I'm sure as mentally draining as chess is, its plenty okay to take a day off here and there and try to clear your head. Your subconscious will be working on what you already know no matter what.
Is taking days off important?
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Mar 30, 2025
0
#3
yeah i recently took some time off for a vacation, and chose not to play chess for most of those days (it was about 2 weeks long with maybe 2 or 3 days where i played chess). the first day i started playing again i hit a peak of 2395.
DixieLandTN wrote:
I'm sure as mentally draining as chess is, its plenty okay to take a day off here and there and try to clear your head. Your subconscious will be working on what you already know no matter what.
I imagine it can be compared to going to the gym. You almost have to take days off to properly recover. I wonder if the same is for the mind and chess
Chess_Player_lol wrote:
yeah i recently took some time off for a vacation, and chose not to play chess for most of those days (it was about 2 weeks long with maybe 2 or 3 days where i played chess). the first day i started playing again i hit a peak of 2395.
That’s a huge rating. Were you always naturally good at chess or did it take you many years to get there?
Mar 30, 2025
0
#6
wrote:
Chess_Player_lol wrote:
yeah i recently took some time off for a vacation, and chose not to play chess for most of those days (it was about 2 weeks long with maybe 2 or 3 days where i played chess). the first day i started playing again i hit a peak of 2395.
That’s a huge rating. Were you always naturally good at chess or did it take you many years to get there?
no I have been playing since I was 4, I played against my dad pretty much every night for years until i could hold my own. (around 900/100 strength).
after that i took about 2-3 years off of chess because i found other interests, but then I came back around the end of 2019 and started playing on and off. and in 2020 i decided to take the game a bit more seriously (maybe a few months before opening this account).
and then of course you can see the rest of my progression in rapid:
wrote:
wrote:
Chess_Player_lol wrote:
yeah i recently took some time off for a vacation, and chose not to play chess for most of those days (it was about 2 weeks long with maybe 2 or 3 days where i played chess). the first day i started playing again i hit a peak of 2395.
That’s a huge rating. Were you always naturally good at chess or did it take you many years to get there?
no I have been playing since I was 4, I played against my dad pretty much every night for years until i could hold my own. (around 900/100 strength).
after that i took about 2-3 years off of chess because i found other interests, but then I came back around the end of 2019 and started playing on and off. and in 2020 i decided to take the game a bit more seriously (maybe a few months before opening this account).
and then of course you can see the rest of my progression in rapid:
Impressive progress. Do you play OTB tournaments at all, or any plans to play FIDE tournaments? With a rating like that I feel like you have a realistic shot at a NM or even FM title.
Mar 31, 2025
0
#8
wrote:
wrote:
wrote:
Chess_Player_lol wrote:
yeah i recently took some time off for a vacation, and chose not to play chess for most of those days (it was about 2 weeks long with maybe 2 or 3 days where i played chess). the first day i started playing again i hit a peak of 2395.
That’s a huge rating. Were you always naturally good at chess or did it take you many years to get there?
no I have been playing since I was 4, I played against my dad pretty much every night for years until i could hold my own. (around 900/100 strength).
after that i took about 2-3 years off of chess because i found other interests, but then I came back around the end of 2019 and started playing on and off. and in 2020 i decided to take the game a bit more seriously (maybe a few months before opening this account).
and then of course you can see the rest of my progression in rapid:
Impressive progress. Do you play OTB tournaments at all, or any plans to play FIDE tournaments? With a rating like that I feel like you have a realistic shot at a NM or even FM title.
i want to, but I dont really have otb around me. So for now I will just improve online and have fun
Mar 31, 2025
0
#9
Viznik wrote:
It feels like I’m platueing at 1250. Feeling a little tired, should I take a day off?
Do great players take days off? Or is chess their life and they simply push through?
Yes. Taking small breaks is important. If you are feeling tired and plateuing in rating, then definitely take a break even if it is difficult and you have to force yourself to take a break.
This reminds me of an old story of two lumberjacks cutting down two different trees. The first lumberjack noticed his ax blade getting dull and his swings at the tree were barely doing anything. It was about this same time that the second lumberjack noticed the same thing with his ax blade and his swings at the tree barely doing anything.
The first lumberjack decided to take a break from cutting down the tree and go sharpen their ax blade. The second lumberjack didn't want to give up. They were determined to keep swinging at the tree. They kept swinging away at it to no noticeable progress. When the first lumberjack returned with their sharpened blade, they took one swing at their tree and brought it down in that one swoop. The second lumberjack was still hacking away at their tree.
I believe the analogy was clear enough; be like the first lumberjack and take a break. This will refresh you similarly to taking the time to sharpen your blade. Don't be like the second lumberjack who (despite best efforts) keeps trying to make progress, but clearly needed a break.
How long of a break varies from person to person and their own situation. I don't take that many planned breaks, but with my schedule, sometimes I indirectly take a break. Years ago, I was also like that second lumberjack when it came to chess, so I know both sides of it. I recommend taking a break from chess at least for a day or two; possibly even up to a week. Unless you are facing serious burnout, I wouldn't take a break longer than a week though. You want a small break for a mental refresher; you don't want a hiatus which makes you rusty from your chess. During your break, it's important to do things which mentally relax you (since chess is mentally draining). Maybe go outside and take a walk, or perhaps get cozy in bed reading a new book (just not a chess book!) and when you return to chess, you'll probably perform better even if you don't notice the results instantly.
wrote:
Viznik wrote:
It feels like I’m platueing at 1250. Feeling a little tired, should I take a day off?
Do great players take days off? Or is chess their life and they simply push through?
Yes. Taking small breaks is important. If you are feeling tired and plateuing in rating, then definitely take a break even if it is difficult and you have to force yourself to take a break.
This reminds me of an old story of two lumberjacks cutting down two different trees. The first lumberjack noticed his ax blade getting dull and his swings at the tree were barely doing anything. It was about this same time that the second lumberjack noticed the same thing with his ax blade and his swings at the tree barely doing anything.
The first lumberjack decided to take a break from cutting down the tree and go sharpen their ax blade. The second lumberjack didn't want to give up. They were determined to keep swinging at the tree. They kept swinging away at it to no noticeable progress. When the first lumberjack returned with their sharpened blade, they took one swing at their tree and brought it down in that one swoop. The second lumberjack was still hacking away at their tree.
I believe the analogy was clear enough; be like the first lumberjack and take a break. This will refresh you similarly to taking the time to sharpen your blade. Don't be like the second lumberjack who (despite best efforts) keeps trying to make progress, but clearly needed a break.
How long of a break varies from person to person and their own situation. I don't take that many planned breaks, but with my schedule, sometimes I indirectly take a break. Years ago, I was also like that second lumberjack when it came to chess, so I know both sides of it. I recommend taking a break from chess at least for a day or two; possibly even up to a week. Unless you are facing serious burnout, I wouldn't take a break longer than a week though. You want a small break for a mental refresher; you don't want a hiatus which makes you rusty from your chess. During your break, it's important to do things which mentally relax you (since chess is mentally draining). Maybe go outside and take a walk, or perhaps get cozy in bed reading a new book (just not a chess book!) and when you return to chess, you'll probably perform better even if you don't notice the results instantly.
Really well said, KeSeto!!
It feels like I’m platueing at 1250. Feeling a little tired, should I take a day off?
Do great players take days off? Or is chess their life and they simply push through?