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What I Learned from Playing LoneWolf League Season #37

#2

Lonewolf is amazing and more flexible, but the 4545 is also great for improvement as lower rated players are put in a team with stronger ones that usually help!
It's also a bit more social if that's what some people are looking for

Amazing article with a lot of good pointers

Lonewolf is amazing and more flexible, but the 4545 is also great for improvement as lower rated players are put in a team with stronger ones that usually help! It's also a bit more social if that's what some people are looking for Amazing article with a lot of good pointers
#5

I watched every minute (on 2x speed!) and thoroughly enjoyed every game.

I particularly like how critical you are of your in-game time management after the fact. That was the most noticeable recurring problem to my eyes, and acceptance is the first step to progress. The clock is a weapon, indeed!

Perhaps it would help to separate the moves verbally? "Is this a critical decision I'm making? Will the eval truly change if I choose move A or B?" If not, let's just play the intuitive choice and move on with things. If so, calculating precisely is always a good use of time.

I watched every minute (on 2x speed!) and thoroughly enjoyed every game. I particularly like how critical you are of your in-game time management after the fact. That was the most noticeable recurring problem to my eyes, and acceptance is the first step to progress. The clock is a weapon, indeed! Perhaps it would help to separate the moves verbally? "Is this a critical decision I'm making? Will the eval truly change if I choose move A or B?" If not, let's just play the intuitive choice and move on with things. If so, calculating precisely is always a good use of time.
#6

Thanks for the insights, John--especially about the thought process before playing a move. That's something I really need to work on.

Thanks for the insights, John--especially about the thought process before playing a move. That's something I *really* need to work on.
#7

Interesting to read. Please allow me some remarks.

"Your mental dialogue is your anchor." * Interesting. I do not have any mental dialogue, just visual and mentally silent.
"Many chess players have never actually tried to articulate their decision-making process." * For me it is non-verbal.

"The ideal player in 2025 has a diverse opening repertoire" * Is that true? I always recommend a narrow repertoire: just one defense against 1 e4, one against 1 d4, and one opening as white, maybe even a black defense in reverse. For a non professional player it is already hard to keep up with one opening, let alone several ones. Opponents are free to prepare, but how can they out-prepare heavy experience? Fischer, Kasparov, Tal played narrow repertoires. Present day Vachier Lagrave is predictable too: Najdorf, Grünfeld, Ruy Lopez. Carlsen is unpredictable and plays everything, but everybody studies all of his games. My take is that playing something you have experience with is superior to playing something you do not have experience with out of fear of preparation.

"playing one or two of the “big four” opening moves for White (1.e4, 1.d4, 2.c4, and 2. Nf3)" * White is forgiving. 1 b3, 1 g3, 1 Nc3, 1 f4, 1 e3, 1 d3, 1 c3 and even 1 a3 are all viable.

"two major defenses to both 1.e4 and 1.d4" * That is twice the work as compared to one.

"if you were preparing to play YOU, would it be easy or hard to anticipate what line would appear on the board?"

  • It is not a World Championship Match. People were free to prepare against the Najdorf, King's Indian, Ruy Lopez of Fischer, Tal, Kasparov.

"broadening and strengthening my opening repertoire" * I think it is either strengthening, or broadening. You cannot be specialist and generalist at the same time unless your name is Carlsen and it is your profession.

"my clock frequently looked like this by the middlegame" * As long as your position is good, the clock should not matter. Better a won position low on time than a lost position with plenty of time left on the clock. Previous long thoughts about the position help to finish the game on increment alone. If two equals play, the one who thinks longer can look deeper and thus is more likely to reach a won position.

"A mere 4.5 minutes after 18 moves...I’ve already spent 85% of my time!" * And so what?

"Here is where I think I’m specifically managing my clock poorly" * I do not think you do poorly.

"I’m playing the opening too slowly."* I recommend to play the opening slowly. Not only to play correctly and to plan long term, but also to reach a state of concentration. Nothing as bad as reeling off opening theory and then blunder right away.

"I need to pick a line and get rolling." * That sounds dangerous. What if the line loses?

"as a player who experiences chronic time pressure you’re kinda forced to perform under pressure." * So what? as long as the position is good it is ideal.

"My diligence paid off, as I finished with 9/11 (+8, -1, =3) and took clear first place." * You were the top seed, so it is not necessarily because of your diligence.

"I would recommend LoneWolf or the 45+45 league to anyone who wants to dip their toes into serious chess." * It seems eye straining to play 30+30 or 45+45 online. I now prefer 15+10.

Interesting to read. Please allow me some remarks. "Your mental dialogue is your anchor." * Interesting. I do not have any mental dialogue, just visual and mentally silent. "Many chess players have never actually tried to articulate their decision-making process." * For me it is non-verbal. "The ideal player in 2025 has a diverse opening repertoire" * Is that true? I always recommend a narrow repertoire: just one defense against 1 e4, one against 1 d4, and one opening as white, maybe even a black defense in reverse. For a non professional player it is already hard to keep up with one opening, let alone several ones. Opponents are free to prepare, but how can they out-prepare heavy experience? Fischer, Kasparov, Tal played narrow repertoires. Present day Vachier Lagrave is predictable too: Najdorf, Grünfeld, Ruy Lopez. Carlsen is unpredictable and plays everything, but everybody studies all of his games. My take is that playing something you have experience with is superior to playing something you do not have experience with out of fear of preparation. "playing one or two of the “big four” opening moves for White (1.e4, 1.d4, 2.c4, and 2. Nf3)" * White is forgiving. 1 b3, 1 g3, 1 Nc3, 1 f4, 1 e3, 1 d3, 1 c3 and even 1 a3 are all viable. "two major defenses to both 1.e4 and 1.d4" * That is twice the work as compared to one. "if you were preparing to play YOU, would it be easy or hard to anticipate what line would appear on the board?" * It is not a World Championship Match. People were free to prepare against the Najdorf, King's Indian, Ruy Lopez of Fischer, Tal, Kasparov. "broadening and strengthening my opening repertoire" * I think it is either strengthening, or broadening. You cannot be specialist and generalist at the same time unless your name is Carlsen and it is your profession. "my clock frequently looked like this by the middlegame" * As long as your position is good, the clock should not matter. Better a won position low on time than a lost position with plenty of time left on the clock. Previous long thoughts about the position help to finish the game on increment alone. If two equals play, the one who thinks longer can look deeper and thus is more likely to reach a won position. "A mere 4.5 minutes after 18 moves...I’ve already spent 85% of my time!" * And so what? "Here is where I think I’m specifically managing my clock poorly" * I do not think you do poorly. "I’m playing the opening too slowly."* I recommend to play the opening slowly. Not only to play correctly and to plan long term, but also to reach a state of concentration. Nothing as bad as reeling off opening theory and then blunder right away. "I need to pick a line and get rolling." * That sounds dangerous. What if the line loses? "as a player who experiences chronic time pressure you’re kinda forced to perform under pressure." * So what? as long as the position is good it is ideal. "My diligence paid off, as I finished with 9/11 (+8, -1, =3) and took clear first place." * You were the top seed, so it is not necessarily because of your diligence. "I would recommend LoneWolf or the 45+45 league to anyone who wants to dip their toes into serious chess." * It seems eye straining to play 30+30 or 45+45 online. I now prefer 15+10.
#8

I prayed for this and it happened

I prayed for this and it happened
#9

Thank you for the kind words, everyone!

@Feet_Barbie Good call, and I hope this post generates some extra signups for 4545 as well.

@NoseKnowsAll Thank you for watching all the videos! Yes, I need to especially improve on the moments where selecting (say) the 2nd or 3rd best move (or even the 5th, 6th...) doesn't really change the evaluation. Sensing when you're playing a position like that is a skill in itself.

@Suho1004 Thanks again!

@tpr Tough to reply to everything you wrote. But I'll note that my points regarding time management and opening preparation are relevant to myself first and foremost, and to other strong players second - 1800+ OTB, as I write in the article. These should not at all be construed as blanket recommendations; they're specific to my own experience and how I see the modern, extremely competitive chess landscape. Thanks for reading and commenting.

@Tranzoo Cheers!

Thank you for the kind words, everyone! @Feet_Barbie Good call, and I hope this post generates some extra signups for 4545 as well. @NoseKnowsAll Thank you for watching all the videos! Yes, I need to especially improve on the moments where selecting (say) the 2nd or 3rd best move (or even the 5th, 6th...) doesn't really change the evaluation. Sensing when you're playing a position like that is a skill in itself. @Suho1004 Thanks again! @tpr Tough to reply to everything you wrote. But I'll note that my points regarding time management and opening preparation are relevant to myself first and foremost, and to other strong players second - 1800+ OTB, as I write in the article. These should not at all be construed as blanket recommendations; they're specific to my own experience and how I see the modern, extremely competitive chess landscape. Thanks for reading and commenting. @Tranzoo Cheers!
#10

Thank you for the write-up, John. I think the biggest challenge for me would be taking computer chess seriously. When I play OTB it's not easy to stay focused, but it's possible. I think I'd need to do some computer prep to make sure I didn't get distracted playing serious online games.

Off the top of my head I might start with a clean login session, no other browser tabs, maybe even take my keyboard off my desk. For serious chess games mental preparation is important. You want to be in the zone when the clock starts and not spend any game time reorienting yourself away from work, etc.

Anyway, thank you for your videos. I appreciate the time and care you take and sincerely believe you've produced a treasure trove of material for chess learners.

Thank you for the write-up, John. I think the biggest challenge for me would be taking computer chess seriously. When I play OTB it's not easy to stay focused, but it's possible. I think I'd need to do some computer prep to make sure I didn't get distracted playing serious online games. Off the top of my head I might start with a clean login session, no other browser tabs, maybe even take my keyboard off my desk. For serious chess games mental preparation is important. You want to be in the zone when the clock starts and not spend any game time reorienting yourself away from work, etc. Anyway, thank you for your videos. I appreciate the time and care you take and sincerely believe you've produced a treasure trove of material for chess learners.