The Chess Improvement Checklist
I’ve been writing Zwischenzug for almost exactly a year and sometimes it seems like the more you learn about chess improvement the more confusing it gets. So I wanted to take this opportunity to try to boil down everything I’ve learned in the past year into a short checklist of the things that actually work for chess improvement. If you’re taking stock of your chess improvement going into 2022, you can use this as a starting point.
Without further ado, here’s the list:
Do you work on chess every day?
Do you solve challenging problems?
Do you play games with real stakes?
Do you review your games?
Do you have a community?
This list is not meant to be an exhaustive roadmap for chess improvement. It’s deliberately open-ended. What it’s meant to do is give you a way to check in on whether you’ve got the big things covered.
It’s sort of like if you were preparing to run a marathon and I asked, “Are you going for runs regularly?” or “Are you eating well?” Is it possible that you could answer no to these questions and still manage to finish the marathon? Yeah, it’s possible. It’s also possible that you could answer yes to both and still not finish. But if you answered no it would be pretty hard to claim you were giving yourself the best chance for success.
This checklist is meant to do the same thing for chess. It’s the basic things you should be doing to give yourself the best chance of improvement. Below, I go into detail on why these are the five most important things.
Do you work on chess every day?
The learning research is clear on this one: consistency is key. If you have, let’s say, five hours a week to work on chess, it’s better to do about 45 minutes every day than a single five-hour cram session. It seems that working on something consistently makes it more likely your subconscious will keep chugging along on it in the background.
Is all lost if you miss a day? Not at all. Like the rest of the checklist, this one should be understood to have some wiggle room. Taking a day off sometimes won’t kill you; in fact, it’s a great idea. The point is, if a normal day doesn’t include some chess, you’re going to struggle to improve.
I like James Clear’s advice to never miss two days in a row. If you miss one day, you can tell yourself that you’re a chess player having an off day. If you miss two days in a row, the habit starts to break down.
The good news is that you don’t have to do that much every day to see improvement. In a pinch, even ten minutes is a lot better than nothing. The trick is sticking with it. Consistency works, but often it takes months to see a tangible difference. Plateaus and setbacks are the norm, not the exception. The challenge is building and sticking with a good routine.
Do you solve challenging problems?
I really struggled with how to formulate this one. I was considering, “Do you do tactics?” or “Do you work on calculation?” But those phrases seem to mean different things to different people. What I really wanted to get at was that a good chunk of your practice time needs to be active. Just reading books or watching videos alone won’t do it. You need to be looking at chess positions and figuring out what you would do.
Do you play games with real stakes?
I was tempted to say “slow over-the-board tournament games,” but with the current Covid situation, I realize not everyone can play OTB. Anyway, what really counts is not being there in person or slower time controls in and of themselves, but intensity and focus. The key thing about OTB tournaments is they allow you to access a level of focus and intensity you can’t otherwise.
It’s similar to the idea of the testing effect in learning research. Studies have shown that tests aren’t just good for evaluation; if done properly, they enhance learning as well. It seems that being forced to consolidate and use knowledge can be very good for learning.
Some people might be able to get this out of online rapid games, but honestly, for most, OTB is on a different level. If you’ve never played an OTB tournament I suggest you try it at least once (when it’s safe) if only to see what it feels like. You might be surprised at the level of focus you’re capable of.
Do you review your games?
A key element in deliberate practice is getting quick and clear feedback on your performance. I don’t really subscribe to the school of chess that says every game needs to be analyzed exhaustively - actually I think a lot of players are too hard on themselves for their mistakes - but I do think it’s important to review each game at least a little.
Do you have a community?
The solitary nature of chess competition can be a trap when it comes to chess learning. It’s easy to assume that chess learning should look like chess competition, i.e., done alone without assistance. But in this regard learning chess isn’t so different from learning anything else: you have a better chance of success with a supportive community. Chess is played alone, but it’s best studied with other people - friends, training partners, coaches, students.
I like James Altucher’s idea of plus-minus-equal:
PLUS: a real or virtual mentor who can teach you.
EQUALS: people who can challenge you
MINUS: people you can teach, because teaching solidifies learning.
Even if you don’t follow the plus-minus-equal method exactly, it’s important to have some support on your chess journey. You need partners for chess activities like analysis or training games, but maybe even more importantly, you need them for accountability, motivation, and encouragement.
So how many of these items can you check? No matter how many it is, good luck in 2022!
If you enjoyed Zwischenzug in 2021, please consider becoming a supporter to help me continue writing in 2022 and beyond.
Brilliantly done!
Muchas gracias por compartir tu experiencia. Buena salud te deseo, porque lo demás depende de vos!