The Gloom lessons!

Well, I was off the grid, high up in the mountains, with a rushing stream, pine trees and aspen, and brisk air. I was up for  a couple of days after my recent two losses in a row. (No, it was not because of the two losses, though that would make for a much more dramatic story! )  I studied Secrets of the Pawn and also read from Russian Chess by Pandolfini, as I sat outside with my portable magnetic chessboard and I felt a little better.

When I came back home, I went into my study and turned on the computer. And then I felt even better, because I had a message from Chess.com 

We have detected that one or more of your recent opponents has violated our Fair Play Policy. As compensation for potentially unfair rating losses, we adjusted your following ratings:

Rapid: 1246 + 7 => 1253" 

And since I have had only two losses in recent play, I knew exactly who violated Fair Play! I knew who cheated.  So yes, my 13 game winning streak came to a legitimate end. My first opponent played well, and beat me on a tactic that I should have seen, he deserved the win, but the second opponent? Is he the one?

As I have said before, I am on a mission to improve. Having dragged along for so long without improvement. I decided to give the Chess.com Study Plan a Try (Click on Learn/articles/study plan) and I have had good success with the plan. 

Week # 3 Day # 7 Rating 1253 +87 points overall. 

(p.s. I'm using the week and day system liberally. I only advance it a day if I put in work during the day. It's my plan. I'll fiddle with the days as I like. )

I am now finished with the Beginner section. And although I have not reached 1400 I am progressing to the intermediate study plan.  I'll be using the Study Plan with supplements.

For Opening Theory: First off I plan to watch the entire series of Rensch's pawn videos 

Watch this: Pawn Structure 101: Every Opening Explained! by IM Daniel Rensch  -- I think there maybe 20 videos in the series. I'm watching them all. 

Also I will continue to work through a  Complete Opening Repertoire for d4 and the Sicilian by Sam Shankland on Chessable. I would like to really be able to "play the openings like a book."

For Tactics: The key here is tactics. I will continue to work through the puzzles and puzzle rush survival, as well as the study plan.

For Strategy: We will see what the study plan has, but I will also be rereading Russian Chess by Pandolfini. The picture above is me with my magnetic chess set sitting beneath some Douglas fir going over a game. 

And For the Endgame: study plan + Secrets of the Pawn by Karsten Muller and Frank Lamprecht.

And of course! Games! Some famous GM, was it Capablanca once said you have to lose at least 100 games to improve. (Ah the Gloom, the necessary gloom!) (As of today I have 204 wins and 150 losses. So I need to get to 250 losses!)
And it is onward and upward. 

Goal: Ambitious 1300 by October.

Realistic 1300 by January 2022