I Am Giving Up Playing

I am giving up playing …

… short games on Chess.com and Lichess that is!

This is a personal choice and not a recommendation to others who may really enjoy and benefit from short games.

I have tried to stop my addiction to 10+5 in the past but without success. By “coming out” to all of my Sudbury club friends I am hoping this gives me the traction to stop this time.

Starting with the WHY, I believe this is having a negative effect on my chess. I am a slow player and usually one of the last to finish in my league games. I find the speed needed even at 10+5 means I am making more instinctive moves and relying on my gut rather than a more considered approach.

Isn’t that what’s supposed to happen? Yes it is, but in my case I think it is “training out” more careful play. What I mean is that when I turn to play standard or rapid (30 mins) OTB I am not making those detailed calculations, blunder checks and positional considerations. Instinct and gut rule and are not reliable.

Also analysing a short game doesn’t really provide great insights into my game, and flaws are easy to dismiss as “it’s only a blitz or short rapid timeframe – Standard play will be different”.

So what am I doing to get my regular “chess fix” and use those otherwise dead times while travelling, endless waiting for appointments or boring TV?

Well I am solving puzzles and tactical positions. I like how Lichess does this. Not giving you a hint like mate in three, it’s all about finding the best move in the position. So you have to start by working out for yourself what the position is really about.

You can choose from a huge number of themes such as rook endgames, checkmate patterns, intermediate tactics, advanced tactics and many more. I have even tried puzzles from positions arising from particular openings like the Caro-Kann. Or you can stick with the Lichess Healthy Mix.

However, and this is a big however, it is important to solve the puzzles properly. No trying a move to see if it works, no shortcuts.

Assess the position (see Jeremy Silman’s The Amateur’s Mind) then calculate the answer to the end before making the move. Playing the first move and only then looking for the follow-up is a fail. Solving the problems properly is really important.

Neal Bellon in The Chess Angle podcast (episode 119) says it so much better than I can. Well worth a listen: The Chess Angle.

I think this is already working for me.