@a_pleasant_illusion More to an objective absolute, compare our progress (mine and Rrhyddhad) on the rating graphs. It wasn't too much more than a year ago where 1800 (on another site) was a big deal for me.
All this after a 10 year plateau.
Now that I can finally choose to think about something for more than 3 seconds at a time, I'm seeing the pitfalls of what I was doing, what caused my stagnation, and exactly what's changed in my mind to break through what was my ceiling.
I read Reassess over a decade ago, and I thought that I could implement the information in that book at that point...but it's only a decade later where I see what that book is about and the line that it draws in the sand.
It's almost as though I couldn't take a macro look at the game until recently, and I can see EXACTLY why bullet and blitz are noxious to the cause of improvement for underrated players. It's not really up for discussion.
I know all about the addiction of time trouble and rating improvements. I know all about playing 10s of 1000s of bullet games, thinking with each and everyone, "OK now I'll start playing perfect and make a permanent improvement run."
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Illusion, at +2100, you have to remember that there is something that you do at the chess board that the underrated have absolutely no idea about and don't know exists.
There is a good reason I drew the line at "2100".
You can not get to 2100 without strong fundamentals.
Aside from Einsteinish type brains, that's just about an absolute.
When you learn strong fundamentals, and learn to implement those fundamentals, 2100 is almost unavoidable (even with the tactical handicap of a brain damaged mind).
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So the question really only becomes "can underrated learn the fundamentals in bullet time controls?"
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You state a very valid reason where that interruption occurs, but it's definitely not the only reason as to where and why that interruption occurs.
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Addiction and drugs are a funny thing. Drugs don't get you high, they make your brain release chemicals that get you high.
Epinephrine (speed) is produced by the adrenal glands on the kidneys.
Here are a few triggers:
-rollercoasters
-accidents (even almost fumbling and dropping an egg will release a certain amount)
-cocaine
-gambling
-time trouble < - - - bullet
-realizing that you're looking at one of the most amazing, complex, and elegant works of art that you ever made. < - - - standard
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So since we have about 99% of smokers on this planet talking about, "I wish I had never started, I wish I could quit," and gamblers talking about, "I really miss my kneecaps," we can see that this addiction is a dominant factor and consideration, conscious and sub-consciously.
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Again. When YOU, Illusion, sit down at the board to play some fast-clock, you are bringing your entire wealth of fundamental understanding. You are playing fundamentally and plugging in tactical calculations when applicable. And that is chess. Fundamental -> Tactics - > Fundamental -> Tactics like a synergetic snowball of efficiency.
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This is WAY different than making 10 moves to open a game, putting the pieces on reflexive squares, and then keeping the dial stuck on "tactical calculation", hopefully into time trouble where we can get another dose of epinephrine, rinse and repeat.
Where we then, what, want to learn about the "art" and "creation" that we just made? ... OR ... where we want another "hit" of adrenaline and simply start a new game?
See how an addiction to chess is conducive with improvement?
See how an addiction to time trouble is not?
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You see Illusion, the point that I'm making is absolute right?
Because I'm only talking to people that are seeking to improve and state that to be their mission and intention, who are usually between 1000 and 1800.
If they knew what they needed to know to improve, they would be +2100.
So there is no doubt that they are missing what amounts to the entire "engine" of chess-playing mind...
...and there is no doubt that what they're doing will not, and could not possibly, install that engine.
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Further, like those people that grow kittens in jugs and containers, it's the exact same with <2100 chess. Your mind simply circles tactics, because that's all you know, in a loop. This is empirical with an extremely LARGE amount of chess players.
What Rrhyddhad might be trying to say is, "I agree, that's obvious, but for me, I'm an anomaly."
When you take an underrated bullet mind and set it in a 45 45 time control, the capacity to efficiently use the time productively simply wouldn't be there.
For instance...
If you or I sat down and played a 30 30 against our clone with 1 0, our 30 30 self would win 100% of the time.
If someone underrated, who doesn't have a grip on the fundamentals and isn't yet addicted to chess, sat down and played a 30 30 against their clone with a 1 0, that 1 0 'self' would probably take down, what, 10% of the games?
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In Rrhyddhad's case, I would argue that he's got a well above average, natural, tactical/calculation ability, and I suspect that with some fundamental study, he could be titled OTB.
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In almost all cases, there is very little room to deny the damage that fast-clock produces in underrated players. We don't start with this assumption, we end with this conclusion.