Creating a Training Schedule and Setting Goals

Thread by: @hhart10k

1. Training schedule: How have you organized your training schedule? What have you learned that works for you and what doesn't work for you?
2. Goal setting and weekly progress: How do you identify your goals and check your progress towards them on a weekly basis?

Let's discuss and if you are stuck on something related to the above, ask for help so that we can elaborate and improve together.

I'm trying to do 1 hour daily of different chess topics ♟️, i.e., tactics ⚔️ or openings 🚪. It's difficult to stick to it besides a 9-5 job 🕘-🕔. Shortly, I found myself doing more Chessable opening courses than puzzles 🤔. What daily time slot would be enough? ⏰

Well, I am getting back in the saddle after a hectic couple of weeks. I think I am getting clearer on what role chess can and should play in my life. The reality is that many other things take higher priority, so now the "game in the game" is to help it find its appropriate place in my life so that I'm living congruently with my priorities and values.

So, I think I will mostly be playing rated games on Fri, Sat, and Sun because I am usually just too tired to be "chess alert " earlier in the week. I don't think I have been working with some of my personal strengths, such as my ability to learn reflectively, so I am going to bring that more to the foreground, moving forward.

Hhart10k's Hypotheses (as a 400 ELO) for what will help me improve:

1. I will play better chess if I play both puzzles and games slowly, making sure my brain is engaged. With puzzles, I think the untimed survival Puzzle Rush works well for me because I get to review the whole range of puzzle difficulty. I like the normal puzzles, too. I think reviewing any puzzle I miss is important and when I don't miss, paying attention to why what I did actually worked (because my brain can turn off when I see familiar patterns).

2. I will play better chess if I'm not tired and worn down from my life responsibilities.

3. I think I should keep a chess journal and follow Dane's sandwich technique to play to my strengths as a reflective learner.

4. I think I should review games immediately after playing them, and then move on (so I have better chess-life balance).

5. Basically, I'm just going to focus on the quality of what I am doing more, but probably play a lot less while also focusing on having fun when I do. I mean, it's a game, right?

6. Lastly, at 400 ELO, it's never over 'til it's over, so I will just roll with the ups and downs in the chaotic world of 400 ELO.

I'll check in next week to see how my little experiment in "mindful chess" worked.

Reached 1000 Rapid & 2205 Puzzles – My Training Routine

Hello, dear collegues! 

Today, I hit 1000 in rapid and 2205 in puzzles—a personal milestone and an important step toward my chess goals! Now, I’m moving up from NM Robert Ramirez’s 600-1000 group to WGM Dina Belenkaya’s 1000-1400 Elo group, which feels like leveling up to the next grade.

This progress reassures me that my training routine actually works, so I’d love to share it with fellow beginners—maybe it’ll help you on your journey too!

My Weekly Chess Study Plan - (made after NM Robert Ramirez's Beginner Study Guide)

all activities - approximately 1 hour/day

📌 Monday: General tactics (puzzles from Chess.com, ChessKing apps, and books)
📌 Tuesday: Interactive lessons (Chess.com + other sites)
📌 Wednesday: Simple tactics & Puzzle Rush
📌 Thursday: Endgames (ChessKing + other resources)
📌 Friday: Theory—openings, books, and YouTube lessons
📌 Weekend: Rapid games & chess variants (I love mini chess and fantasy chess)

In addition, I practice daily with Aimchess, which analyzes my games and creates personalized exercises.

How I Handle Games & Practice

I’m 44 years old, with a job and family, so sometimes I’m too tired to play serious rapid games. On those days, instead of skipping practice, I use an old Kasparov MK12 Trainer chess computer. It has low calculation depth but never blunders in one move, forcing me to think tactically and strategically—great training for when I can’t commit to full games!

I hope this routine helps someone else in their chess journey! 😊♟️

So, this is my weekly checkin. See my thoughts from last week above. I'm going to call week 1 "Stop the Bleeding," because I was playing "stress chess" for awhile in January (mindless chess to relieve stress).

So, my basic "hypothesis" from last week was that I would play better chess if I didn't play tired chess. I also theorized that my puzzle scores would be a pretty good indicator of my tiredness and readiness to play rated games. So, no surprise that my record improved over the last seven days when playing against similar ELO players (this does not include today's tournament where I sort of got my fanny handed to me against higher rated players, lol).

Also, of note, that my puzzle rush survival scores correlated with how accurate my games were. So, all this to say, I think I managed to either stop (or slow down) the bleeding, so to speak. What I find interesting about chess and the impact of stress on my cognition, as a middle aged woman with some health issues, is that my so-called "right brain" ability to quickly see the board is REALLY impacted by my stress and fatigue levels (like, we are talking a 10 point difference when I'm having a bad day). It's like I lose the ability to see the board when I'm that tired and brain foggy.

So, this week, I'm going to explore using the "chunking method" of learning to begin to categorize the different types of tactics in puzzles so that I can draw on my so-called "left brain" when I'm not quite on my game. My Puzzle Rush Survival score already improved by 4 points in one sitting just by identifying/labeling the kind of tactic being used (from 20 to 24).

So, this week, I'm going to continue prioritizing whole life values, with chess just being one small part of my somewhat complicated life. If I'm playing the game of life will, I'll be sleeping well, having fun with friends, getting out in nature and going on jogs, etc.

Also, Mondays and Tuesdays are basically "no chess" or light practice days because my work is so intense. Main goal on these days is just to rest and be present at my job.

I actually played more games than I planned this week, so I will continue to sort out what feels realistic and appropriate for my life. I notice that, when I play, I like to play 3 rapid games, so I might continue to do that, but maybe less often.

Like I said, my goal for the week is to just be able to better categorize the different kinds of tactics used in puzzles.

My hypothesis for this week: At least when playing against similarly experienced players, my reliability and accuracy in games will improve if I can use so-called "left brain" strategies when I'm tired and it's a bit harder to see the board. I also predict that my puzzle scores will be higher and likely more consistent if I apply my little method

I'll call this week's theme: "Play with All Your Marbles," lol. . . trust me, this is not always a given.

Anyways, enjoy your week.

Warmly,

hhart10k

Week 3 Review: "Well that didn't go your way."

I can hear the Review Bots voice in my head: "Well, that didn't go your way." It's been a pretty tough week as far as wins/losses go, but I am honestly feeling much happier and clearer about how I am going to move forward. I'm going to briefly broadly review things and then write out some of my specifics as far as next steps go on this improvement journey.

Broadly speaking, Week 1's theme was: "Stop the Bleeding" because I was playing a lot of "stress chess" or tired chess, which was tanking my rating, and worse, I wasn't really learning. Well, I fell into that a bit this week, after trying to play after 3 hours of sleep one night and 5 another. So, I need to continue to work on choosing the right learning task for the day, and while I may still play when I'm not always at my best because, unfortunately, I just have health issues to manage, I feel so much clearer about how to navigate my health in relationship to playing chess. I think I'm letting go of any real focus on Elo, because I think Dane is right when he says, "Your Elo is like a shadow, it will follow you" (hhart10k's paraphrase). This week was such a huge week for learning for me, and I played two good games in the tournament, with no blunders, despite losing. I think my Elo will follow good learning and practice strategies. Just gotta be patient.

Week 2's theme was : "Play with All Your Marbles." By that, I meant, find learning strategies that can help me learn things in a very solid and fundamental way so that I'm not making the same mistakes over and over again. I think this will help me when I'm having a bad health/brain fog day. My strategy was to really slow down with, well, everything and take a lot more time reviewing and internalizing new learning. Did I always, "play with all my marbles" this week? Well, no, lol. Did I learn some fundamental strategies that will help me in the future? Yes, I think I did. I improved my Puzzle Rush Survival to 26, and while I am still losing a lot of games, my consistency and accuracy seems to be starting to stabilize, overall.

So what is this weeks theme for week 3 of my more focused-learning approach?? I'm going to call it "Wash, Rinse and Repeat."

Week 3: "Wash, Rinse and Repeat"

I want to work on themes from Week 1 and Week 2. To work on balancing my health with this odd passion I have for chess, I've finally established a basic rhythm focused on placing limits and boundaries around "unfocused" or mindless engagement and really prioritizing focused learning.

Here's my new schedule (work in progress):

Sundays: Play in the Tournament to learn from better players (75 -90min)

Monday: Review games from Sunday (15-30 min) or rest

Tuesday: Off; tough work day

Wednesday: 15 min morning review; 45-60 min focused learning later

Thursday: 15 min morning review; 45-60 min focused learning later

Friday: 15 min morning review: 45-60 min focused learning later

Saturday: 60-75 min focused learning, if there is time.

My goal is to keep things between 6-7 hours so I have balance in my life and chess isn't negatively affecting my sleep or my health issues so much. I think reviewing in the morning is also just an efficient way to improve my ability to learn the material.

How I actually "program" my learning sessions will be based on how my health and energy is that day.

Not feeling good? Maybe practice less or not at all. Maybe just do a gentle review and call it a day.

Feeling "okay"/so-so? Do a lesson or do a focused puzzle session. Maybe play a game if there is an itch but let go of any Elo expectations. "My Elo is like a shadow; it will eventually follow me (and my good learning strategies)."

Feeling pretty good? Well, let the games begin! Have fun!

So, Week 3: "Wash, Rinse, Repeat." I'm going to see if I can improve my accuracy and consistency, and, if I do, I think I will start winning games again.

I would love to hear what others do to improve your chess.

Hope you all are well.

hhart10k

Hey, I created the Chess Improvement Bot, which helps craft the perfect training plan based on your ELO rating and the time you have available. It is backed up by Improvement Challenge Study Guides!
Check it out - https://chatgpt.com/g/g-678d60ce170881918b820c2259e3ba65-chess-improvement-bot-chess-com;
I would love to hear your feedback

Well, it's Week 4 of my more intention/focused approach to learning chess, and things continue to just not "go my way," as the Review Bot is so kind to remind of, lol. "But there are some good things to review." Can I have a little chat with her, please?

Seriously, though, just a tough week, both on the board and off the board for me. And my Elo shows it: down 30 this week (and it was worse before it leveled off), and down 76 from my highest Elo. Some positives, though? I got to do my coaching session with Coach Dane after winning January's Improver of the Month. The others who got to do a lesson with him is right; he's awesome! Having your chess blunders on display for all to see is very humbling in and of itself, but especially when meeting with a National Master; however, not surprisingly, he was so gracious and kind and positive. I needed that after how things have been the last couple of weeks where my life off the board has been much tougher than on the board. So, if you read this, Dane, thank you!!

So for Week 4's theme, I shall call it "Wash, Rinse and Repeat - but This Time Use Detergent," lol. Thankfully, Dane helped me work on a concrete strategy for managing blunders and also helped me to expand my awareness about just how "psyched out" I have been on the board recently.

My week 1 theme related to playing "stress chess" (think checking the brain at baggage claim without knowing it kind of stress, aka. . . playing tired), and "stress relief chess" (more of a coping strategy for life) continue to be "a thing" for me. As I reflected on it, I think it's because sometimes I really do just want to play games to relieve stress. This is something I used to be able to do with board games before moving to a new area. So, I am thinking about finding some people who might want to play "stress relief chess" in a way where we can get to know each other and just chill while playing a game of chess (unrated games). Otherwise, "Wash, Rinse, and Repeat" re: my last two week's strategy for improvement.

"Adding Detergent" for this week just means that I'm going to really work on the "revelations" and ideas that Dane taught me in my coaching session. I'm going to work on my reactivity/impulsivity and also practice one of his blunder reduction strategies.

So, same general training structure but bringing a little more nuance to the actual methods I use for learning (adding the detergent).

One of his strategies for reviewing games is the "sandwich technique," also a good method for interpersonal communications, FYI. . starting and ending with positives when doing reviews. So one positive is that I got to do a coaching session with Dane. Another is that my accuracy in the tournaments has improved over the last three weeks that I have played. Week 1, I averaged 63.2 accuracy, week 2 - 71.1, and week 3 - 73.6. A third, just for good measure, is that I'm playing an active role in how I relate to chess. It's honestly tough, sometimes, after weeks and weeks of low Elo, but I know that I'm looking beyond the board. Chess can be a bit of a mirror for how things are going off the board. Things have been a bit tough this week, and, well, my games reveal it. So, I'm just gonna take it easy and ride the rough tides of life as best I can for now. . . I know I'm not alone. Life is just hard sometimes.

Anyways, so, that's it for this week.

Warmly,

hhart10k

So, I think this will be my last entry regarding training schedules for awhile. It's sort of a good news/bad news kind of situation. I certainly haven't "solved world hunger," so to speak, but I think I have my basic training strategy and approach solidified for now. Now will I follow that? Well, that's a different story, one to be written over the next 10 months.

-I've worked out my basic weekly schedule, with M-W being more restful and slow, focused mainly on review, internalizing learning from the previous week, and less stressful practice, like playing Bots or doing puzzles. This doesn't mean I won't ever play a rated game, but more just that my center of gravity is on learning and internalizing.

-Thursday-Sunday I see as a buildup for the weekly tournament on Sunday, which I love. The tournament helps me focus my learning, and I just love playing stronger players. I even managed to draw a game this week and placed 75th, which means another free month of Diamond.

-As a beginner, I think I need to regularly do activities that help me with my chess blindness, which is where puzzles and playing easier Bots come into play. I just have to get better at spotting simple, but often game ending mistakes.

-I think taking time to review and reflect is definitely the path for improvement for me. I don't know that I will ever do this "perfectly," as, honestly, sometimes I just want to play chess to play chess (to have fun). But, generally speaking, having dedicated time to slow down and review is something I will continue to work on and practice.

-This week, I have also gotten clearer on my learning style, which tends to be more conceptual, broad and thematic when I'm at my best. I tend to get completely overwhelmed and lost when things become too detailed. I blunder a lot more when this happens. So, for now, I'm going to take a "big picture/whole picture" approach to my learning and just be patient and tolerant when I miss an important detail. I'm committed to playing the long game, that looks not only to improving my Elo over time, but also improving the quality of my life. Only a "big picture" approach can help me down that path.

-I also feel I have made a ton of progress with managing the emotional impact of chess both on my play and my life. I'm starting to figure out how to be both passionate/engaged and detached at the same time, which is also a skill I want to have off the board as well. This isn't showing up in my Elo right now, but I think it will in time. And I honestly just feel happier NOW, and that's the main point.

So, that's that for now, I guess. My goals that I wrote in my intro are: 1. 650 Elo, 2. 2000 in puzzles (sort of a random goal), figure out my chess style/personality, and see chess for what it is, a game that can be a powerful mirror and metaphor life, but is still just a game. My goals are primarily "off the board," and I think if I keep that big picture, I will not only get my cake but get to eat it too.

Okie-doke, signing off for now.

Keep it fun and light, ya'll.

Warmly,

hhart10k

Thing's i found helpful is learn a solid opening. if your not an 2200 player, stop playing some 30 opening that Nobody even makes to the 2nd move. I played the Sicilian the other day and this guy hit me with this. (This is at the 1400 rating)

I was like what. So i say get a solid opening like the London for white

And the Scandinavian for black.

2nd Do puzzles. Puzzles are very good to do. But Cassian i don't have a chess.com membership. That's fine Chessable has free courses that are puzzles. Like Typical Tactical Tricks: 500 Ways To Win! https://www.chessable.com/typical-tactical-tricks-500-ways-to-win/course/77784/

I found it challenging to see a problem with Bd3 response in Sicilian. You could just continue with one of the standard Sicilian lines and have an equal position - or be even better in Dragon (but I do not play Dragon, so have not analyzed it deeply). 

I think the Most important thing about Training is Not forcing yourself to so anything since that ist the Most counterproductive Thing you can do

One of my favourite things to do is to study chess. Sometimes I get a bit tempted and do it before my homework! I either play chess or study chess for most of my free time. However, I need to restrict studying too much, since as I have experienced, I can get a blurry brain (due to using the brain too much). 
My study plan is as follows…

Everyday - at least 1 hour of Chessable openings and solve 1 puzzle rush + 3 chess.com puzzles.

Monday - Analyse some openings on Lichess (30+ minutes)

Tuesday - Analyse some of my recent games in a high depth (30+ minutes) - no engine

Wednesday - Check my analysis of my recent games with an engine (30+ minutes) - correct inaccuracies and list them down

Thursday - Study endgames (2 hours or more)

Friday - Study Chessable openings (as long as I want) - have breaks

Saturday - Have a break - if I am bored and have to stay home I will do some free study

Sunday - same as Saturday.

Some days I will study Master games instead of my games as in Tuesday and Wednesday.

umm really

After beating a 1420 yesterday, I'm making it a goal to get 16 elo points a day for April, which would put me right around that ranking. What do you guys think? Is that too much, or is that good enough to be motivating?

Speed_Swimmer_1 that is a great goal and I think it is perfect, it's motivating and it is possible.

What I have I decided to do is to play 5 rapid games a day, analyze them carefully. And then 1 hour of a course of Nieksans Guide. I am going to maintain that structure of training all this year, with of course having a break, when I am in an OTB tournament. My goal is to get to 2000 FIDE before 2026, now I am a 1869 FIDE.

2n day maintaining my training plan really happy about it.

now that I am in a tournament I realize that I can not play and do my training plan effectively so for everyone that has a training plan and is playing in an OTB tournament I reccomend to you to make a reduced plan like I am doing