How To Apply What You Learn

Introduction

I'm sure you have heard that we learn by doing, right?

But how can we 'do' more effectively?

About Ultralearning

I just read a fantastic book summary of 'Ultralearning' by Scott H. Young, and to help myself consolidate these concepts for my skill mastery (and that of my students), I'm sharing with you how those insights relate specifically to chess.

One of the keys to learning something is to tie that new skill to a certain project or situation. (If the word 'learning' doesn't excite you, try replacing it with 'discovering', like you are discovering a new thing on an adventure).

Here are four examples of this:

1. Project-Based Learning

A chess example here would be to create your opening file for a new opening variation you want to play.

Yes, you could buy a Chessable course on how to play the Sicilian as Black, but you'll retain the moves better (and your knowledge will be more practical) if you first create your unique small file in a Lichess Study, focusing on the most common moves you'll face from players at roughly your rating.

2. Immersive Learning

A chess example here is to set up bishop vs. knight endgames and play them against a suitably rated computer or human training partner. Much like you learn a language fastest by speaking it frequently with native speakers, you master chess skills fastest by immersing yourself in the appropriate situations.

3. The Flight Simulator Method

One of the reasons I love my current poker coach (and his courses) is that he constantly puts me in situations I often find myself in, and gives feedback on how to approach them (as well as common mistakes to avoid/exploit).

We can do this by solving puzzle sets on a specific theme, and then repeating those same puzzles until we are almost always getting them right (and quite quickly at that).

Another example would be going through a high-quality chess game by covering up the moves for one side, and trying to play as well (or better) than the player in that game on each turn.

4. The Overkill Approach

An example of this would be setting a deadline to create a Chessable course on a new opening within the next month. By setting up an ambitious project that's above our current skill set, we push ourselves outside our comfort zone and into growth, forcing us to learn the new skills we need to succeed faster than otherwise.

Another example would be to join a tournament where you will be one of the lowest-rated players - the challenge of facing predominantly higher-rated players will help you rise to the occasion and raise your level in your preparations for the event.

Bonus: How I Applied The Overkill Approach

That is what I did for the 2006 NSW Championship, where I went in as the bottom seed by over 100 points, but used intelligent preparation and hard work on my own chess game (even playing training games in my prepared opening before each round) to score 6/9 and gain well over 100 rating points.

Conclusion

I hope that you found this overview valuable! To truly master what we covered, take the opportunity to retrieve the information, writing in your own words (without checking the email again) what your main takeaways were.

To summarize, the four main ways to attain intense learning goals are:

1. Project-Based Learning
2. Immersive Learning
3. The Flight Simulator Method
4. The Overkill Approach

Which of these are you going to apply at the start of 2024?