Hi, Nate. I really enjoy your thoughtful articles. I'm also an adult improver (although I sometimes play chess more like an "adult decliner" <grin>). Your article today about common mistakes in learning openings was particularly insightful. (I especially enjoyed the two charts, "Stagnation" and "Improvement"!) Please keep up the great work. Do you have a Patreon account, or some other way I can offer a (small) donation to support your efforts?
Thanks for your prompt response, Nate. OK, your upcoming book is on my buy list! Also, let me share a technique that I use when building my opening repertoires. Using a Lichess Study, for my opponent's moves I look at the Lichess database, set to my rating level. (In my case, 1600.) For my response move, I switch to the Masters database, and select the most popular move. For each move in my repertoire, I toggle between databases this way until I've captured all of the opponent moves covering about 75% of the Lichess-1600 database. Bottom line, using this approach I prepare not to play against a Master, but rather to play confidently against the type of opponent I'm likely to face when I play on Lichess. Would love to hear your comments about this technique.
I really enjoy your articles: very helpful for an adult improver that started late in life.
Thank you!
Hi, Nate. I really enjoy your thoughtful articles. I'm also an adult improver (although I sometimes play chess more like an "adult decliner" <grin>). Your article today about common mistakes in learning openings was particularly insightful. (I especially enjoyed the two charts, "Stagnation" and "Improvement"!) Please keep up the great work. Do you have a Patreon account, or some other way I can offer a (small) donation to support your efforts?
Thanks Michael! I don't currently have a Patreon. You can buy my book when I finish it, which will be any day now I swear :)
Thanks for your prompt response, Nate. OK, your upcoming book is on my buy list! Also, let me share a technique that I use when building my opening repertoires. Using a Lichess Study, for my opponent's moves I look at the Lichess database, set to my rating level. (In my case, 1600.) For my response move, I switch to the Masters database, and select the most popular move. For each move in my repertoire, I toggle between databases this way until I've captured all of the opponent moves covering about 75% of the Lichess-1600 database. Bottom line, using this approach I prepare not to play against a Master, but rather to play confidently against the type of opponent I'm likely to face when I play on Lichess. Would love to hear your comments about this technique.