David's Chess Journey - Installment 59

Training Reflections

There are good weeks and challenging weeks in chess training. Last week was a good week, this week was a challenging week. But, the good thing is I'm not as discouraged after this week as I usually am when experiencing results that I experienced.

My games were not up to my expectations for myself and I lost most of them with significant errors. I did go rogue and play a ton of unsanctioned games, so I will have to come clean during the lesson. Noël's view is that playing a bunch of games is not good for me yet until I unlearn some of my bad habits to a degree and replace them with good habits. It is like someone playing a bunch of golf without proper instruction. More damage than good comes from that to be sure. So, I can see the parallel here. I just want to play though! That is what I enjoy doing the most. I'll see if we can find some middle ground this week.

I continue to really enjoy doing the Chess Steps puzzles on a real board. My thinking is more thorough and complete. I set up in the basement, put on some classical music and honestly get lost in the puzzles. My accuracy has gone up significantly, only missing 1 puzzle this week. So great improvement there.

Hanging Pieces on Lichess continue to present a challenge to me and I've lost around 500 puzzle points working on them. I think focusing on this aspect of tactics is really good as it is exposing an area that clearly needs significant work.

I am starting to really enjoy the attacking games study on ChessMood. Really interesting games. It is truly amazing to me what players at the top level see on the board. Simply beautiful.

I had to back out of the tournament this weekend because I didn't realize my daughter's birthday was on Saturday. So, will need to wait a bit more to get back to OTB. I am really looking forward to it.

As a concluding thought on the training this week, I reworked my Chess Operating System and Chess Affirmations to combine them into one document. I think through these before and during my games and try to apply it all at the appropriate times in the games - whether it is the mental or technical side of things:

Chess Operating System 2.0

Opening: Set the Foundation

• Follow Opening Principles: Control the center, develop your pieces efficiently, and prioritize king safety.
• Play with Purpose: Each move should contribute to a harmonious and active position.

Middle Game: Seek Clarity and Activity

1. Tactical Opportunities:
   • Can I deliver a meaningful check?
   • Can I capture a vulnerable piece?
   • Can I create a strong threat?
2. If None of the Above:
   • Develop any undeveloped pieces.
   • Improve the position of your least active piece.

Always: Be Vigilant

• Blunder Check: Before every move, confirm it doesn't allow unnecessary counterplay or lose material. Pause before you make the move and ask - "Is there a move from my opponent that causes my planned move not to work?"

Pre-Game Affirmations: Strengthen Your Mindset

• I am a strong and improving chess player.
• I understand and trust my openings.
• I excel at finding tactical opportunities.
• I possess deep positional understanding and apply it confidently.
• I convert winning positions with precision.
• I fight resourcefully and save seemingly lost positions.
• I am fearless, bold, and joyful at the chessboard.
• I remain calm, focused, and solid in time pressure.

The Bigger Picture

• Believe in Your Journey: Noël and I are co-authoring a compelling adult chess improvement story! Take a long view and be steady every day. The secret to being great is being average every day.

On the visualization front, one insight from Beyond Positive Thinking this week in reading was: "The key is to be able to picture or imagine the end result so vividly that it appears real." So, I worked with ChatGPT to write a book that has me achieving the ambitious chess goal that Noël and I crafted together. The goal is to read the story and visualize reaching my goal so that it evokes "the felling that the goal has already been achieved." As a side perk, the story has been really fun to read. I mean, who doesn't like a story that is all about the reader reaching their goals?!

Lesson Reflections

This morning was a great lesson with Noël. I came clean about going rogue on the program and we worked through it together. It is really powerful to have a training relationship that is based on 100% honesty. It was a great conversation and he asked me to read "Chop Wood, Carry Water: How to Fall in Love with the Process of Becoming Great" by Joshua Medcalf. I listened to about an hour of it on my commute to work and it is just what I needed to hear. Like "Beyond Positive Thinking," there are a lot of lessons to reflect upon and I will share the results of those reflections as I move forward.

Once we got through the confession part of the lesson and resulting course correction, we worked on solving positions together. He put up 7 positions and I worked through them and articulated my thought process while he watched. He was pleased with the growth in my tactical awareness and I did quite well solving the positions. He set up a couple of positions that he called trick positions where I did the right move under normal conditions, but he had set a trap for that move that I didn't see. Those puzzles were very instructive as they highlighted a significant observation.. The time between me seeing a move, even when it is right, and making the move is too fast. I need to take some time to check the move to make sure it is good. Asking the simple question: Is there a move from my opponent that actually makes this not work?" is a good one to put into the Chess Operating System!

I enter this week of training with a renewed sense of focus and commitment to the plan. I'm looking forward to seeing what the week will bring.

Until the next installment!