How your theme could be affecting your wins

The Giant Canvas

Images and colors play a huge role in how we experience day-to-day life. As soon as we open our eyes to the blurry morning, the weather peaking through that window sets the mood for most of the day. The clouds, the trees, the butterfly fluttering past, and the weathered sculptures that walk around all day. These are the colourful images of the world, the great gallery. And Some might even go as far as to say that they shape our very sense of reality.

Right now, as you read this, you're standing on a giant canvas. The world!

And if you're thinking "Wait one moment, the world isn't exactly flat, you know." then I invite you to bring those words along with to a 3D art gallery of your choosing. It might just spark up some interesting conversations that could change your views, even if just for a day.

In fact, why not bring the gallery to you:

Are you tempted to reach in there yet?

I know you are, and if you're feeling curious enough you can find more of these amazing pieces here

.

I also imagine that by now you're beginning to see the point of this blog; the power of images, the power of colors, and the strong influence these two hold over the human mind.

Something about a theme?

Ever thought of how your theme might be might be throwing you off your game, or perhaps granting you super chess skills? Then you might be on to something.

The themes we use have a direct effect on our ability to concentrate, our moods, and even our thought patterns. Such as bright colors can distract you, and transparent pieces (such as glass) be hard to spot or discern.

Take this lovely chess set for example:

As beautiful as it may be, the lack of contrast could lead to strain or confusion. The pieces and squares simply don't stand out, therefore one must make an effort to identify certain aspects of the chess set.

As miniscule as these effects might be for some players, it's still confusion and strain in the midst of a game. In chess, that can very well be the difference between losing and winning.

While we won't debate what works for who in this blog (who's to really say what does it for you), next we will be going through some fun info on colors, and some of my personal experiences with the different themes that I've tried (I'm looking forward to hearing about your experiences).

Colormotions

Enter the colormotions - a splash of research to help you choose the right colors for your theme (taken from FeltMagnet). I invite you to take a moment as you scroll through, and meditate on each picture, be aware of how it makes you feel:

• Red: represents danger, warning, or error, but also warmth, love, passion, and intense emotion. Can also symbolize bravery, war, or blood. Some studies have shown it to stimulate appetite (which is why there's so much red at McDonald's restaurants) and improve accuracy on certain tasks.

• Pink: the lighter shade of red represents love and romance, as well as femininity. Pink is generally considered to have a calming effect.

• Yellow: this bright, attention-getting color is seen as a sunny, happy color, yet studies have also shown, paradoxically, that prolonged exposure to it can make adults lose their tempers and babies cry. Yellow is also the most fatiguing color to the eye.

• Blue: seen as having a calming effect. Darker shades of blue (as in police uniforms and business suits) may suggest reliability and security. The color is also often associated with sadness. Studies suggest that the color blue can increase productivity and creativity, and may actually lower body temperature and pulse rate.

You can read the rest of that and more about colours here 

Chosen Themes

And now for the themes that have helped me play at my best. My first choice, a custom theme.

• Background: Space
• Sounds: Default
• Pieces: Icy Sea
• Board: Ocean

I like to call this one Deep Places, and it is by far my favourite theme, though I don't use it that often, and next I'll explain why. 

Deep Places first of all is very calming, easy on the eyes, and allows for some deep calculations. It makes you feel as if you're far in space alone, which also makes it quite a comfortable setting for game analysis. However, for rapid chess, I feel that it lacks the sharp edge that nurtures the sense of urgency, and that's exactly what rapid chess is, a matter of war and urgency.

I would recommend this theme for long daily games.

Next is the theme I use on the mobile app.

This is one of chess.com's own, a very beautiful theme called Game Room.

I really love this one. When I chose it, it's because it reminded me of Pool (the game), and an ever warm room. This theme is quite the classic. It creates the perfect setting for any type of gaming.

It's all in the title; creativity blossoms in the Game Room. It's the green fields under the sun. The playground. And this color combination is quite loved here in South Africa 😑.

Default

Then there was Default, the main theme which is quite neutral. It's a bit of everything for everyone and the different personalities that come with them. I believe that's why it was chosen as the default in the first place. It's a good starting place until you're ready for change.

Before I leave you; one more super drawing/painting. You'll love this one.

Ok, I lied 😅, it's real. The next one is a real 3D painting though.

"Hey, didn't I see Van Damme training in one of these?"

Well that's it from me. I hope you enjoyed the interesting info on themes and how they affect your wins.