For the first two months of 2024, I have done almost zero chess training. I predicted in February that I would do much more this month. I was right. I effectively re-started chess, and it feels really, really good. And I also managed to keep most of my life in balance as well, a real win-win.
Here's the breakdown.
[Edit: The glut of joke emails in my inbox has reminded me that today is April Fools. Let assure you that, despite the unfortunate timing, this is legitimately my monthly update.]
In my January update, I hinted I might do very little with chess this month. I was right. I did almost zero chess training... but not zero. I also kept myself vaguely engaged with chess, and that might be pulling me back into training mode ... but we'll have to wait for the March update to see, I guess.
This will be a short one: I'll briefly say what I have done, both in terms of training and non-training activities, and where I predict things will go from here. I'm optimistic these last two months represent the nadir of my 2024 chess status.
As a way to keep myself accountable, I promised to provide monthly training updates. I'll record what I have done, what I have achieved, what I have struggled with and suggest what I might change going forward. Sounds awesome, let's do it....
... and unfortunately, my first month was terrible. I basically stopped training chess. Whoops. But I have a good excuse. I've reignited an old hobby, older even then chess, and basically have devoted all my freetime to it. Chess has fallen off the radar. I like to think I'm not being lazy, but I guess I'll let you be the judge.
Well, 2023 is nearly done and 2024 is about to begin. I figured I would take this moment to summarize my year in chess: what I've done, what I've accomplished and what I hope to achieve in the coming year. This will act as a time capsule, something to compare with this time next year, and it lets me celebrated some of my achievements.
I did it! I just played my first blindfold game! It was against Stockfish level 1, only lasted 17 moves and I had infinite time to think ... but I still did it!
It will be fun to look back at this in a few years time, when I'm a seasoned blindfold player and laugh at my indecision. Nonetheless, right now, I'm pretty hyped. The game itself was fairly accurate as well. Funny, because I saw some potential tactics, but I also completely forgot whether some pieces existed or not. Definitely a huge step, though. Do this a few more times and I'll be able to graduate to playing against real people, and then I'll slowly climb the rating ladder until I reach my ultimate goal, playing "good" blindfold chess within 300 points of my normal rating.
Here's the game itself (which is on my new blindfold only account):
And as proof, here's a video of my attempt. I had tried to get it to record the live board as well (after all, no one wants to watch a video of a blank chess board), but apparently minimizing the tab meant that my recording software didn't pick it up. It's also pitch black because I didn't turn on any lights, so I look like a ghost. So the video isn't that useful ... but it proves that I did it!
I'll have a full breakdown of how I trained to get here at some point, but for now, I'm off to celebrate.
What do I have in common with Capablanca, Fischer, Dvoretsky and Aagaard? We all made chess content that made this list: the Top 23 Chess Books For Improving!
A friend sent me congratulations, and I was confused. Then he sent the link and I was delighted! Apparently the SayChess site ran a survey among its members, asking for the chess content that helped them improve the most. My course ended up in a tie for 17th place, and the other books feature authors much more famous than I, to say the least!
I wrote "Smithy's Opening Fundamentals" because I saw the need. So many people asking the same sorts of questions on chess forums. The answer was inevitably "focus on opening principles", but few provided a way to do that. That was my goal, and I'm delighted that, for many people, it has helped them appreciate this great game a little more.
Obviously, thank you to the people that voted for my course, and thank you to SayChess for featuring me. It may just be a random Internet list, but I greatly appreciate it. I've always wanted to be an author, and now it seems undoubtable that I am. Maybe I'll have to create a follow-up...
I will thus be learning the QGD exchange instead of the Catalan. Fortunately, this probably improves the experiment:
The course is literally 10x shorter, 3.5hrs instead of 30hrs. It's actually something I can complete before 2024;
The course is primarily plan-based, which seems better for the "re-creation" aspect of the ChessMood method (admittedly, this is an assumption on my part);
It covers the most common moves at club level, so it should be easier than the GM-approved mainlines from Shankland;
If the Method works, I can then approach the Catalan with confidence. If the Method doesn't work, then at least didn't have to bang my head against the wall with a much harder course to find out; and
It supports my friend.
So, in short, I am still trying the ChessMood approach, but I'm doing it with a less-ambitious course.
After a nearly three-year hiatus, I have returned to blogging. I shuttered my previous blog over a perceived lack of interest. Years have passed, and I still get comments every few months, someone inquiring about my blog and wondering what happened. Well, if people want to hear what I think about chess, I'm not gonna stop you!
I exported all my old blog posts, but they appear to have been lost when my old computer crashed. A few have survived here and there. I plan to import what I have and then start producing new content as my schedule allows. For those that do not know, I recently became a lawyer, and though it demands a lot of time, it so far doesn't demand all of it. Might as well spend some of that extra time on a game I love.
If you are an old reader, welcome back, and know that you are responsible for me writing this! I would never have never returned without the many nice comments I've received from people like you. And if you're new, welcome as well! Hopefully you get something out if it, and let's all get better at this great game together.
