My Top 10 Rules for Chess Mastery
What are the key 'rules' to follow for becoming a chess master?
Today, I'm sharing something a bit different, inspired by a video series that recently made a great impression on me.
Welcome to My Top 10 Rules for Chess Mastery!
Technically, we should call them 'principles', but you'll be following this advice better if I call them rules!
First, I will share Rule No.0, which is so automatic to me that I initially forgot it is a rule! (Thanks to FirebrandX for the reminder!)
Rule No.0: Have FUN! (This one requires no explanation.)
Here are my Top 10 Rules for Chess Mastery:
1. Understand WHY your chess dream is important for you. Why it's important for you to improve at chess.
2. Be completely COMMITTED to achieving chess mastery. Never give up. No matter how difficult your current challenge is, keep trying different approaches until you find what work.
3. PRACTICE as much as you can. By practice, I mean more than simply playing games - learn as much as you can from each game you play.
4. LEARN from other chess players. This goes well beyond playing with them - analyze with better chess players. Work with much stronger chess players who understand the challenges you're facing with your chess, so that you can learn how they overcome those same challenges.
5. Find a ROLE MODEL and emulate them. When you start thinking like a chess master, you'll start doing the things that chess masters do. And then, eventually, through this consistent action, you will also become one.
6. SOLVE lots and lots of chess puzzles, but do so deliberately and intelligently. That means solving themed puzzle sets, and then repeating these sets several times, to master the key chess patterns and enforce them into your long-term memory. Grandmasters mostly play from long-term memory, and you will notice the difference as your 'automatic' pattern recognition evolves.
7. STUDY the highest-quality resources for your level. When you study from resources (be it books, videos or trainers) that explain the ideas poorly, or that are completely inappropriate for your level (e.g. a 1200 studying Dvoretsky's books), you will pick up bad thinking habits for your games, that will hold your chess back in the long-term.
8. ASK lots of questions. The most effective learners are those who are constantly curious and who get frequent quality feedback on their thinking process. A curious player who asks lots of questions in his chess community will likely improve faster than a student who receives GM coaching, but never asks questions and just passively listens the whole time.
9. Embrace MISTAKES and failure. It is when you are outside your comfort zone that you will learn and be forced to grow into a stronger chess player. Mistakes are the most powerful feedback you can have for how to improve. Appreciate 'failure' as your golden opportunity to learn what isn't working and find what to do instead to improve.
10. Stay true to what works for YOU. Experiment with different methods and approaches, and employ the ones that play to your strengths, even if they're not 'trendy', 'popular' or 'accepted'. If you're performing 400 points above your rating with the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit, you should keep playing it, even though 'objectively' it's not a sound opening.
Bonus Rule:
11. Work harder on YOURSELF than you do on anything else. By this, I am referring to being in the peak physical, mental and psychological condition for your games.
On a basic level, this means adopting a consistent and effective sleep routine, eating healthily and in the right quantity, and enjoying consistent exercise. It also means adopting a positive, 'growth' mindset - that your abilities are not fixed and you have the capability to evolve your existing skills, learn new skills, and control the course of your life.
Of course, all 11 of these rules could be easily adapted for your life as well, and it is up to you how you wish to implement them.
My challenge for you is - which of these 11 'rules' will you be working on this week?
And who will keep you accountable, to make sure you follow through on this commitment?
See you in the next post!
For more of my Grandmaster chess content and access to unique opportunities, join my email list by clicking this link.
Today, I'm sharing something a bit different, inspired by a video series that recently made a great impression on me.
Welcome to My Top 10 Rules for Chess Mastery!
Technically, we should call them 'principles', but you'll be following this advice better if I call them rules!
First, I will share Rule No.0, which is so automatic to me that I initially forgot it is a rule! (Thanks to FirebrandX for the reminder!)
Rule No.0: Have FUN! (This one requires no explanation.)
Here are my Top 10 Rules for Chess Mastery:
1. Understand WHY your chess dream is important for you. Why it's important for you to improve at chess.
2. Be completely COMMITTED to achieving chess mastery. Never give up. No matter how difficult your current challenge is, keep trying different approaches until you find what work.
3. PRACTICE as much as you can. By practice, I mean more than simply playing games - learn as much as you can from each game you play.
4. LEARN from other chess players. This goes well beyond playing with them - analyze with better chess players. Work with much stronger chess players who understand the challenges you're facing with your chess, so that you can learn how they overcome those same challenges.
5. Find a ROLE MODEL and emulate them. When you start thinking like a chess master, you'll start doing the things that chess masters do. And then, eventually, through this consistent action, you will also become one.
6. SOLVE lots and lots of chess puzzles, but do so deliberately and intelligently. That means solving themed puzzle sets, and then repeating these sets several times, to master the key chess patterns and enforce them into your long-term memory. Grandmasters mostly play from long-term memory, and you will notice the difference as your 'automatic' pattern recognition evolves.
7. STUDY the highest-quality resources for your level. When you study from resources (be it books, videos or trainers) that explain the ideas poorly, or that are completely inappropriate for your level (e.g. a 1200 studying Dvoretsky's books), you will pick up bad thinking habits for your games, that will hold your chess back in the long-term.
8. ASK lots of questions. The most effective learners are those who are constantly curious and who get frequent quality feedback on their thinking process. A curious player who asks lots of questions in his chess community will likely improve faster than a student who receives GM coaching, but never asks questions and just passively listens the whole time.
9. Embrace MISTAKES and failure. It is when you are outside your comfort zone that you will learn and be forced to grow into a stronger chess player. Mistakes are the most powerful feedback you can have for how to improve. Appreciate 'failure' as your golden opportunity to learn what isn't working and find what to do instead to improve.
10. Stay true to what works for YOU. Experiment with different methods and approaches, and employ the ones that play to your strengths, even if they're not 'trendy', 'popular' or 'accepted'. If you're performing 400 points above your rating with the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit, you should keep playing it, even though 'objectively' it's not a sound opening.
Bonus Rule:
11. Work harder on YOURSELF than you do on anything else. By this, I am referring to being in the peak physical, mental and psychological condition for your games.
On a basic level, this means adopting a consistent and effective sleep routine, eating healthily and in the right quantity, and enjoying consistent exercise. It also means adopting a positive, 'growth' mindset - that your abilities are not fixed and you have the capability to evolve your existing skills, learn new skills, and control the course of your life.
Of course, all 11 of these rules could be easily adapted for your life as well, and it is up to you how you wish to implement them.
My challenge for you is - which of these 11 'rules' will you be working on this week?
And who will keep you accountable, to make sure you follow through on this commitment?
See you in the next post!
For more of my Grandmaster chess content and access to unique opportunities, join my email list by clicking this link.
