No is isn't! Understanding chess and grow your game requires a lot more than playing experience. You need to invest quality of time studying concepts and answer a lot of why with practical examples. The good news is that what keeps your interest alive its the journey not the destination, the bad news is that the journey is not a cruise in Carribean but rather a demanding lonely narrow path fighting your self. The map knowledge never ends finding you satisfied with what you earned, but mostly remind you how small is your thinking in front of it beautiful potential.
The Methodology Behind Chess Growth
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Jan 17, 2017
0
#3
TRextastic wrote:
Bear with me here. Before my heavy involvement in chess, I was more heavily involved in first-person shooters. Mainly Call of Duty. Unable to find a job for nearly 2 years after graduation, I spent quite a lot of time "pwning n00bs". And the number one thing I learned is that being good at shooters is all about map knowledge. The more you play, the better you get. If you just commit to paying attention, you'll start to learn where people are commonly located, where people are spawning, where they're likely to not be watching their backs, etc. Eventually you even learn to play beyond this. You know what they expect of you. You can distract them one way and run up from behind.
And I wonder if chess is a lot like this. When I look back at where I was a year ago to where I am now, it feels like I'm more familiar with the playing field. I don't leave pieces en prise because I see and remember more. Even tactics, I feel, are growing my familiarity with the map and how the players are likely to be situated.
I don't know. Just a thought.
Recently in a blitz games I fell into a "simple" mating attack. They saced a piece, moved their queen over, and there was no way out.
But I was totally blind to it because I'd never seen that particular pattern before. I had assumed I was safe because I had certain defensive options... but in this case they didn't work. I didn't resign, I let my opponent mate me, and I just stared at the screen thinking "wow."
So yeah, that sounds similar to what you're saying. Some things are simple because of experience and learning. Then during a game we build our conscious efforts off of this foundation.
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In chess, a good exercise in "learning the maps" is quickly playing over some GMs games every day. Maybe only 5 minutes a game, a few games a day. Think of it like watching a pro on twitch or TV do the skill you're interested in. Seeing a pro do it gives you ideas even if you can't see most of what's going on at that level.
Jan 17, 2017
0
#4
Though I think the OP is right that playing experience is a part of getting better at chess. I have played so many games (about 6000 on chess.com alone) that I just spot things almost effortlessly. My ability to recognise patterns is so much stronger than in a new player that it is relatively easy to win. But I agree with some of the other posters that chess is more than that. I have spent many hours studying chess, trying to understand openings and ideas. I have read many tens of books about chess. I have spent hours analysing my own games and those of others. And yet still I am only about 1800 on chess.com.
I wouldn't know whether study is also a component of getting better at video games. The only two I played much was Doom (which was pretty much shoot at everything) and BZII (a fps strategy game).
Jan 17, 2017
0
#5
Not nearly as much as chess, but for example starcraft requires study. You have to learn build orders, and the timings of the opponent's common build orders, so that during the game what you don't see is just as telling as what you do see.
Lately, I sometimes notice things I do that require "chess-like" thought, even if loosely. Maybe it's just cos I love chess. But in songwriting and street photography in particular I've noticed more clarity in my thinking process since I started playing chess.
As for FPS's, I was probably one of those "n00bs you pwned" 
There is a lot of things that has certain traits that is also in chess
Chess is like music it enhances the brain T rex
TRextastic schreef:
Bear with me here. Before my heavy involvement in chess, I was more heavily involved in first-person shooters. Mainly Call of Duty. Unable to find a job for nearly 2 years after graduation, I spent quite a lot of time "pwning n00bs". And the number one thing I learned is that being good at shooters is all about map knowledge. The more you play, the better you get. If you just commit to paying attention, you'll start to learn where people are commonly located, where people are spawning, where they're likely to not be watching their backs, etc. Eventually you even learn to play beyond this. You know what they expect of you. You can distract them one way and run up from behind.
And I wonder if chess is a lot like this. When I look back at where I was a year ago to where I am now, it feels like I'm more familiar with the playing field. I don't leave pieces en prise because I see and remember more. Even tactics, I feel, are growing my familiarity with the map and how the players are likely to be situated.
I don't know. Just a thought.
I played the return to Castel Wolfenstein with much pleasure. I like this shooters much more if there is an element of the adventure is in it. Like in GTA or WOW. Were you can improve yourself.
I remember entering the forge in Halo to walk alone and in peace in the maps to understand them
In chess the map is the opening you choose. That's why experts suggest to stick to one opening for some years. Every game you play you put a new brick of understanding in your mind. If you change opening every game you always enter a new map that the opponent played sooo many times