How To Solve A Chess Or Mental Game Struggle
Throughout my career, I've had the privilege of embarking on a shared journey with countless chess players, each unique in their struggles and aspirations.
This is one of the most effective ways to solve a chess or mental game struggle:
- Bring awareness to the problem. (You can't solve a problem you don't know you have)
- Define the problem as clearly as possible. We don't need a ton of extraneous data, but some context may help us understand the root cause of the problem.
- Use stories about the student's aspirations and experiences to demonstrate why solving this problem is essential.
At this point, most people offer a possible solution.
Sometimes, my students jump in after steps 2 or 3 and devise a good idea of their own accord...
Which leads to:
- Ask targeted questions to help the student develop their solutions.
- Write down their great ideas and acknowledge/recognise/applaud them. (world-class coaches use plenty of positive reinforcement)
- Use your experience and understanding to refine their solution. Make them feel that it is their idea.
I used to add an 'accountability' aspect here, but nowadays, I find it more valuable to give the student more freedom to see what works for them (rather than doing something 'because the coach said so').
What do you think about this framework?
