculation in complicated positions.

SYSTEM 2 DAILY TRAINING PLAN

This ‘System’ is definitely the weaker part of my game, as when I am ‘off’ it’s due to lack of focus, and lack of ability to access this kind of thinking. That’s why I have chosen the book ‘Recognizing Your Opponents Resources’ as my main resource. The positions are often ‘winning’, but require deep thought to understand the opponents ‘resources’ to ruin your idea. These type of positions will force my system 2 thinking, as well as give me good practice in converting complex, but winning, positions. All positions will be solved using a board and pieces. The lines of analysis will be written down for accurate checking.

I will be updating my daily ‘results’ of my training every day on this excel sheet, so feel free to follow along if you want to see how it’s going!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1FLELptSYb0Y1d_yqU88yv07YCg70xUagKActalGrd7I/edit?usp=sharing

Please feel free to reach out on discord ‘TheChessLobster’, or twitter @ChessLobster if you have any thoughts about this blog or chess in general! Expect a follow-up post in early November about the results of this challenge. In an Ocean Of Chess, thanks for choosing this blog to give your time to!