Thoughts on getting to 2200+

So right now I've been on this plateau for like 6 months fluctuating between 1750 to peak 1995 rapid peak was 2062 and my blitz peak was about 1785 which for whatever reason blitz i consider the strongest of all time controls and the hardest to getting to 2000+ in my opinion. So far from the training I've done I've observed that consuming chess content and chess ideas along with chess.com tactics is not sufficient to get to the higher levels of chess. The simplest answer is that this is because almost all of the people who are 2200+ are simply stupidly good at tactics and rarely drop pieces and can identify most complex checkmating sequences with little to no issue. Most of the games I've lost are either major blinders, tactical oversight or not focusing on prophylaxis and eliminating opponent possibilities. This allows them to get unnecessary counter play and causes tilt because you are underestimating the opponent.  Next, the other barrier to getting stronger is managing tilt and not setting limits for how long you play. I've found that i play too much and the quality of play decreases dramatically to the point that I make basic tactical blunders. 

However, I will say that for the most part getting to 2200+ will require you to study tactics, endgames and you will more than likely need a coach. Especially trying to push the 2000+ barrier. Alot of these chess players have stupidly good positional understanding and defensive resources to the point that playing chess can be unfun. Don't play if you feel like chess is a chore or you aren't motivated or you lack ideas. 

Personally, if you are not gifted you will need to study probably 1 to 2 hours a day id say of deliberate study on calcululation, board visualization and analysis. Going through your games annotating where your mistakes lie and making sure you remember what you learned. There were days where I studied 10 hours a day but for the most part I did not appear to be retaining the majority of the ideas I studied. In that my ability did not really improve. Furthermore, it is important to realize that chess as a skill Is calculation and visualization based you need to be able to view the pieces and read chess coordinates. Focus on calculating your move sequences and memorize the key tactical motifs so you can use it for later. Personally, id say chess books are mandatory along with coaching since that is the only real chess source that is information dense enough to get the type of improvement you are looking for. Finally getting 2200 is not something that will happen over night, some days the improvement fields imperceptible. Focus on making the best moves, limit your play and lastly do not play too much chess or you will feel burnt out. Lastly, find something fun to study and go through the sequence and memorize specific refutation lines since 2200+ will use novelties against you. 

Now, I am focusing purely on calculating books, studying more than playing and really focusing on internalizing the critical ideas. Finally, calculation is a skill that will get worse as you age so focus on concepts of calculating than simply raw calculation. That way your improvement is more consistent and long lasting

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chomp on hanging pieces