Doing a blog has become every time harder and harder.

I start having drafts that I will never post.

One is about my experience with keeping clubs, which I am not so good at.

One about my games in a tournament, but really, who is interested in the lost game of somebody in the 1000 ELO range?

My actual progress

I am going on regressing in slow games.

I have to thank Chess.com to have given me back quite some points because of a cheating incident.

I go on wanting to play also when I do not have enough time or am not in the best form, and lose miserably most of the games.

I should also refrain from chatting during games. Every time I chat something more than Good luck at the beginning of the game I get confused and do something terribly wrong.

But, on the other side, I start thinking a bit faster and can play to some extent blitz games. I only play 5+5, but still... I manage to play instead of getting blocked and timing out in all games. My rating there is still pretty low.

I am wondering if I should try to equalize my rating there.

I think that the puzzles and the Anki cards are helping me to be a bit faster. But is it affecting my calculation? Am I in a moment where everything has to find its place and then my classic (rapid, ok, but I use rapid for classic) rating will go back to normal?

I do not have at the moment the time and strength to do a classic game a day in top form like I was doing before. Another possible issue.

Funny enough, it looks like I play considerably better in informal games with friends, where I usually play a bit faster.

The need for a classical tier

I have written about it in support. @chessdojo regularly talks about it. I wonder why Chess.com is choosing not to have a classical rating, but to have everything under rapid.

I find it annoying to use Lichess for rapid since I use rapid for classical on Chess.com.

I know, most of the people online play blitz and bullet. I do not play bullet, you do not have to play classical. Everybody happy.

Since online gaming is getting more and more important, it is indeed annoying that a big part of what classically is considered chess is getting ignored.

Sucking it up!

I have been playing badly. Losing most of the classical games. I have just said that.

What can I do about it?

I just tried getting out of tournaments, so that I can play at times that are comfortable for me.

I lose games nonetheless.

You know what? I will lose the game I have to lose.

I just started playing also classical games from my mobile, since my laptop has the tendency to restart without any particular advice, and sometimes it can include an update like it happened this morning when I was facing the Latvian Gambit.

If I have to go down with the rating, fine. It will then be easier to win games again against weaker opponents.

And I need to play to improve. If I avoid playing for fear of losing, I can only get worse in that particular aspect.

The rating will adjust in the end.

Everyone's First Chess Workbook - Overloading

I got onward with chapters, and I am performing relatively well. There is only one chapter where I did 40% of the puzzles wrong, about overloading.

It sounds like I have something to focus on! As if I didn't have anything.

Ah, for reference... my first post on the book! I will probably post another one in the next future!

I know, this post is kind of like the first ones in this blog.

I think I need some progress blogs every now and then, probably I will also write more complete blog posts about some of the topics, yet...

I started this blog to keep track of my progress,I need it to put everything in order. Then my mind will be free to investigate study methods, books, new ways of playing, and other interesting topics.

Maybe one of the topics I just wrote a couple of lines about interests you more and some readers would like to read a little bit more about it. Please ask me!