Are you training to raise your ceiling or floor?

Before the World Championship match in 2021, Magnus Carlsen was interviewed about the strengths and weaknesses of his opponent, Ian Nepomniachtchi. In his interview, Carlsen stated that Nepo's ceiling was as high as his but that Nepo's floor was much lower. Carlsen said that due to Nepo's lack of consistency, his success in chess was much higher than Nepo's.

Carlsen was proved right in game 8 of their World Championship match when Nepo played 21... b5? allowing the double attack 22.Qa3+.

What induced Nepo to go to his floor? According to Carlsen, Nepo's mood and inability to sustain focus heavily influence Nepo's strength in general.
But of course, this was the World Championship match, a very stressful and tiring event. Furthermore, this game was played after the gruelling 136-move game six that Carlsen won after nearly 8 hours of play and in which Nepo missed the draw on move 130.

When you perform at your floor, your standard thinking processes stop functioning. No more orientation-calculation-verification, no more blunder checks, no longer checking your opponent's intent and strongest reply but just intuition and gut feeling.

What are some of the common triggers that cause this phenomenon?

• anxiety
• inability to sustain focus
• tiredness
• time pressure
• tilt

I estimate that when you are tired, you play 100-400 points worse and under time pressure 500-800 points.
How many points do you think knowing an opening well gives you? 100-200? Now think about how much attention you give to both.

What can we do to avoid going to our floor?

• make certain processes effortless
  In martial arts, people practice making basic moves effortlessly, allowing them to direct all their energy to real challenges.
  I have students who analyze at 2000+ level but are stuck at a 1600 rating level because of significant oversights when playing at their floor.
  Besides Step 5, they do Step 1 Mix and Step 2 Thinking Ahead, focusing on high speed and high accuracy. The goal is to make simple tactics effortless and no longer a thinking process.
  You can take this concept to other parts of chess too. When I play a bullet game against Nakamura or Naroditsky, I notice that they have opening systems that they know so well that they can play them without thinking.
• create a supportive social environment during the tournament
  Spend time with your friends and family between rounds, go for a walk and shake off disappointing games.
• seek tournaments where you are comfortable with the schedule/opponents and enjoy the environment
  Hans Niemann had a smart strategy for his European match tour: two games-three days in a row against players who are used to one game a day with a rest day after three rounds. Hans won several of his games when his opponents tired. The US tournament schedule can be brutal, with up to 6 rounds in a weekend. Select a format that fits your mental capabilities and take some byes when necessary. Or play an ALTO tournament where you can socialize with other players in the evening.
• self-talk focussed on the 'here-and-now' / grounding: just the position and moves, no room for ELO, ego, expectations, etc
• sleeping well, good nutrition, physical exercise
• practice mindfulness and mediation
  This is becoming a standard practice with the new generation of Indian grandmasters. Many in the West find this interesting but have not turned this into action for themselves.
• growth mindset: focus on the journey and learning instead of the result of the game
• gratefulness for the fact that you are in a situation where you can explore your favourite game with your opponent
• better time management

What is limiting your current chess performance: your ceiling or floor? What do you do to raise your floor? Do you assume your floor will follow when you train to raise your ceiling?
Curious to hear your comments in the Forum section!

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