X-Git-Url: https://git.ladys.computer/Wiki/blobdiff_plain/563e21b2ab2f887f0e6c451edf3d12364a9b5555..refs/heads/live:/Sources/Editor/Rinna/ChessStudyPlan.djot diff --git a/Sources/Editor/Rinna/ChessStudyPlan.djot b/Sources/Editor/Rinna/ChessStudyPlan.djot index ed12a27..2cef882 100644 --- a/Sources/Editor/Rinna/ChessStudyPlan.djot +++ b/Sources/Editor/Rinna/ChessStudyPlan.djot @@ -50,30 +50,40 @@ could improve on and what went well. ## Rating Table - - - - - - - - - - - -
Rating and performance over time (on chess.com)
Rating Win-Loss
Week Blitz Rapid BlitzRapid
1 N/A 429 4-1 3-1
2 686 508 0-0 3-1
+My rating and performance over time (on chess.com): + +| Week | Blitz rating |Rapid rating | Blitz win/loss/draw | Rapid win/loss/draw | +|------|--------------|-------------|---------------------|----------------| +| 1 | N/A | 429 | 3-1 | 4-1 | +| 2 | 686 | 508 | 6-6 | 0-0 | +| 3 | 725 | 508 | 1-3 | 2-0 | +| 4 | 694 | 535 | 3-9 | 0-0 | +| 5 | 615 | 535 | 2-2 (0-4) | 2-0 (0-3) | +| 6 | 588 | 628 | 5-7 | 5-0 | +| 7 | 590 | 728 | 2-2 | 4-4 | +| 8 | 587 | 739 | 5-6-1 | 9-3 | +| 9 | 579 | 795 | 3-0-1 | 25-6 | +| 10 | 604 | 935 | 5-8 | 9-5 | +| 11 | 585 | 974 | 2-2 | 11-6-3 | +| 12 | 585 | 1000 | 6-6 | 12-8-1 | +| end | 588 | 1023 | N/A | N/A | Notes: * Each row represents my ratings at the beginning of each week unless stated otherwise. Game results are for games played during that week. + End row is for the end of the study plan. * I had never played any blitz games prior to starting the study plan. * Prior to starting the study plan I had mostly been playing on lichess rather than chess.com, so improvements from week 1 to week 2 may just be my having improved since when I had last been playing on chess.com. +* In week 5, I took part in some tournaments on chess.com. + I've listed those separately in parentheses in the win/loss columns, + as they were mostly against significantly higher-rated players (and + in the rapid case, were at a 10+0 time control instead of my usual + 15+10). ## Status report @@ -102,6 +112,511 @@ TPTCOAT]][daily game versus TPTCOAT] [daily game versus TPTCOAT]: https://www.chess.com/game/daily/561280087 +### Week 2 + +From this week on, the study plan decreases the games played a little +to make room for studying the games from _Logical Chess Move by Move_. +Which is a fun book! +It's a bit of an old book, so some of the analyses are by now +demonstrably erroneous due to further developments in the understanding +of chess (and the advent of chess engines), but it's interesting. +It goes through a bunch of historical master-level games and explains +the ideas behind (and sometimes flaws in) each move. + +Yesterday I also got to get started on _Winning Chess Openings_ (okay, +that's a lie, i've been doing a bit of extracurricular reading on it +already. but i did more yesterday). +Which is also a great book. +I've reached the section of the book where it's basically giving a +whirlwind tour of every classical king's pawn opening (which is to say, +ones beginning 1. e4 e5, with both players moving the pawn in front of +their king two squares). +Next it's gonna do the same for classical queen's pawn openings (1. d4 +d5), and then for modern king's/queen's pawn openings (where the second +player doesn't mirror the first's move, intending to contest or attack +their position in the center in some other way). + +The games this week were all blitz games. +I went 6-6, (3-1, 2-2, and 1-3 across the different days I played +them). +Looking back I notice I went 6-1 with the white pieces and 0-5 with the +black pieces. +Huh. +(And the black games were all in the Caro-Kann, which is how I respond +to 1. e4.) +Gonna need to work on that I guess, hehe. + +I won my daily game that was going really excitingly. +Played another game against the same person as well as starting a new +game. +The rematch went in my favor again, and now we're doing another (now +unrated) game. +The new daily game I got a bit reckless and tried a Qa5+ tactic (this +is moving your queen to check the opponent's king with the intention of +then capturing a different piece with the queen when they have to move +to defend; awkwardly I failed to notice that they could both block the +check and defend the piece I was going after by moving their queen) +that hasn't panned out so I had to spend several moves getting my queen +to safety. +I've managed to stabilize the situation so we'll see how that works +out. :) + +### Week 3 + +Blitz games didn't go so hot this week. +My big weakness there was not thinking quickly enough and getting short +on time. +Week 4 will be all blitz games so hopefully that'll help me work on +that. +The rapid games went well, though. :) +Daily games remain fun but have slowed down a bit. + +I finished up the Classical King's Pawn Openings chapter in the +openings book. And part 1 of the endgames book! +Next week will be Classical Queen's Pawn Openings time, plus some less +noob-level endgame study. + +Outside the study plan per se, I've been working some on my opening +repertoire. +I ended up watching some videos from a chess coach who advocates an +approach based on going deep on a main line (both in the sense of going +all the way into the middlegame, and also in the sense of thoroughly +analyzing the line so as to develop a strong understanding of the plans +and motivations of both sides throughout), then working backwards and +analyzing in similar depth any branches where the opponent might make a +different move. +It's an intriguing approach, and I want to give it a try. +I've gone deep on one main line in the Ruy Lopez (which is what I aim +to play with the white pieces), though I haven't done the branching +out yet. +I haven't really done similarly on other openings yet either. +I kinda need to decide what defense I want to use against 1. d4. +I've gone back and forth on it (I have played very few games against it +lately tbh), but I think at this point I'm deciding between the +Grünfeld Defense and an approach based on the Nimzo-Indian and either +Queen's Indian or Bogo-Indian. +I might also consider trying to switch from the Caro-Kann against 1. e4 +to a Sicilian Defense. +I like the Caro-Kann, but it's hard to find a good source on the +theory, and it doesn't seem too successful or popular at the top-level +lately so I can't look at those games for ideas either. +In contrast the Sicilian is the most common response to 1. e4, and I've +found some great books and such on it. +Anyway, interesting stuff. ^^ + +That's been week 3. + +### Week 4 + +Once again I've done poorly in blitz, alas (0-4, 1-3, and 2-2 on the +three days I played blitz games). +My big weak points in those games were: + +1. Opening unfamiliarity, which isn't necessarily a big deal at my + level in slower time controls, but in blitz it means I have to spend + a lot of time thinking about it early on and I suffer from time + pressure later. +2. Time management (contributed to by the preceding and contributing to + the following). +3. Blundering my pieces. >.> + +I did have some quite effective attacking play in the wins, including +one where I used it to recover from a mistake into a win. +I think I really need to work on thinking faster, though. +Which probably means I should do more tactics puzzles, possibly in a +more structured way. +That won't necessarily help me actually think faster, but it'll train +my ability to recognize important tactical patterns faster anyway. +So that would mean I don't need to expend as much explicit thinking on +that sort of thing. + +My daily games have gone well. +Both my rated game and my unrated game against TPTCOAT started out with +me on the back foot a bit, but then I managed to outplay my opponent +and start gradually closing out the game. +After winning both of those, I started another rated game and another +unrated game, and have won the latter already with a somewhat early +checkmate. +The rated game is about to end in my favor. +I experimented with the Sicilian Defense there, though my opponent went +for the Closed Sicilian, which I haven't looked into at all. +I ended up pulling off a [windmill][windmills] that took four of their +pawns for free. +Later I realized that I had gained the ability to checkmate them about +halfway through that, but eh, no harm in grabbing the material just in +case I miscalculated the mate. + +My opening study and preparation is getting more thorough now. +I've studied the main lines of the Grünfeld (my defense against 1. d4) +and prepared my preferred response against the Caro-Kann and the +trickier variant of the Scandinavian Defense as white. +I've also studied the main lines of the Najdorf Sicilian (my main +defense against 1. e4, although I'll need to do a bit more studying to +know how to handle a couple of different ways White can play instead of +going into open Sicilian positions). + +This week is back to some rapid games, so I think those will go better +for me. :) + +### Week 5 + +Hey, I was right. +This week's rapid games did go better for me! +I also went 2-2 in my blitz games (not counting the tournament where +most of my opponents were much higher-rated than me). +My blitz rating fell quite a bit because of blundering mate-in-1 +against the one lower-rated player I played in the tournament, but I'm +satisfied with my performance, especially after noticing that that one +lower-rated player is much higher rated than me in slower time +controls. + +I'm getting stronger in aggressive play in rapid and daily games! +Also in blitz games but I still struggle with time pressure at times. + +I've begun playing the Sicilian as my response to 1. e4! +It's been fun, and it's been well-suited to playing aggressively. + +I did two chess.com tournaments for people rated under 1200 in 5+5 +blitz and 10+0 rapid[^time controls]. +I lost all my games in both but I'm pretty satisfied with the +experience, especially in the rapid tournament. +The 10+0 time control was rough, though, but a 15+10 tournament would +take something like 3 hours, so... tradeoffs. + +In the openings book, I still need next week to finish reading about +the Queen's Gambit Declined. +In my endgame study I finished reading the second part of Silman's +Endgame Course. +Next week I'll do the tests for part 2. + +In extracurricular studies, I've tried studying from the series of +comprehensive chess training books from Artur Yusupov. +They're really tough, but the first chapter on Mating Motifs +immediately helped out when I won games using the Arabian mate, and +began noticing the threat of it and other common mates in a lot of my +games as things to defend against. +I achieved a "Good" scored (12/16) on the exercises, which were very +tough. +Chapter 2 is not sticking with me as well so maybe I should re-read +it... + +Anyway, week 6 will be a blitz week, so... +it'll be a challenge but hopefully it'll help me get better at thinking +more quickly. + +### Week 6 + +Blitz games this week didn't go too hot for me, though my rating stayed +stable. +Partly I just was really off my game on Sunday at least. +Friday I did do pretty well on time management and went 3-1. +Really I need to improve on consistency I guess, which may partly be a +matter of improving in physical health (mostly in terms of getting +adequate rest, but tbh that'll have to wait for next month at +earliest). + +I played some extracurricular rapid games and did quite well in them. +I also played some games against Will when he came up to visit me +before my move. +Our record ended up perfectly even across Saturday and Sunday at 3½-3½. +I think we might have played a game or two on Friday but I don't +remember. + +Finished up the coverage of the Queen's Gambit Declined in Seirawan's +openings book, and started on modern king's pawn openings (covered the +Alekhine, Scandinavian, and a bit of the French). +Maybe finishing up the section on the French Defense will help me +finally figure out how I want to play against it with the white pieces. + +In my endgame studies, I finished the tests from part 2 in Silman's +endgame book, and did some of the practice problems lichess has for +pawn endgames. +Not sure where I'll go from here for next week, as the further parts of +Silman's book are intended for much stronger players than me. + +We'll see how next week goes. + +### Week 7 + +Went completely even in my games this week, which resulted in a slight +drop in my blitz rating and a slight increase in my rapid rating. +Also I caught and mostly recovered from COVID. + +Looking back over the study plan so far, I feel confident I've improved +somewhat. +My blitz rating has gone down a bit from what it was after that first +week, but my rapid rating has slowly but steadily increased. +I've also been continuing to do very well in my correspondence games, +though I haven't tracked those in the table. + +My main current extracurricular study project is working through the +very basic book of chess puzzles _Manual of Chess Combinations Volume +1a_, with the intention of trying the Woodpecker method with it. +My goal there is to work on calculating simple variations and quickly +recognizing tactical patterns. +That method is a training approach aimed at improving pattern +recognition that was described in a book titled the Woodpecker Method. +The idea is: you spend a four week period solving as many puzzles from +some set of exercises as you can, then take a day or two break before +doing the same exercises again, but faster. +The ideal is you manage to halve the time it takes each cycle and +eventually end up able to solve all of them within a day (possibly a +rather long day hehe). +The problems in the Woodpecker Method book itself are too difficult to +make sense for me to do the method with (if I'm spending ~8 minutes a +problem and still only getting a bit above half the points... idk that +I'm going to get much out of repeatedly solving it hehe), so I'm going +with the much easier book for the puzzles. +Perhaps if I find the methodology helpful I'll give it a try with the +puzzles in the original book someday when I'm stronger! + +My beloved Sofía has been helping me with that study project by +checking my solutions for me (the solution pages are very compact in +the _Manual of Chess Combinations_ so it's tricky to avoid accidentally +seeing a glimpse of later problems' solutions), which has been fun. ^.^ + +My endgame study on those days is a little unfocused at this point +since I finished the level-appropriate bits of Silman's endgame book. +I should probably figure out a clearer plan for those days by the end +of this week. + +Opening study has continued to be interesting. +I finished up the Seirawan book's coverage of the French Defense and +started in on the Caro-Kann. +This week I'll continue starting with the Short Variation of the +Caro-Kann Advance Variation and then move on to the Sicilian Defense, +which will probably last at least into the following week. +The Sicilian is an exciting opening, and it's also my current main +response to 1. e4, although I'm considering switching to playing 1. e4 +e5 just to see a broader variety of positions and build a broader +variety of skills. + +### Week 8 + +This was a blitz week for the study plan. +The blitz games did not go super great, although I had my first ever +draw (other than the time I blundered a stalemate in a Queen vs. King +ending against Will). + +I did play a bunch of extracurricular rapid games, which went much +better. +Amusingly apparently I played as many rapid games as blitz games. + +I'm planning to start studying Jesús de la Villa Garcia's _100 Endgames +You Must Know_ for my endgame study going forward. +This week I only made it through the introduction, but next week I'll +start on the chapter on basic endings, which will mostly be review, but +will hopefully improve my comfort and accuracy with the stuff it +covers. + +I've continued working on the puzzles from _Manual of Chess +Combinations, Volume 1a_. +I've done 318 puzzles of 719 in the book after 13 days. +I made it past the simple mate in one puzzles. +After those, it had various "win a [piece]" puzzles, followed by +endgame positions with the goal to secure a draw. +At the spot where I'm at as I write this, it's various themed mate-in-2 +problems (first "by means of a double check", then "by means of a Queen +sacrifice"). +I really liked the draw puzzles and the mate in 2 problems are also +proving very enjoyable. + +### Week 9 + +This week went well. +I played a lot of games and had 28 wins, 6 losses, and 1 draw. +My rapid rating went up a lotttt, and now I'm higher rated than my +friend Will. :3 + +I've reached the third (and final) "stage" of the puzzle book. +I'm on target to finish the whole thing in the four weeks, though some +of the remaining days might be a lot of work (I have to do ~28.5 +puzzles each remaining day). + +There's a chess.com official tournament for correspondence games for +people rated under 1000 that started this morning as I write this (the +morning after Week 9 ended). +I look forward to seeing how I do in that (it'll take ages, as there's +4528 players signed up..., 6 person group size, so it'll take 5 rounds, +at up to 3 days a move). +But that's more of a next week thing anyway! + +I started in on the new endgame book's "basic endings" chapter, which +has been covering the basics of King + Pawn v. King endings so far. +It's review for me, although its coverage makes some things clearer or +more explicit than in my previous studies. + +I'm still not through the Sicilian Defense coverage from the openings +book, which is more remarkable for the fact that it's being very +summary about some major variations. + +As for my own openings, I've continued my experiment with replying +classically to 1. e4 with e5 as black. +I've been having difficulty with some of the sharper openings (the +Vienna Game mostly this week), but it's otherwise been going pretty +well. +I might try learning the Nimzo-Indian and Queen's Indian as my +responses to 1. d4. +They're a bit more flexible and less focused on specific lines compared +the Queen's Gambit Declined, which is kinda nice given that I rarely +actually face 1. d4 openings (and even more rarely the Queen's Gambit). + +I've started a spreadsheet (going back to the start of this month, +November) of my performance in different openings. +My big weak spot definitely looks to be the sharper king's pawn (1. e4 +e5) openings, so depending on if they improve by the end of the month +I might switch back to the Sicilian or put in a lot of effort next +month on studying those. + +All in all, a great week for chess for me. +I'll be writing next week's update from Argentina! + +### Week 10 + +Blitz games didn't go well this week, as usual. +Extracurricular rapid games did tho! + +The correspondence tournament is going well: so far I've won four games and +lost zero so far (I also won two against the person in my group who +just timed out against everybody, but those are hardly worth counting). +As for the remaining four games in round 1: one I'm very ahead and +should win; another I feel pretty good about; and the other two are +very hard for me to judge (they're still early, material is even, and +neither of us have a clearly better position). + +I didn't get in very much endgame study this week due to having just +arrived in Argentina. +In the openings book I made it on to the modern queen's pawn openings +chapter, and just barely to the start of the covering of the Indian +Defenses (1. d4 Nf6 openings). +Looking forward to the rest of the coverage of those, as well as to +reading about rarer defenses to 1. d4. + +Two weeks left! +I have clearly improved a lot at rapid time controls so far! +Not so much at blitz, but ah well! +When it ends I'll definitely continue with another study plan, but I'm +not yet sure if I'll try the more advanced variant of the beginner +plan, or move on to the intermediate plan (I'm not at the suggested +rating for that but still considering it), or come up with something +custom. Tbd! + +### Week 11 + +This was the penultimate week of the study plan! +Played a fair number of rapid games, with more losses than I've usually +had lately (although one of those was due to losing internet during the +game, so idk if I would have lost it otherwise), and three hard-fought +draws. +The blitz day went alright, 2-2 and zero net effect on my rating. + +I finished up my first [woodpecker](#week-7) cycle and am two days into +my second cycle now. +I'm pretty sure I'm going significantly faster on the early +mate in 1 problems, although it's hard to say just how much faster +since they were also relatively fast last time around, and I didn't +keep time records the first couple days of the first cycle. + +Since I've been in Argentina, for the playing through games from +Logical Chess Move By Move, I've been doing that on a physical board +with my fiancée, which is fun. +It might be a little benefit in terms of requiring me to explain stuff +sometimes to zir, who is less experienced with chess, though I'm not +sure. + +I reached a decision about what plan to follow after the final week: +the playing-lots-of-games version of the Intermediate plan from +[ChessGoals][ChessGoals]. +I was talking about the decision with Sofía and was describing it, and +explained how in addition to the base tasks for each day of each week, +it has guidance on what to do as "extra credit" if you want to spend +more time on chess. +Which, guidance on how to prioritize additional time beyond the base +tasks is exactly something I had considered a lack in the beginner +plan! +So, perfect for my preferences. +That plan leaves certain topics a bit more at the student's discretion, +by saying essentially "okay, you should pick a resource you want to use +to study strategy" and then just sometimes having a "go study your +strategy resource" task, so I'll have to pick things for those, which +I'll probably do over this next week and be ready to start the new plan +after that! + +The chess.com official correspondence tournament is going well. +I have one game unfinished, with the others all won (two more +unfortunately won due to a time-out by the opponent), and that last +game is just a matter of time until I win. +It will be a whiiiiile before the next round probably, but ah well. + +The openings book has just gotten to the Indian Defenses! +Excited to learn more about the Nimzo and Queen's Indian. +My own opening prep review has kinda fallen by the wayside, so I should +probably get back in the habit of doing that. +I'm working my way through the basic review in _100 Endgames You Must +Know_ still. + +In extracurricular study news, I've been reading and enjoying +Seirawan's other book _Play Winning Chess_. +It starts out very basic (with an introduction explaining how the +pieces move), but quickly moves into less simple topics. +Its chapter structure is: + +1. The Evolution of Chess (introduces the game and discusses its + historical development, both in terms of rules and in terms of play + styles and theory). +2. A chapter each on four key principles: force (what most would call + material, although Seirawan also uses it to discuss _local_ + imbalances of force), time, space, and pawn structure. In addition + to explaining the principles, these chapters seem to go into more + detailed coverage of how to incorporate them into your play. For + example, the chapter on force includes sections on tactics and on + traps, the role of the king in the endgame, and the impact of + material advantages in the endgame. +3. A chapter of annotated games, intended to illustrate the principles + and how they interact. +4. A final chapter titled the Four Principles and You, which I don't + really know what it covers yet (since it isn't explained in the + introduction). + +There are also little quizzes to test yourself in the midst of each +chapter, and a series of tests at the end of each chapter. +Some of them so far have been pretty tough for an introductory book! +Anyway, I'm midway through the chapter on force (currently at the +section on traps), so I'm excited to read more. :) + +### Week 12: the End + +I've completed the study plan, and I'm very pleased with how it's gone. +I'll be starting a new one tomorrow. +I've also planned out a (5-week, to be reassessed and repeated after +that) study plan for my Spanish learning, to emphasize how pleased I've +been with this approach. + +I've gotten a lot better at chess, if not at blitz time controls, over +these twelve weeks. +Rating-wise, I've gone from 429 (or 508 after the first week) to 1023 +in Chess.com Rapid rating. +Blitz has fallen from 686 after that good first week (before which I +had not played any blitz) to 588, so it feels safe to say I haven't +really improved at fast time controls; +I still struggle to play quickly and not get into time pressure, and +sometimes make horrific blunders due to trying to play quickly. +I hadn't been tracking the progress of my daily rating, but I'm +certainly also doing well at that. +My daily rating was something like 326 at the start, and is now 1053. +I've only lost a single daily game out of 30 I've played in that time. + +The books the study plan recommended have been very helpful, as has it +just forcing me to play regularly. +It is also true that the "extra-curricular" studies I've gotten up to +have certainly contributed to my improvement, though they probably +wouldn't have helped nearly as much without the opportunities to +integrate them through actual play. +As well, I suspect the study plan helped to ensure I maintained focus +on improving at chess. + +Tomorrow I'll start with one of their intermediate plans. :) + [^daily explanation]: "Daily" is just what chess.com calls games with such a time control. Chess.com is very popular (and according to the data gathered by that @@ -124,3 +639,5 @@ TPTCOAT]][daily game versus TPTCOAT] https://chessgoals.com [lichess practice]: https://lichess.org/practice +[windmills]: + https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windmill_(chess)