Preliminary conclusion
After a few months of fiddling around with the center, exchanges, piece activity, restriction, pivot points and invasion, I come to the preliminary conclusion that it will be possible to incorporate these positional ideas into my framework. Meaning, that it make sense to continue with the subjects I was already studying (like endgames) without the risk that I will grind to a hold once I finish them. So I will work the next two years on:
- further extension of the positional framework (system 2)
- tactics (system 1). This is the glue between positional ideas
- endgames (system 2 and system 1)
I think that it is a realistic expectation that this will bring me from 1700 to 2000 in about two to four years. If I manage to do so, I consider my case of adult improvement proven beyond doubt.
I can't predict what will happen after that for two reasons: I don't know which unexpected discoveries I will make the next years. Be it good or bad. Furthermore, I will get older, and I don't know what the effect will be on my mind. Which makes matters all the more interesting.
The good news is that I will retire halfway the next month, so I will finally have some time on my hands to study chess and to play a tournament every now and then. I look forward to it!
I will be very surprised if it takes two-four years for you to reach 2000. Playing several games and deeply analyzing those games while building and using your framework should yield significant rating dividends in a fairly short time period.
ReplyDeleteTime and again, I had unexpected setbacks. Which showed me new holes in my bucket that I wasn't aware of or underestimated. So I'm a bit careful to prevent exaggerated expectations during tournaments.
DeleteOn the other hand, I consider it proven that I now know how to handle these holes, no matter how big and how many there are.
Once enough holes are plugged, logically something should happen. But I don't dare to predict it anymore. We'll see. When I prove my case, I'm already a happy man.
1 further extension of the positional framework
ReplyDelete2 tactics. This is the glue between positional ideas
More and more I get convinced that it is point 2 that matters most. That profound absorption of tactics is the source of the difference between a master and a grandmaster.
At the same time, it must be clear that a thorough mastery of point 1 is the base. Without positional ideas, the glue cannot be applied.
The study of positional ideas is complicated by the fact that positions seldom show clean positional ideas without tactics. So this study needs a somewhat different approach. I suspect that playing and deeply analyzing my own games might indeed be the way to go.
The heart of the positional ideas is formed by the pawn moves and how they alter the positional landscape.
1 further extension of the positional framework (system 2)
ReplyDelete2 tactics (system 1). This is the glue between positional ideas
3 endgames (system 2 and system 1)
I cannot make progress in two areas that require both the commitment of system 2. So I have to choose between 1 and 3. Since doing tactics (2) without a positional framework (1) makes no sense, I will have to postpone the endgame (again, sigh). That means I have to accept getting into more endgames and screw them.
Well, so be it. I can't deny the logic.
PART I
ReplyDeleteIn anticipation of moving, I “dumped” nearly 150 of my chess book on the local chess club. It turns out I’m not moving, but I don’t regret giving away most of my chess books. I can now concentrate on the few I have remaining.
I found an interesting contrast in approach to training between GM Flores Rios and GM Bachmann between the Foreword and the Preface of GM Mauricio Flores Rios’ excellent book Chess Structures – A Grandmaster Guide: Standard Patterns and Plans Explained. Perhaps a comparison by the two GMs might shed more light on the conundrum faced when trying to figure out what to study and how to go about it.
Foreword
I first met Mauricio ten years ago, as we both competed in Pan-American youth competitions. Later we both received a chess scholarship to attend the University of Texas at Brownville. We were teammates for four years and spent countless hours studying chess together, though our training preferences were very different. Mauricio read books, analyzed his games and prepared openings. I did those things too, but in reality the vast majority of my time was spent looking over current chess games and playing. I was surprised when Mauricio told me he had written a book partially inspired by my training methods, and I was certainly interested to see what was in it.
The truth about my training method is that looking over a game for just a couple of minutes can actually be a wonderful investment, if done correctly. The key is searching for repeating patterns: this takes some practice but is feasible. In my career I have seen close to 100,000 chess games, including most of the grandmaster-level games played over the past decade. The cumulative experience from spending a minute or two on each of those games has allowed me to gain an excellent positional understanding. Staring at a position for a few seconds is often enough for me to see who is better, which plans will work, which pieces should be traded, etc.
Acquiring such a level of experience and positional knowledge requires many years. Going through thousands and thousands of games takes a very long time, even if you only spend a couple of minutes on each. Most importantly, being able to actually see the patterns does not come easily to everyone. Addressing these two difficulties is exactly the purpose of this book.
Chess Structures — A Grandmaster Guide is an excellent selection of model games. By studying the 140 games and fragments in this book, the reader will learn many of the most important plans, patterns, and ideas in chess. The organization of this book is particularly helpful in this regard. The pawn structure is the most important factor to determine the nature of a game; therefore, studying model games classified by structure allows the reader to acquire reliable strategic knowledge much more easily. Mauricio’s detailed explanations allow the reader to identify the key elements in each example. Moreover, each game constitutes a building block toward the understanding of the structure as a whole.
I am certain the readers of this book will find it both useful and entertaining. They will complete the opening phase understanding the strategic landscape of the position. Most importantly, studying this book will help them to better understand the opening itself, and even to choose variations depending on what middlegame position they wish to play. I give this book my highest recommendation, and I feel sure readers will profit from it.
GM Axel Bachmann
Ciudad del Este, Paraguay
December 2014
[End Foreword]
PART II
ReplyDeleteGM Flores Rios gives more details of his path to Grandmaster in the Preface.
Preface
The idea for this book was in the back of my mind for several years before coming to fruition. The book was born out of my desire to guide players who, like me, struggle to apply their strategic knowledge to a practical game. My sim is to provide something new to chess literature; to write the book I should have studied myself earlier in my career. This is not the typical strategy book, but before I tell you what this book is, let me tell you how I realized this book is necessary, especially for self-learners.
My progress in chess was very fast, but very difficult, even frustrating. Due to geographical and financial constraints I drew most of my knowledge from books, rather than learning from an experienced master. I studied many strategy books and I remember embracing every word in them as a piece of gold written in ink. However, as I scaled the rating ladder I was dazzled by my inability to correctly evaluate positions despite my supposedly vast strategic knowledge. I was well versed in modern strategy but sometimes the concepts in my books were contradictory, or difficult to apply in practice. I often lost games without ever understanding the reason; my books had no answers!
By the time I had become a FIDE Master, I had concluded that the strategic rules in my books only worked sometimes, and this was not good enough. I was afraid to use potentially incorrect rules and I changed my style to avoid dealing with them. I became a strong tactician and avoided strategy at all costs. Unfortunately, I could not always obtain sharp positions and in quiet games my lack of understanding often led me to lose miserably. I became a grandmaster at eighteen knowing less than half of this book’s contents.
PART III
ReplyDeleteThere already exist dozens of books providing an excellent introduction to chess strategy, and I recommend you read one. These books are a starting point, but they are insufficient. They teach strategic elements without shedding much light on which factors will play a bigger role in a specific position. It is like giving you several tools without telling you which one to use. A different class of strategy book provides many concrete examples and shows how the strategic tools are selected and used. Such books are often entertaining and even inspiring, but they lack specificity. At times reading these books can leave you more confused than before, as you have learned rules but do not exactly know when to apply them. My experience as a coach has only confirmed this phenomenon.
Chess Structures — A Grandmaster’s Guide emphasizes clarity, precision, and completeness over generality. I do not intend to teach rules applicable to every position. Such rules typically do not exist. Moreover, even if such rules existed, the chance that such a complex message will be misunderstood is far too high. Let’s not risk it! My aim is to provide an easy-to-understand strategic guide to the most frequently-occurring classes of positions in chess. I hope readers will find this helpful, as it greatly reduces ambiguity; it is clear when rules will be valid and when they will not. In this sense, this book is a collection of analyzed model games, logically organized into families of similar positions with common strategic ideas. As Capablanca said in his book Chess Fundamentals, every player should have a collection of games and ideas within his chess knowledge. This book intends to provide developing player with a fine selection of such games and ideas. These games are presented within the context of well-defined classes, to enhance the learning process and prevent confusion.
Naturally, the best (and least ambiguous) way to classify chess positions is based on their pawn structure. I divide this book into twenty-four chapters, which discuss the most interesting and common structures in modern practice. These positions encompass a wide variety of openings and middlegames, which are present in the vast majority of all chess games. I hope my readers will find this book to be a practical and most importantly, an accessible guide to learning how these specific positions should be conducted.
GM Mauricio Flores Rios
Minneapolis, December 2014
To my feeling, I'm going like a rocket since I concluded my search for a learning method 1.5 years ago. The past 1.5 years I learned way more about chess than the 23 years before. That was a deliberate choice. It simply took 23 years to get the hang of how to communicate with system 1.
ReplyDeleteThe actual use of my learning method has been a bit slow, but steady. The reason is that I soon discovered that tactics without a positional framework are only partly useful.
The positional framework is evolving very rapidly. But it takes time before it will yield fruits fully. Especially the lack of endgame skills is one of the culprits.
I have a clear picture of the contours of my positional framework now. The past four months have been very fruitful.
Essentially, I identified the holes in my positional bucket. Which is of course the most difficult part of plugging them.
For plugging them, I can use my learning method, so I only need to gather the right training material. Which I have now done aplenty.
I'm not bothered by the fact that my games don't pay off immediately, point wise. Since 1.5 years, I learn from each and every game that I play.
ReplyDeleteThe essence of my positional framework is based on two elements:
Pawns determine the strategy, because they move slow and in only one direction. The pieces are volatile and reversible.
The effectiveness of a pawn move is measured by its consequences for the piece activity.
I added a new element to the absorption of patterns. I now solve the problems blindfolded. Not focussing on all possible variations, but on the essence of the position. I do this after I absorbed the problems already in the usual way.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to describe what happens. It feels like building a new skill, a new virtual realm. I'm curious where this will lead to.
DeleteThe first 23 year I was very disciplined and told nobody about what I was up to. But once I cracked the code of system 1, I started to tell family and friends about it. So they started to follow my progress.
ReplyDeleteWhich has not been great until today. Of course I hate to disappoint people. But otoh, points must be a result, not a goal in itself. So I'm focussing on my development at the cost of looking a bit silly maybe. I don't want points to get in the way of my development. Points are for my ego. There is time enough to grow an ego once I get really better (I hope not. Grow an ego, that is).