Hi all,
I am signed up to play in a simul with a GM coming to visit my town, and I just wanted to ask how should one prepare for such an event? I am far from GM, of course, and I have a 99.9999% chance of losing, but I do want to make an effort to have a good game. How does one prepare to play a much much higher rated opponent in a simul?
Have plenty of sleep, drink plenty of water, and eat plenty of food. And also, take plenty of stimulating drugs.. The last one may help a lot!
Don't rush on your moves when playing. Sleep soundly and simply play logical and safe chess.
''...take plenty of stimulating drugs...'' yea, don't do that
I can't really agree on "... play logical and safe chess".
If you play safe chess your chances drop even further, as the technical finesse of a GM will crush you in a long boring game.
If you manage to get a weird tactical position you have better fighting chances.
But then again, given your low rating your game may end super fast. So the decision is have a very slim chance of playing a tactical sharp game and maybe winning/drawing, or loosing 100% in a boring safe game.
So maybe - just have fun :P
caffeine is technically a drug, and it would be fine to have an energy drink or something before the game, and/or during the game if drinks are allowed. dont drink a ton more caffeine than you are used to though, because it can make you jittery and possibly do more harm than good.
load up on some carbs before the match, like pasta or something for the long term energy/mental focus.
There is an old trick. If you instantly reply a GM in a simul there is a tradition that says that he must reply instantly to your move as well. So you need to get a complex tactical position that you confortably calculated beforehand and then make five or six moves instantly to get the edge and put pressure on him to blunder.
When I meant safe chess, I thought that he/she should try to close the position as much as possible and just exchange pieces hopefully to achieve a drawn endgame. Tactical and attacking chess - I don't think GM would miss such things and he would outplay the beginner. Either way, he/she should try and play the way he/she feels like.
Just play as in every other game as well and try to learn something.
I think that the closed structure isn't the way to go. A GM knows much more subtleties than any beginner or even advanced player so trying to hold positionally is hopeless, tactics are the way to go. It's more likely for a GM to miss a move or a tactic than the same GM judging wrongly about a pawn structure or placing his pieces badly on the board.
