Originally posted by Chesswickway too fancy way to say I do a systematic blunder check 😛.
"Beaten blunder check path": Could you elaborate on that please? Are you saying it's a blunder check that you perform?
1. Make sure i'm not hanging any pieces (accidentally, of course.. i deliberately hang pieces all the time).
2. Watch those freakin knights.. I used to get forked a LOT.
... and so on.
Originally posted by FabianFnasOki, I searched their site some time ago but they only listed the second volume.
I bought the book at 'Svenska Schackbutiken' at Vegagatan in Göteborg. (They have a lot of chess books of every kind, and all other chess stuff imaginable, for sale through mail order.) And I was lucky - there is a part II in the same serie too, from month 13 to month 24, perhaps I got the last copy so I bought them both.
I have gotten great support fr ...[text shortened]... h of January. Monday it is! And then starts my program. I keep you all posted in this thread.
Originally posted by sydsadThen I really got the last copy, I thought he was joking, or trying to make me a rush decision to buy a copy...
Oki, I searched their site some time ago but they only listed the second volume.
Well, there is a copy at head library of Göteborg too. It was there I found it first and found out how good the book is. If it really is as good as I think will reveal itself during my study.
You can join Nigel Davies's yahoo group and get the occasional email from him with a few lines of chat and the odd book review...I presume you could also email him about his book:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tigerchess
I have Nigel Davies Chessbase CDRom tutorial thingy on the Pirc...and I have a good impression of him from this.
Good luck with the program btw - if you can stick to it then it'll be interesting to see how much you improve. My own plan is simply to take one of my many books and complete it before moving on to the next....then add a little more chess tactics practice a la wormwood's suggestion and see how it goes.
Originally posted by MahoutThank you Mahout for your motivationg words!
You can join Nigel Davies's yahoo group and get the occasional email from him with a few lines of chat and the odd book review...I presume you could also email him about his book:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tigerchess
I have Nigel Davies Chessbase CDRom tutorial thingy on the Pirc...and I have a good impression of him from this.
Good luck with the ...[text shortened]... then add a little more chess tactics practice a la wormwood's suggestion and see how it goes.
I think the burden is not overwhelming if I follow his program. It takes only 3 to 5 hours a week according to Nigel. I will document how much time I really spend on the program, the RHP games apart. I will show my progression in this thread.
One problem is how to see that the program makes any good. The RHP rating is a good measuer, but how avoid temporary ups and downs in rating that has nothing to do with the program? If I take a mean of the 10 last finished games i have a rating of 1608. I don't think I can see any change at the end of January, not even February. If there is a change in the end of March, how will I know that I have to thank Nigel for this, I don't know? Is three chapters really enough to tell anything?
In Ivan2908's thread about his project to progress to 1800, he gave me the idea of annotating each move you make in your games. How I will do this in som slick way is one question of its own. I wish there was a notebook of each move for annotations, but Russ says he's working on some solution, so I patiently wait.
What will my goal be? 1800 as Ivan's plan? Or am I happy with 1700? Or does it matter, as long I feel myself better than bofore and have a good time during the process?
I've heard that the method of numbering weeks is used in Sweden and not much used elsewere, is this right? Every week starts with Monday and gets a week number. The week #1 of 2008 begins tomorrow and therefore my plan of Power Chess starts tomorrow even if it's not yet 2008.
Beware of sudden confusion . According to a lot of chess instructors, it is perfectly normal that someone's chess can temporarily become even more weak then before because you have to get used to new (right) thinking or planning methods.
When I play CC with this new and right chess principles, it's ok, because I have time to think so I can analyze the position following the new principles I've learnt.
But in OTB chess, especially with shorter time controls I've experienced sudden drop in my strength, because I can't implement this ideas at so fast rate. So while thinking about my good Bishop my flag drops.
However Silman's in his books promises it is only temporarily but also warns you that he never said that path to improvement would be easy.
I assume the same is for your system too. No matter how good the system for improvement is, it won't be effortless and it could be frustrating from time to time. But I believe in happy end !
Originally posted by FabianFnasA scientific measure of your improvement may be something of a holy grail. Your goal should be to stick to the program. If you concentrate on this then at the end of December 2008 compare your rating graph for Oct, Nov & Dec with your rating for the same period in 2007...and let this serve as a rough indicator.
Thank you Mahout for your motivationg words!
I think the burden is not overwhelming if I follow his program. It takes only 3 to 5 hours a week according to Nigel. I will document how much time I really spend on the program, the RHP games apart. I will show my progression in this thread.
One problem is how to see that the program makes any good. The ...[text shortened]... tomorrow and therefore my plan of Power Chess starts tomorrow even if it's not yet 2008.
Use the thread and the people watching it as a tool for motivation.
As for recording your thoughts for the game I recommend notating th game in Fritz after it's played out. Then - when you have your own analysis - run through it again with Infinite analsis running in the background and append your notes based on what you find.
If you have a particularly interesting game - or one that you know there is more to understand about you can pay to get a GM to annotate your game...and comment on your notes. You may even be able to get Nigel Davies to do this for you....worth emailing him anyway to ask what he'd charge. The cool thing about Fritz is you can compress the file and email it over.
About a year ago I had this type of coaching with an IM via www.improveyourchess.com and it was really worthwhile. I paid about £30/£40 for 3 games...which seems reasonable given that it must be over an hours works for the GM.
In five minutes I pass midnight (local time) and enter the first day of the first week of 2008 and then starts my plan with Power Chess.
But, sorry to say, I am too sleepy to set things to go. My eyes has sand in them, my brain can't think straight, the bed is calling for me... I'll just call this a day and start the plan tomorrow instead. The first thing I do after I've waked up will be to turn the first page up, set the pieces on board, and go through the first game. I think this will be fair enough.
Originally posted by MahoutNot sure what you mean here (maybe you meant what I'm about to suggest) but better to do your own independent analysis after the game first without any engine input at all. Then when you're finished run it through the engine to see if it finds any tactics or blunders you missed. Better not to rely too much on engine analysis to do the work for you since (IMHO) it just encourages laziness, and its positional evaluation doesn't mean a whole lot anyway since they have weird ways of interpreting positions.
As for recording your thoughts for the game I recommend notating th game in Fritz after it's played out. Then - when you have your own analysis - run through it again with Infinite analsis running in the background and append your notes based on what you find.
Originally posted by scandiumYes we mean the same thing. I was suggesting entering the game and annotations/analysis - without the engine running first - then to go through it again with the engine running in infinite analysis mode adding any more notes that come to light. It's handy to write the annotations into Fritz...from where it can be printed or emailed.
Not sure what you mean here (maybe you meant what I'm about to suggest) but better to do your own independent analysis after the game first without any engine input at all. Then when you're finished run it through the engine to see if it finds any tactics or blunders you missed. Better not to rely too much on engine analysis to do the work for you since (IM ...[text shortened]... luation doesn't mean a whole lot anyway since they have weird ways of interpreting positions.
Originally posted by scandiumThanks Scandium for the advices. Mr Davies, the author of The Power Chess Program, says that only 3 to 5 hours per week is sufficient to go through the program. More than 5 hours a week is too much, I do have a life outside chess, and less than 3 hours a week is too less learning the intented stuff.
Not sure what you mean here (maybe you meant what I'm about to suggest) but better to do your own independent analysis after the game first without any engine input at all. Then when you're finished run it through the engine to see if it finds any tactics or blunders you missed. Better not to rely too much on engine analysis to do the work for you since (IM ...[text shortened]... luation doesn't mean a whole lot anyway since they have weird ways of interpreting positions.
But there is no upper limit how much you can spend for chess activities. To analyze first, go through Fritz then, and compare the findings perhaps will take too much time. I don't want my study to be a burden. I put limits to my study.
My plan is to spend 5 hours tops. Say one hour for each game, on go-through as white and one as black, and then twenty minutes for each of the six positions, together 5 hours. This means one hour every day and two days off. This is my plan.
Today it is! The first day of the first week of 2008. Even if we don't have 2008 just yet so according to the Swedish week numbering system we have w01 of 2008 today. Peculiar isn't it?
So i open the book and what will I see? (I know it already, of course, but not all of you know - yet - but in a second...)
The first chapter has the title "Aspects of the King". And its first words are as follows: "It goes without saying that the king is the most valuable piece on the board, yet relatively little attention is given to its handling." Yes, it has a value of infinity. If it is taken away from you, you are lost. So lost, in fact, that this situation cannot even occur. The game is finished the move prior that. So therefore you have to protect it and have to sacrifice whatever you have in order to not lose it. This chapter will last a month so a lot of aspects will e revealed during the wintry days of January.
The first sub-chapter has the title "Attacking the uncastled Kings". This section will hold for a week, has three games in it that will be studied deeply by me, I hope I will learn something about it. Further 4 boards of I will find a key move together with 2 boards to analyze.
Now I am at the verge to start my grand scheme of 2008. Until now I have build plans, methods, limitations and motivation for doing this. It's time now.
One of my plans is to show my progress, discuss what I've just learnt, illustrate with games and positions, and ask things I'm not sure of. Those of you who will join me are very welcomed to do so.
I hope this will be a rewarding year. God only knows the effect of my rating to be. But I am optimistic.
Let's roll!
Good luck with your resolution. You seem like a strong and motivated player to me, so I wouldn't be surprised if you showed impressive improvement over the next year. I have also made a resolution for my chess (USCF 1900 by the end of 2008), which hopefully I will achieve. Cheers to us both and a Happy New Year. 😀