28 Nov 09
Originally posted by kmac27No, school is not an excuse. If you sit down to play chess, what is holding you back? You say outside factors? I mean, your current playing strength is not at all limited by "lack of study time", "laziness", etc. etc. - it is what it is.
school
28 Nov 09
Because I play to enjoy myself, not to improve.
I could probably be a better player if I studied tactics, or openings, or worked on endgames, or if I analysed my games to see what I've done wrong. But it doesn't bother me - I play at the level I play at. Works for me.
28 Nov 09
Originally posted by Maxacre42well, that depends. in dragon you quite routinely get 20-30 moves even in blitz. but yeah, I know what you mean. -I try to focus on structures relevant to my personal preferences, and typical structures in general. I can always come back and add less important lines later.
This is the exact same method I used for my openings, and it continues working very well for me. However, don't make the same time-consuming mistake I did. Don't go(inserting moves) too deep in all variations. 90% of them you will never see in your life, which makes 90% of your massive memorizing task completely useless. Even for the unique variations I di ...[text shortened]... oves than the precise variations. Of course, go super deep in the main and popular lines!
28 Nov 09
Originally posted by untergangBut in the games themselves, what is lacking. You say, " if I studied this, if I studied that (which I don't)..." - but when you play... do you know on what moves things are going wrong? Do you know while making an inferior move, that you would have played a different move had you been stronger?
Because I play to enjoy myself, not to improve.
I could probably be a better player if I studied tactics, or openings, or worked on endgames, or if I analysed my games to see what I've done wrong. But it doesn't bother me - I play at the level I play at. Works for me.
(it is still difficult for me to explain what exactly I am looking for, you see...)
28 Nov 09
Originally posted by orion25pretty much, yeah. it was hardly ever necessary before, you just tried to work things out as you went. I first started putting time into openings at 1800 or 1900 I think. and it was really just dabbling compared to what I'm doing now.
let me get this straight, wormwood, at the 2000 up level you actually need to punch lines into your brain? But you do know the main-lines right? What you are saying is you need to memorize lesser important lines as well? I had never quite thought about this, but I expected that even at 2000 level it would sufice to know the main-lines...
and yes, there are loads of 1500s with much better openings than I have now. especially the guys who've played for decades.
28 Nov 09
Originally posted by wormwoodYes! What I mean is that I just took my book on the English and another on Caro-Kann and I methodically inserted every variation in the book on CPT, which took a shatload of time and was useless for 90% of the content.
well, that depends. in dragon you quite routinely get 20-30 moves even in blitz. but yeah, I know what you mean. -I try to focus on structures relevant to my personal preferences, and typical structures in general. I can always come back and add less important lines later.
28 Nov 09
Originally posted by Maxacre42This can't be the way to learn openings.
Yes! What I mean is that I just took my book on the English and another on Caro-Kann and I methodically inserted every variation in the book on CPT, which took a shatload of time and was useless for 90% of the content.
28 Nov 09
2 edits
Originally posted by heinzkatwell I don't care to go looking, but from memory this one and close relatives come up quite often, as happens here on RHP as well. once you hit a dragon player as white, and the train gets rolling with Bh6, there pretty much only 1 crossroads before running out of theory. after ...e5, whether white takes the pawn right away or moves Ne2 first.
1500s on FICS play 30 moves theory?!? Example plz
28 Nov 09
Originally posted by wormwoodWell, I never come that far. Usually I avoid O-O-O when my opponent pulls that g6 Bg7 prank on me. But come on, how often have you actually played this very line in Blitz?
well I don't care to go looking, but from memory this one and close relatives come up quite often, as happens here on RHP as well.
[pgn]PGN FAIL[/pgn]