Self-understanding Many people do not understand that they want. And also what do they want in chess. Probably, you simply like to play and have pleasure or perhaps, you wish to achieve something. In any case it is necessary to understand it.
1. Write your goals in chess. 2. Think about yourself. What is the style of your game? What would you like to improve? 3. Analyze your last 6 games (better lost ones). It is better to take classical games. If you do not take part in tournaments you can take the blitz-games or games from the Internet. It is allowed to use the computer help to analyze the games. 4. Why did you lose them? What weak points did you notice in your game?
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Champion's Day During the first day you have determinated your weak points. Now I'll share with you one of ways how to remove them. World champions and applicants of this rank had a chess piece in their game. They were very strong in it. And we can learn it from them. How? To analyze their games. You'll see some examples below. Rubinstein - endgame. Botvinnik - exchanges and simple positions. Tal - sacrifices and tactics. Petrosyan - prevention. Karpov - prevention and good plan. Kasparov - initiative. Spassky – sense of time. Smyslov - end game. As for me I have chosen Fisher to learn to play actively and with pressure.
Choose your champion. Analyze 5-10 of his games. Concentrate yourself at what you wish to learn from it. For example, if you have a problem with end game look through games of Rubinstein or Smyslov.
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Sport Day I never liked the stereotype about chess players that they are weak people in glasses, non athletic at all. If you like it, there are some more reasons for you for going in for sports. Chess players lead a sedentary life, that's why it is necessary to go in for sports or you'll have some problems with your health. And it makes it easier to survive in stressful situations. Sport is good way to have a rest. Yes, to have a rest! As rest is a change of activity and changing of the subject of your attention. Going in for sport you are concentrated on this process, having a rest.
"Your body has to be in top condition. Your chess deteriorates as your body does. You can't separate body from mind." - Bobby Fischer.
1. A glass of water. Begin your day with a glass of water. 2. Jog. If you have never jog before, begin with short distances. If it is difficult, begin with ordinary walks. Walk according opportunities of your organism! 3. A contrast shower. Good exercise for your organism!
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What does he want? Get used to ask yourself, what does your opponent want. It is desirable even that it has become a habit. In such simple way you stop doing mistakes and raise your strategy and planning level. If your opponent threats you - resist the threat. If he doesn't threat - make threats. Probably, it has simply developed a piece, maybe he has made prevention, probably, has already attacked or has created threats. There are two good questions: 1.What did he move so for? 2. What does he want? Simple examples. 1.e4 - e5 2.Nf3 (1. White develop a piece, attack a pawn 2. To play N:e5 and to win a pawn e5) Nc6 3.d4 (1. White struggle for the center, attack a pawn 2. To play d5; de; N:e5 and to win a pawn e5).
Analyze 4 games (you can analyze games used in the first day task). After each move of your opponent, try to understand, what for this move was made, and what does your opponent want.
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Concentration. Attention. During the game it is necessary to be able to concentrate your attention only on it. Some exercises which I usually use to achieve it are shown below: 1. Concentration of attention: Take clock with a second hand. Everything, that is required from you is to sit upright, to relax and to look at it for two minutes, do not distract, not look around and not lose your thoughts. All what you have to do is just look at it for two minutes to not think: "the hand, the hand, the hand, the hand". Just look at it. Just look how it slowly goes and slowly counts these 2 minutes. If you have noticed that you have been distracted, for example, you have started to think what you have to do at work today, whom you have to meet today or have started to remember how was it yesterday or something else, you have to start the exercise again. And do so until you manage to look at the hand 2 minutes sharp. At first it won't take you 2 minutes to do this exercise. May be it will take you about 10 minutes. 2. Meditation: Meditation is one more very useful thing. By the way, meditation also improves mental skills! Everything here is very simple - you can just find techniques of basic exercises in the Internet.
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Chess books The Soviet Chess School is known for its fundamentality since the middle of 20-th century. Therefore, I consider correct to start from this fact in the choice of chess books. Also books with games of world champions and applicants of this rank with their comments are very useful! Recommended books. Aron Nimzowitsch "My system" Panchenko "Teory and Practice of Chess Endings" Portish "600 endings" Terekhin "50 Strategic receptions" Botvinnik "Match-tournament of 1941" Golenischev "Training Program for 1st Category Players" Golenischev "Training Program for 3-4 Category Players" Golenischev's books are very important for the initial phase of one's development they contain good examples, the general content is well-selected and the methods are confirmed by practice.
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Psychology You have to know that your opponent is also afraid and nervous! Create threats and problems for your opponent. The more difficulties you will create for your opponent, the higher is the possibility that he will make mistakes. To be attacked is not pleasant for the most of the people. And they'll try to avoid your attack. "Threat is stronger than its fulfillment". Savely Tartakover "I consider each opponent as the master until he won't prove to the contrary". Vasily Panov "In chess wins everyone. If you have pleasure in game (and this is the most important thing) even defeat is not terrible". David Bronstein "Not always it is necessary to do the best move. The move should be active, surprising, correct and beautiful". David Bronstein "In chess they learn only from mistakes. There is always something good in the mistakes". Savely Tartakover "There are no brilliant victories without mistakes". Emmanuil Lasker "Later I began to be more successful in important games. Probably because I have realized a simple thing: It was not only me who was afraid, but also my opponent was". Mikhail Tal "How does Tal win? He develops all the pieces to the center, and then sacrifices them somewhere". Robert James Fisher "Weak points of character are usually seen during a chess game". Garry Kasparov
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