Chess Lesson

Ineffective Chess Improvement Strategies

An abundance of theories and an absence of consensus

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I’m a strange sort of hybrid between a hobby player and a chess improver. I’ve no desire to compete in tournaments and no interest in ratings. I’d rather watch videos, study chess and write about it than play games.

I’m not averse to losing games — a good thing since I rarely win any. I see losing as an opportunity to learn. I enjoy learning and increasing my skills in all of my hobbies. These include crochet, Sudoku, and writing. Why spend a significant amount of your free time on an activity if you’re not going to experience at least minimal improvement?

The 119th episode of Neal Bellon’s Chess Angle podcast impressed me because he’s not afraid to contradict common chess “wisdom”. What stuck with me after my first hearing was that what we read or study is inappropriate for our level. This is because our knowledge gaps make the content of these books or courses impossible to retain. Neal discusses six ways we sabotage our chess progress by misusing our limited chess time.

1st Way: Doing “offence-only” tactics where the goal is in the instruction of the puzzle