Seems like strange advice to not even look at the board for half of the game.
One author recommends using your opponent's turn to take stock of the position without necessarily calculating anything. For beginners perhaps this could be things like finding undefended pieces. Then on your turn you can calculate.
Very bad advice from the OP! You should always be studying the board - before and after your opponent makes his/her move. That is, there isn't a time when you shouldn't be studying the board. Assuming you're interested in winning.
The good advice is to never calculate during opponent's turn, but instead look at the board and make general considerations about the pawn structure, ideal piece positions, possible endgames, trades to ai for or to avoid.
The good advice is to never calculate during opponent's turn, but instead look at the board and make general considerations about the pawn structure, ideal piece positions, possible endgames, trades to ai for or to avoid.
I supposed this was what I was getting at.
This is what I do unironically. Except I make no calculations and I have zero attention span so I blunder anyway.
There is no shortage of lame advice on this site.
You look at the board to:
1. find weak spots that can be exploited
2. prepare for what your opponent might do
If you aren't looking at the board, you may as well stop playing.
If you aren't looking at the board, you may as well stop playing.
Sorry, I forget that on this site a "beginner" is rated about 1800.
Seems like strange advice to not even look at the board for half of the game.
One author recommends using your opponent's turn to take stock of the position without necessarily calculating anything. For beginners perhaps this could be things like finding undefended pieces. Then on your turn you can calculate.
I presume what the OP meant is the very very beginning of a player's chess stages (like the very first day or week), so as to not overwhelm the player himself.
After a certain period of time (possibly one or two weeks), the player could start to slowly incorporate the idea of thinking on his opponent's time as he picks up the sport of chess.
Seems like strange advice to not even look at the board for half of the game.
One author recommends using your opponent's turn to take stock of the position without necessarily calculating anything. For beginners perhaps this could be things like finding undefended pieces. Then on your turn you can calculate.
I presume what the OP meant is the very very beginning of a player's chess stages (like the very first day or week), so as to not overwhelm the player himself.
After a certain period of time (possibly one or two weeks), the player could start to slowly incorporate the idea of thinking on his opponent's time as he picks up the sport of chess.
It's like trying to ask a Grade 3 math student to learn the techniques of solving two simultaneous equations in two variables to solve a problem which goes like this.
An apple and a pear have a total mass of 350 grams.
An apple and two identical pears have a total mass of 500 grams.
How heavy is one pear?
We cannot expect to ask the Grade 3 student to use simultaneous equations to do this at his age as the knowledge will overwhelm him.
As he gains valuable techniques in maths, he will eventually (in later grades) learn the ideas of simultaneous equations.
The time to look away from the board is when it is your turn to move. It is much easier to calculate variations in your head without the fog of the present position.
When I saw this post, and the contents of the advice, I looked up the OP's rating.
Nuff said.
(You want to accuse me of being a snob? Or of getting personal? Okay. Would you expect good advice on any academic matter from someone who hadn't graduated from high school?)
When I saw this post, and the contents of the advice, I looked up the OP's rating.
Nuff said.
(You want to accuse me of being a snob? Or of getting personal? Okay. Would you expect good advice on any academic matter from someone who hadn't graduated from high school?)
No one would have called you a snob if you didn't add the parenthesis section.
To avoid this, early on when playing in longer time controls, don't even look at the board until it is your turn.
As a beginner, I still looked at the board when it wasn't my turn to make plans(albeit they weren't great plans, but still)
Seems like strange advice to not even look at the board for half of the game.
One author recommends using your opponent's turn to take stock of the position without necessarily calculating anything. For beginners perhaps this could be things like finding undefended pieces. Then on your turn you can calculate.
That’s what I do.
It won’t get your very far in chess when you don’t think about what your going to do when it’s not your turn.
emphasis should be placed on avoiding blunders, which can end games immediately. careful consideration of targets & threats should be foremost in your mind at all times... this will assist you in your battle for the initiative & minimize oversights of tricky tactical traps or other dangers.
remaining time is wisely spent (on opponent's move, preferably) answering general positional questions:
which pieces to keep or exchange?
queenside, central or kingside play?
attack, develop, manuever or defend?
what to do with my worst-placed piece?
how do i harmonize my pieces & pawns?
how can i make the imbalances favor me?
Seems like strange advice to not even look at the board for half of the game.
One author recommends using your opponent's turn to take stock of the position without necessarily calculating anything. For beginners perhaps this could be things like finding undefended pieces. Then on your turn you can calculate.
I presume what the OP meant is the very very beginning of a player's chess stages (like the very first day or week), so as to not overwhelm the player himself.
After a certain period of time (possibly one or two weeks), the player could start to slowly incorporate the idea of thinking on his opponent's time as he picks up the sport of chess.
It's like trying to ask a Grade 3 math student to learn the techniques of solving two simultaneous equations in two variables to solve a problem which goes like this.
An apple and a pear have a total mass of 350 grams.
An apple and two identical pears have a total mass of 500 grams.
How heavy is one pear?
We cannot expect to ask the Grade 3 student to use simultaneous equations to do this at his age as the knowledge will overwhelm him.
As he gains valuable techniques in maths, he will eventually (in later grades) learn the ideas of simultaneous equations.
I'll keep it simple: that analogy is as bad as the advice to not look at the board. This topic is ridiculous.
That's all.
Early on, players haven't yet learned how to anticipate how the board state will change as pieces move, so it can cause blunders to make plans on how you are going to move before your opponent makes his/her own move.
To avoid this, early on when playing in longer time controls, don't even look at the board until it is your turn. This way you always take your opponent's move into account. Later on as you have gained more experience, you can start planning ahead while waiting for your opponent's move.