4 Principles for Chess Improvement

With a new year starting, many people are looking to take their chess to the next level, but it’s hard to know where to start. There are more resources out there than ever. On the one hand, this is great: you have lots of material to work with. On the other, it’s a nightmare: there seems to be a huge mountain of stuff to get through.

The good news is, you really don’t have to do most of that stuff. The bad news – well, it’s not really bad news – is you need to focus relentlessly on what actually matters.

Today, I’m going to try to distill the key insights from my last year of coaching into four principles.

Simple Beats Optimal

Given my background in poker and data science, many people expect me to take a highly analytical approach to chess improvement. While I do like to look at the stats, over time, my approach has gotten simpler. There are a few reasons for this:

• No one, including me, knows what optimal looks like when it comes to chess training.

• It makes no sense to think about optimization unless you’re nailing the basics… and very few people are.

What are the basics? Playing, reviewing your games, and solving exercises. You may be thinking, “I already do that.” But here’s the kicker: do you do all of them, with focus, consistently over a long period of time?

Consistency Beats Intensity

Consistency is the killer. Anyone can train well for a day, but most get derailed. They have a few bad results and stop playing for a month. Or real-life commitments get in the way. Or they get distracted by a new book or course that’s not relevant for their current level.

When they don’t see tangible progress, they conclude they need to do more: more books, more courses, more openings. In most cases, the reality is you need to do less, but with greater focus and consistency.

I believe most players are 3 months of doing the basics away from seeing tangible improvement. But few ever make it through those 3 months.

What you can do > What you know

I saw a Twitter post recently asking someone to list out all the things you need to know to become a master. The problem is, becoming a master is (mostly) not about knowing things. At least, not things that can be put into words. It would be like asking, What are all the things you need to know to make it into the NBA?

Winning at chess isn’t about memorizing a lot of esoteric facts. It’s about learning to spot patterns, structure your thinking, and manage your time. Constantly learning new concepts without developing the experience to employ them is a trap.

In the vast majority of cases, you don’t need more information. You need more practice.

How you study > What you study

There are so many questions when it comes to chess improvement:

Online or OTB? Blitz, rapid, or classical? Books or videos?

As long as you’re doing some version of the basics, any of these could work. But if you don’t bring focus and curiosity to the table, nothing will work.

This is another problem with optimization: the most important qualities are hard to measure. Succeeding is not about finding the perfect alchemy of study techniques to transform your game. It’s about showing up consistently with focus and curiosity.

If you’re ready to put these principles into action, you might want to check out my free study plan workshop, where we’ll go step-by-step through creating a specific, personalized chess study plan.