From: Surinna Curtis <redacted>
Date: Wed, 1 Nov 2023 15:35:54 +0000 (-0500)
Subject: Updated my chess study plan page
X-Git-Url: https://git.ladys.computer/Wiki/commitdiff_plain/57bb742bfdba5e49c1c7eded030ef0e203e51e2f

Updated my chess study plan page
---

diff --git a/Sources/Editor/Rinna/ChessStudyPlan.djot b/Sources/Editor/Rinna/ChessStudyPlan.djot
index 3b4a85f..14d62c9 100644
--- a/Sources/Editor/Rinna/ChessStudyPlan.djot
+++ b/Sources/Editor/Rinna/ChessStudyPlan.djot
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@ My rating and performance over time (on chess.com):
 |  5   | 615          | 535         | 2-2 (0-4)      | 2-0 (0-3)      |
 |  6   | 588          | 628         | 0-0            | 0-0            |
 |  7   | 590          | 728         | 5-7            | 5-0            |
+|  8   | 587          | 739         | 2-2            | 4-4            |
 
 Notes:
 
@@ -329,6 +330,61 @@ 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.
+
 [^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