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Ask Me Anything (AMA) session with Grandmaster Axel Smith

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BigChessplayer665
BigChessplayer665
Feb 7, 2025
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#361
klippfiskkjerringa wrote:
michaeljohn232 wrote:

"And please man tell me how to minimize blunders?"

"Spend time to blundercheck before you make a move."

I actually had another guy say this but it is not the most helpful advice it's sorta like saying to a bigginer in soccer "don't mess up" (I don't wanna be correcting a gm on this tho lol ) a better thing would be something more like what Gotham says checks capturedsa ttacks and look for improving moves and then try to look at what your opponent can do you have to show what to look for not just bad moves

klippfiskkjerringa
GM klippfiskkjerringa
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Feb 7, 2025
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#362
PurringtonGambit wrote:

In December 2024 I played in an open rapid tournament and everything was going well until round 6 where I was playing against a boy my age. In endgame (it was pawns+rook against pawns+rook, I had more pawns) I had the advantage but I didn't know how to play that endgame... My opponent offers me a draw and I refuse it because I know that I could win. But guess what.... after some time I somehow give a pawn then another then another then... THE ROOK!!! I resigned. If I had accepted the draw I would have got a prize money. I still had one more round, I could still get a prize if I won that game. But I was really upset on me and just couldn't focus on my last round because I was stuck on what happened in the 6th round. So I messed up the game right in the opening and lost. My questions are:

1. How can I control my negative thoughts in a chess tournament? How to get over a loss?

I don't mind losing I can accept my mistakes, but I do mind when I know I could have won that game... or at least could have accepted the draw.

2. What would you recommend me for learning endgames?

P.S. I have a rapid OTB tournament this Saturday and I don't want to repeat my mistakes...

My ratings in rapid are: 2100 online and 1600 FIDE

1. I said in a video that I was never a sore loser, but what I meant was that I was not being negative towards the opponent. But I have been a bad loser, punishing myself for weeks, so I am not the best person to ask.
Maybe keep a mantra that being a chess players inevitably means committing a lot of mistakes.
2. Play long games. Shereshevsky's opening books are also great for understanding.

klippfiskkjerringa
GM klippfiskkjerringa
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Feb 7, 2025
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#363
VibhavVasudevan wrote:

How can someone with a standard 9-to-5 job and a busy schedule, with an ELO of 1600-1700, improve further? Assume I have 30 minutes to 1 hour for chess on weekdays and around 1-2 hours on weekends.

As I wrote before, with Swedish standards this is a lot. So keep a positive spirit, if you spend time and enjoy you will improve.

arenahunter
arenahunter
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Feb 7, 2025
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#364

Greetings!

I read ur book

It was a brilliant bookhappy

But there were 2 positions in the easy section whose answers were illegal btw in 1 - 100 range

Plz tell their real solutions

I'll check later and tell the exact positions

klippfiskkjerringa
GM klippfiskkjerringa
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Feb 7, 2025
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#365
CornerPawn wrote:

I've looked at all of these questions and many of those posted lack clarity. Some are not even questions and other are questions with little or no context. Take some time to really think about what you want to ask and provide context. Many of you are just babbling and I don't think you even realize it. Your concerns keep swirling around in your heads -- imprisoned there.

Probably I should have been more selective at the start, instead of trying to answer all questions. Now I have to skip quite a few well-formulated sad.png

klippfiskkjerringa
GM klippfiskkjerringa
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Feb 7, 2025
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#366
mynameis2016 wrote:

Will you publish Woodpecker-3 if yes, what topic will it be?

Endgames!

gaeloguay
gaeloguay
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Feb 7, 2025
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#367

JAJA

         
klippfiskkjerringa
GM klippfiskkjerringa
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Feb 7, 2025
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#368
X9iZz_zZ wrote:

Hello Axel Smith! I have 4 questions for you
1) Which variation of the Sicilian defense is better, who recently started studying it? Which one is easy-going for Black and difficult to break for opponents?
2) How to improve my endgame play without books if I know theoretical ones?
3) How to prepare for classical tournaments without knowing your opponents?
4) How to preapre you middlegame and endgame play for a classical tournament?

1. There's none that's both easy to study and hard to crack. Then everybody would play it.
2. Play long games, analyze them.
3. Review your repertoire, study tactics.
4. No need, this is part of general chess training, not before a tournament.

klippfiskkjerringa
GM klippfiskkjerringa
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Feb 7, 2025
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#369
King_Red_A wrote:

How do I tell (aside from position) if a queen trade would be beneficial for me, or, if I should keep her? For instance, some players specialize in an endgame without queens, whereas, others wield her like a giant. So, against the first player, I would want to keep my queen; but, for the second one, I would want to trade queens early on. So, how can I tell which type of player my opponent is?

Thanks so much, Axel & team! Keep Chessing & Stay Brainy!

I think the objective part is by far the most important. Do the position ask you to exchange queens or not? However I have friends that go through some 20 or so games from the opponent to learn their style. Most don't have a certain style, but sometimes you notice attackers, or endgame lovers.

klippfiskkjerringa
GM klippfiskkjerringa
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Feb 7, 2025
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#370
Stan-Man4 wrote:

How can you get chess.com to repeat the same puzzles over and over, because once i do a puzzle i never see it again. Just wondering so I can properly use the method.

The chess.com puzzles are not for woodpecking, but the Woodpecker courses on Chessable are.

klippfiskkjerringa
GM klippfiskkjerringa
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Feb 7, 2025
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#371
DABZEEsooperaa wrote:

How do you find sponsors?

I never had one. (But have got help from clubs and sometimes also private persons to pay for tournaments.)

klippfiskkjerringa
GM klippfiskkjerringa
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Feb 7, 2025
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#372
Squishty wrote:

What is it actually like to be a full time chess player and essentially having chess be your job?

I have never been so strong that I can make money of playing, it has been enough to pay for travels, hotels, food etc. So for me it has been writing, coaching.

There are a lot of great things: you can choose when to work, you don't have a lot of money to spend on unnecessary things that only makes your apartment messy, you don't need to take care of colleagues, you can travel.
The bad part is maybe the pressure to perform, and that sometimes you feel you are a bit outside the real world.

klippfiskkjerringa
GM klippfiskkjerringa
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Feb 7, 2025
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#373
BDRAX wrote:

Alekhine or Capablanca?

Capablanca because I like Cuba. Not a very good argument.

arenahunter
arenahunter
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Feb 7, 2025
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#374
arenahunter wrote:

Greetings!

I read ur book

It was a brilliant book

But there were 2 positions in the easy section whose answers were illegal btw in 1 - 100 range

Plz tell their real solutions

I'll check later and tell the exact positions

Plz do tell their solutions

Position number is 11

arenahunter
arenahunter
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Feb 7, 2025
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#375

I cannot find the other one

StandStarter
StandStarter
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Feb 7, 2025
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#376
klippfiskkjerringa wrote:
StandStarter wrote:

Hello, GM Alex

How have you learned from your mistakes in the past? I struggle with hanging pieces and not having decent foresight in moves, and I keep making the same mistakes... how do I internalize these mistakes and make sure to, when moving forward, not make them again? How did you do it?

I made sure to carefully blundercheck for a few tournaments. Then it became automatic and I had to spend less energy and time on it.
(I still blunder sometimes though!)

Thanks! I'll blundercheck when I can but do you know any sites where it's easier to blundercheck? I'm limited on here due to the one-analysis a day.

klippfiskkjerringa
GM klippfiskkjerringa
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Feb 7, 2025
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#377
vxw wrote:

Hi I really love your book woodpecker method but would you provide a guide on how you would exactly suggest a 2100 to use it? Also your e3 repertoire available anywhere online?
Also I play the ponziani opening in OTB what do you think about the opening is it any good? Also what about cobra sicillian.

1. It's written in the book!
2. Yes, e3 Poison is on Chessable, Forwards Chess, Chess Tempo.
3. Ponziani is maybe not a good opening, but everything is playable.
4. The Cobra - I have written a chapter in a book about Rolf Martens (Thinker's Publishing), but there's a course by Robert Ris which is a better source if that's your interest.

klippfiskkjerringa
GM klippfiskkjerringa
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Feb 7, 2025
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#378
SprintingCobra wrote:

What do you think is the biggest reason that most amateurs don't go on to become GM, let alone even earn any master title?

They prefer living a healthy life ... No, but the titles are designed to be only for a few, so it would be better to ask why those achieve it.

klippfiskkjerringa
GM klippfiskkjerringa
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Feb 7, 2025
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#379
Sans1600 wrote:

Would you recommend being a coach for low rated players in an effort to increase your rating and help others do the same simultaneously?

Not for improving (even though it is at least slightly helpful), but doing it to help others is enough of an argument, if you also enjoy it.

arenahunter
arenahunter
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Feb 7, 2025
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#380

Plz tell how did u reach 2000 elo and further?? I cannot reach to even 1800sad...

And what books do u recommend??

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