First Steps on the elo journey

Here we go.

I've explained, in my last post where in my chess evolution some 2-3 months back. This is when I started to play more frequent and started my elo journey upwards.

I would most likely have been able to start this a bit earlier but I spent close to the last year on a number of activities to prepare for my return to the chess board.

Here's a short list of what I did.

1. Bought Houdini (9.02) and started to play a number of games each and every day (loosing at a scary rate). I kept loosing nevermind the settings used in houdini. No fun ...

2. Did a post mortem on most of my games played up to that time at chess.com

3. started doing tactical training at chess.com

Age

I reached some conclusions quite fast and I probably was way of the mark on some of them.

I did think that "my age" was one important factor. Now I'd say that this was not the case. I do find it hard to play 1 and 3 minute games both for the short time one has to digest the positions but also for lack of precision on moving the pieces with the mouse. The piece moving do anger me a bit as I work with computers and have done so or many years and feel that my mouse management when using software is excellent. Unfortunately when moving pieces I tend to let them down on half squares, making the move illegal so I have to redo it (loosing time) or even worse, dropping pieces on bad squares :-(

5 Minute games are quite ok until there's a real time scramble as to moving problem becomes a factor again.

Openings

30 years ago I did know the openings I played well enough to keep my own at the local club. Guess how well that worked after 30 years of not playing or training! Here's where I found the first big problem.

In most games I blundered or played so bad in the first 12-15 moves that I was dead lost. 

In games where I managed not to blunder, I did quit well (not many games though).

Tactics and Strategy

I always had a liking for tactics. Never got the thing with strategy though. Not, as a "grown up" I do see the reason for strategy and has taken it in happily. Add to this a much better tactical knowledge after chess.com's training and  things start to look quite good.

GM Simon WIlliams

I enjoy watching and learning from a lot of chess players online. One that I have taken a liking to is GingerGM and he has more or less taken me to where I am know (a bit over 1800). 

I'll explain in more detail how and what in regards to Simon in my next post.

Kenth