So I'll be playing in the ontario open over Victoria day long weekend. Time controls are 90/30.
My current study plan is just openings. I'm comfortable playing the King's Gambit as white and Alekhine's defense as black, but have an abysmal record against 1) d4 as black and have particular trouble playing the French or caro kann as white.
I was wondering if anyone had any tournament preparation tips that they specifically use in regards to opening prep. i'm too lazy for sustained opening study - but i'd like to try to dedicate at least 30 minutes/day to this.
My tips are eat right and exercize throughout the tourney. I have often played well to start but played really crappy later on because of the fast food and hotel food really dulled me mentally.
I am at nationals right now, eating properly definitely helps, if you have time you can exercise. I highly recommend watching videos and memorizing your weak openings, this will help you a lot. Play and analyze your games, if you are weak in the mid game, go to one of your games and hit the three bars, an option will say "continue from here" do that, play against an engine at your skill level and keep playing until you are great.
Rajma420
What is your real life rating?
Remember, excitement made my opponent lose, he was up so he was excited and he made this huge blunder, i won the game.
No idea what my real life rating is; first event of this kind i'm attending in about 5 years. My last tournament was a blitz event sponsored by my high-school.
Cool, good luck man. Seems like a nice tournament. Concerning the openings; seeing as that tournament is starting soon, I'd suggest playing a small sideline against both the French and Caro-Kann. Ideas might be 3. f3 against the Caro-Kann or the Tarrasch against the French. The exchange French is a small line, but rather dull. Finding a good opening against 1. d4 which is easily learnable in a few weeks is harder. It might be a suggestion to look at 1...g6, and find something nice there. Try looking through some online opening explorers, for some interesting lines. Chess-db has some nice features on this as well. Good luck there, man.
I just finished The Dutch Youth championships and would say that Opening prep is rather overrated of my 9 games I prepaired 8 openings, and only got it 3 times on the board.
Being tacticaly alert when you're making a plan is inportaint
For example make a small list: Are there Pins, discorved checks, overloaded pieces...
Then waiting for mistakes is going to be your way of winning
Maybe a very good work is to go to the training of Lichess, the jogging of the chess player ! :-)