Good and bad habits of the chess player

Chess players are unique people compared to other areas of society. A chess player, regardless of his level, is absorbed by the game and, even when he is not playing, his thoughts are very often on the game. Naturally, the more involved a chess player becomes in the game, the more fanatical and enthusiastic he becomes. In this article we are going to write about habits; What are the most common habits that chess masters have?

It won't be easy to write about such a large community, but we will write a list, maybe you can relate.

Some habits are good; some are not so good, especially since most of these habits do not contribute anything positive to your actual level of play. These are not training methods, but simply routine things for chess masters.

1. Play Blitz online: Chess players are addicted to online blitz games, although it is harmful to later play on the board; It doesn't matter. This is a habit that one should seriously consider cutting because it can seriously damage your thought process. Bad habit.
2. Follow live tournaments from around the world. Now with applications on smartphones it is very easy to keep track of all the tournaments that are being played. Chess masters are addicted to this. This isn't a bad habit in itself if it weren't for the next item on our list.
3. Turning on the engine while playing a game: Don't do it! This is the bad part of following online games. Very often, chess masters are too lazy to think or are desperate to find out what is happening that they cannot resist checking the position with the engine. As a result, you become lazy when it comes to thinking about the board. Bad habit!
4. Analyze your own games with the engine. Very often a teacher, the night after he leaves, says “I was winning, I had +1 or +5!” The computer said it was totally winning. This is irrelevant; a player who does this after his game and his conclusion is that he had a +5, then he hasn't learned anything from that game. In the fast times we live in, people want quick results and answers, but this is also a bad habit. It is much better to analyze with your opponent after the game or alone, but always without the engine.
5. Read halfway. Chess masters know several books or all the books there are, but sitting down and reading it or replaying the games is a completely different story. Bad habit. You have to play the games carefully to learn, improve and progress.
6. Obsession with openings. Too focused on the opening phase. Not having a clear plan or path forward. One day, Caruana wins with the Najdorf variant, then they investigate and everyone wants to play the Najdorf. The next day, Nakamura wins with the Scandinavian and the same process is repeated. This goes nowhere, but we've all been there. Bad habit.

The habits mentioned above are mainly based on a daily routine, which is usually what a chess master does. Very few take the time seriously to work on their own skills with a serious training program. As you can see, these habits are tempting, but one must resist and try to avoid them. It's not easy, but try it!

There are other habits that occur during tournament practice, for example:

1. Stand while the opponent thinks. A habit that passed from player to player and very few do not do it. It's true that we need time to relax during a game and sometimes we need a walk, but doing it too much will always end in a lack of concentration. Try to stay on the board as much as you can, face the situation and do your best. Bad habit.
2. Walk before and after rounds. This is really a good habit. When playing a game in the afternoon, it's not good to prepare for 4-5 hours in your room (although some do). A short walk in the morning, to be alone with your thoughts about the game, is quite useful. The same could be said when the round ends; It's nice to walk with friends or just to unwind from the game you just played, no matter the outcome, and plan the next day.
3. Social networks. Our ancestors did not have this problem, but modern society does and chess players are not immune to this. Staying on social media during a tournament doesn't allow you to fully focus on the main event. Remember, when other athletes broadcast their results, they usually have a couple of days off before their next match. In chess, everything goes fast and you have to stay focused. Internet off!
4. Don't waste your energy during the game. Nowadays it is quite common for chess masters to bring energy bars, fruits or chocolate to the game. It's not that they always eat this, but sometimes the game lasts so long that you need to avoid fatigue, which could lead you to make mistakes. Stay strong! Good habit.

In short, most habits are not very good among chess masters. Chess is a great sport, but it also creates many addictions that one must resist if they want to improve.

Thanks for reading, and if you have any more habits we can add to our list, please leave me a comment.