Hello Sipke and Karel! Sipke, I met you many years ago at the Lost Boys tournament. Karel, it is nice to see you on here doing what you do best( please tell Merijn hello) My question to both of you is- What is the best way to combat time trouble. I find as I get older I am having more and more issues with this. Thank you!
Wishing you and your family well!
PS Chess for Educators is a great book!
Sincerely,
Nikki
What is the secret of becoming a Grandmaster?And how did you become it?
I believe there is not just one way to reach the Grandmaster title. I increased my level by playing a lot of online blitz against strong opposition. I analysed those blitz games as well.
Any tips on not just staying calm, but maintaining logical, structured chess thinking and planning when under time pressure (under 5 minutes in a g90 game for example)?
Staying calm in time trouble is incredibly hard. I started to care a bit less about the results in my game and now I play a bit better in time trouble, but this is maybe not very helpful 
As black what is a great defence against 1.D4. (Especially against the London and the queens gambit)
Queen's gambit is a good opening to start with.
Faster time controls make my head spin- what can I do to improve my ability to process this information faster?
Thanks for doing this AMA 😄
Play more blitz, solve more tactics
What's the best Ariana Grande song?
Tips for breaking out of the 1200 rapid range?
I am beginning to pursue my goal of reaching 1800 elo. I know it will be a long journey. I currently have selected the French Defense and the Vienna as my main openings. I could use some tips on how to study these openings and learn other chess skills.
Thank you!
Under 2000 you benefit most from studying tactics. For opening study we recommend you to find Chessable courses.
Why is tilt so common for people when they lose? In more context, is tilt something to do with your emotional well-being or is it just a case of anger? I know myself as a person who tilts quite a lot so it would be amazing if this could be answered!
Read the book about Mindset of Prof. Barry Hymer and GM Peter Wells. Focus on performance (good moves and plans), not results (1-0). Focus on learning from your games.
Why is tilt so common for people when they lose? In more context, is tilt something to do with your emotional well-being or is it just a case of anger? I know myself as a person who tilts quite a lot so it would be amazing if this could be answered!
Tilting is I believe strictly an emotional thing. It is of course Ok to experience emotions during a game but don't move in anger Try to count till ten and adjust to the new situation with a clear head.
how to convert slight advantages into winning positions
I would study Carlsen games to try to understand that. He is amazing at this!
I can only think about puzzles, analyzing games, and endgame practice to improve. How do I practice any one of this topics in the most effective manner or am I missing something?
Analyse your own games. Go for an active learning style for learning endgames and openings.
Hello sir, I have advantages in opening and middlegame. But some how l lost so much games because of my endgames. Can you give me tips to win the endgames?
Study Shereshevsky's Endgame Strategy.
Hello I have made a lot of progress in my goals I goat from 200-900+ in less then a year
I think my real skill rating is: 1500 I won the chess north peel school tournament
also my puzzle rating is 2000+ now! I have been grinding,my dream is to play a grandmaster
win aganst the grandmaster be world champ ,be a grandmaster be a top 10 chess player.
thank you I wish to improve more chess.com
Hello sirs. I tend to think a lot in difficult positions, and it runs down the clock, sometimes quite brutally, in rapid time controls (I tend to do 10+0). Is there a way to either control the amount of time it takes to think, or quickly deciding which move(s) to make that wouldn't blunder away something important?
Very complex question which is one of the reasons we published the course. No easy answers here.
What openings would you recommend for black?
Depends on your level and personal preferences.
Whenever you are losing a game online do you ever feel like whipping out stockfish? Have you ever done so? How do you combat the urge?
No I never had that urge. I just accepted a bruised ego.
How do you deal with stress as a professional chess player? Sometimes traveling hours by car or plane only to lose badly or not play your best in a chess tournament is the worse nightmare for a chess player who depends on his chess earnings for a way of living.
I'm by no means a professional but I'm an active 1600 USCF chess player, yet stress is a common factor of why I lose games. Sometimes I'm up a piece but I'm low on time in a complicated middlegame, sometimes I'm in a drawn endgame but I make one mistake and I lose the game.
Also being 1600, what would you say are the future plans for me in order to get to a higher standard or level of chess (I'm trying to get to 2000). Any middle game strats or ideas you can share with me as well?
Stress
Stress is the body's natural response to challenges or demands. Stress is a physical and mental response to a situation that is perceived as threatening or overwhelming. It occurs when the load (what is being asked of you) is perceived greater than your capacity (what you can handle).
Stress-management has to do with self-management and coping strategies.
To deal with it you should understand it, and develop thinking and behaviour routines. Those routines are a matter of mindset and skills which can be trained.
While relaxation techniques are helpful, a cognitive approach that involves changing your thought patterns and accepting yourself and your tasks is often more effective in managing stress. Stress is the result of how you perceive situations. It is self-imposed. It happens when the task at hand is important for you. Would you be stressed if you were asked to put some flowers in a vase?
Problems you can reframe: see them as a challenge.
Some practical advice: Identify what causes stress and why. Visualize a situation in advance and decide how to cope with it. Be physically in good shape. Go for a good performance (good moves, learning experiences), not for results (1-0, this you cannot always influence). Use a mantra (leading thought). Your opponent might also suffer from tension. Discuss coping with stress with training partners and a coach. Time and energy management during training and games.
Reverse rule: Think about five reasons to become stressed, reverse the reasons. E.g. My opponent has a higher rating in ‘this will be an interesting challenge’.
Stress-management has to do with self-management. In a chapter in Know Your Next Move we mention there are at least 17 ‘selfies’, such as Self-development, Self-discipline, Self-knowledge and Self-talk.
Aristotle said: We are what we repeatedly do.
What's the best way to improve visualization? Practicing it during games, studies/problems, or something else?
Blindfold chess, trying to read a book without board. Try solving small studies blindfold etc.