@dboing said in #9:
> I write this because I believe there is originality of thinking in the approach, but I see some more work needed.
Layered Analysis is simply trying to break a game down into a sliced loaf of bread instead of a loaf of bread. Here are questions I get all the time, but sadly these questions are never asked together:
1. How do you analyze your games?
2. How do I benefit from going over my games?
3. Why is it important to go over the games of other people?
4. How do grandmasters always know the names, dates, city, year, and moves of various games?
5. Do I need a coach?
I have never had one person ask me all of these questions. But they are all related. Layered Analysis is a way for people who struggle with any of these questions to get some answers without hiring a coach. It is a simple approach anyone can understand an implement. Yes, a 400 rated player implementing this approach will not be as strong as an 1800 implementing this approach. But if both are putting in genuine effort to go over their game with a simple methodology, then both will improve.
And that is the point - Layered Analysis lowers the bar on what it takes to analyze a game, making it accessible to people of all ratings, and helps them build a healthy improvement habit. When people are asking questions 1 - 5 above, they are ACTUALLY asking for help with improvement. The answer to improvement is ALWAYS "Put in a lot of effort." So, the natural follow ups are "How much effort?" and "How do I put in effort?"
I think a lot of people do not understand HOW to put in effort. So, they need a guide. No matter if it is Layered Analysis, Silman's thinking process, Think Like A Grandmaster, or any other thinking method, eventually you will abandon it once you understand how to improve.
People need a starting place for improvement, and I find a lot of the advice out in the world is not distilled down enough for most people to understand or do. Layered Analysis attempts to lower the bar on what is needed to analyze a game so that you can build healthy habits.
Readers can be the judge on whether this succeeds or not. It has worked for me, and I spend a lot of time thinking about why people struggle to get to where I am, and then more effort to figure out how to help them get there.
So does Layered Analysis need more work? Probably. No thinking technique or analysis technique is perfect. But I do know it will lead to healthy improvement habits.
> I write this because I believe there is originality of thinking in the approach, but I see some more work needed.
Layered Analysis is simply trying to break a game down into a sliced loaf of bread instead of a loaf of bread. Here are questions I get all the time, but sadly these questions are never asked together:
1. How do you analyze your games?
2. How do I benefit from going over my games?
3. Why is it important to go over the games of other people?
4. How do grandmasters always know the names, dates, city, year, and moves of various games?
5. Do I need a coach?
I have never had one person ask me all of these questions. But they are all related. Layered Analysis is a way for people who struggle with any of these questions to get some answers without hiring a coach. It is a simple approach anyone can understand an implement. Yes, a 400 rated player implementing this approach will not be as strong as an 1800 implementing this approach. But if both are putting in genuine effort to go over their game with a simple methodology, then both will improve.
And that is the point - Layered Analysis lowers the bar on what it takes to analyze a game, making it accessible to people of all ratings, and helps them build a healthy improvement habit. When people are asking questions 1 - 5 above, they are ACTUALLY asking for help with improvement. The answer to improvement is ALWAYS "Put in a lot of effort." So, the natural follow ups are "How much effort?" and "How do I put in effort?"
I think a lot of people do not understand HOW to put in effort. So, they need a guide. No matter if it is Layered Analysis, Silman's thinking process, Think Like A Grandmaster, or any other thinking method, eventually you will abandon it once you understand how to improve.
People need a starting place for improvement, and I find a lot of the advice out in the world is not distilled down enough for most people to understand or do. Layered Analysis attempts to lower the bar on what is needed to analyze a game so that you can build healthy habits.
Readers can be the judge on whether this succeeds or not. It has worked for me, and I spend a lot of time thinking about why people struggle to get to where I am, and then more effort to figure out how to help them get there.
So does Layered Analysis need more work? Probably. No thinking technique or analysis technique is perfect. But I do know it will lead to healthy improvement habits.