Mr. Fhunfi is a dedicated member of chess.com community, he puts a lot of efforts organizing live slow chess tournaments, words are not enough to show how much the community members are appreciative to his hard work and dedication.
He is strongly recommended as a chess coach and a chess friend as well.
I have been playing in Fhunfi's events for a while now, and as a tournament host, I can see they are very well made. When I play him, his time management ensures every game is high-quality to analyze in depth. I have recommended his events and coaching services and will continue to!
I say good on you! - for making this all possible. It is for people like you, that the maximum friendly matches with good sportsmanship and fellowship can be made from happy.png My sincere appreciation
Fhunfi is an excellent tournament director. Very clear with his instructions and extremely responsive. Thank you for all you do.
Keith
Chien took the time to help me understand where I went wrong in our 45|45 game today. He is really passionate about the game and helping others to understand it. Very good coach and tournament director!
No offence but 1800 is really low if it's your lifelong passion. I don't even like chess and I got that in 6 months.
A writing from 1 of friend
https://www.chess.com/blog/Chessdemon2019/chess-business-why-chess-is-a-game-of-philosophy
An insightful quote there: Being good at chess is not the only ultimate goal. Perseverance is the ultimate goal. People who never become good but have played chess for 50 years are a lot successful than GMs who would quit chess after one awful tournament.
No offence but 1800 is really low if it's your lifelong passion. I don't even like chess and I got that in 6 months.
"No offense, but here's an unprovoked insult."
Why even make this comment? What is wrong with you?
Anyone can be the happiest chess player & never be affected by outside factors.
my story & life philosophy and how I maintain my passion:
https://www.chess.com/blog/fhunfi/chess-as-lifelong-passion-and-be-a-winner-in-life
and only one who has love & passion to the game can maintain doing these below continuously without break
Chein has trained me in the anti sicilians in preparation for rolling out my dragon as black, he is very knowledgeable in various openings and plays strong theoretical lines to test your systems effectively. He is very reasonably priced too. My chess development has gone through the roof after our sessions of training games. highly recommended.
Chein has been able to organize tournaments now for quite a while very successfully. It is difficult enough to keep players engaged the entire time, and yet he has a knack for encouraging players to join the tournament on a very regular basis.
While I run a tournament every night on another site, he has provided me with a little of his free time to help provide me with advice to keep the players engaged.
I just joined the club recently, but I'm amazed at how well organized all of this is. Also, Chien always replies within hours. For now it has been a very enjoyable experience.
Responding to @tychooju12 post that he said "Chess has been the worst nightmare in my life so far. I really can't imagine how you can combine such a toxic game and a successful life"
Countless interesting books, articles, videos have been written on this subject.
Just some of them are:
* Books
How Life Imitates Chess: Making the Right Moves, from the Board to the Boardroom by Kasparov
The Moves That Matter: A Chess Grandmaster on the Game of Life By GM Jonathan Rowson.
* Articles
Chess Improvement: Key to a Better Life https://nextlevelchess.blog/chess-improvement/
https://www.chess.com/blog/Chessdemon2019/chess-business-why-chess-is-a-game-of-philosophy
https://www.chess.com/blog/fhunfi/chess-as-lifelong-passion-and-be-a-winner-in-life
* Videos
Building Life Skills Through the Game of Chess https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U8kCoVcDLs
Win, Draw, Learn - Life Skills for Success Through the Game of Chess https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdV1n2crrTI
* I suggest you trying at least these steps:
1) play longer game than just blitz (or 10 minutes game)
2) play not more than 1-2 games on a day, whatever the result is.
3) Don't play new game right away, before learning what is your strategic & tactical mistake (either opening, midgame, or endgame) in the last game. Try to remember the mistake for not repeating it (write it down or save it is even better if you are willing). This way, every finished game will only be a new learning experience.
4) then repeat the process of Step 1-3 on regular base (anyone can have different pace or spare time, one can do it every day, the other can only do it once every few days / it does not matter)
Chess has been the worst nightmare in my life so far.
I really can't imagine how you can combine such a toxic game and a successful life.
Chess is not a toxic game, it is a highly competitive game that can either be a positive or a negative in your life depending on your relationship with it and how you deal with all the ups and downs that are part of the journey.
Chess is played in prisons to help inmates learn various skills that are useful in many areas of life. As the teacher says "Chess is beautiful and brutal, just like life" https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-65889955
For anyone who is finding the game difficult psychologically I recommend watching this video.
Chess is a very logical game but it can take many years to come to appreciate this because it is also a very complex game with many positions where the most intuitive moves are the wrong ones.
With experience your intuition improves and having good calculation skills is even more important because that can lead you to the best move even if your intuition is telling you the wrong idea.
I think a lot of people get into chess for the wrong reasons. I remember reading a post recently from someone who was completely new to chess and posted that he was going to become a grandmaster in 6 months! That is an extreme example but I think most chess players, myself included although so much recently, worry about their rating too much.
Almost everyone would enjoy the game much more if they forget about their rating completely and only think about all the ways to learn and improve.
These slow tournaments are a good way to improve, and they are a really good opportunity to practice your calculation skills. You have a lot of time to analyze all the different possible variations in each position. If you use this time effectively you can play much better.
For me, having one very well played slow game to look back on is more valuable than winning 100 blitz games. Not that one time control is necessarily better than another; you have to decide for yourself what you enjoy and what you want to do in life.
I generally aim to learn more about the game by studying lines with Stockfish, checking what tactics I missed in previous games, and seeing what I can employ in future games. It seems my rating is beginning to asymptote, however. It is likely because I struggle with calculation in short timespans, due to the inner workings of my mind. Long time controls help me calculate properly and fully and to learn from my errors by seeing how opponents can counter my play. It would be easier with multiple analyses per day, but I am able to make do without them.
For anyone who is finding the game difficult psychologically I recommend watching this video.
Thanks for your great post, KevinOSh! The YT video you shared ("How to Avoid Burnout in Chess" by ChessCoach Andras) is quite insightful. I never knew about ChessCoach Andras before seeing your post today. The videos on his YT channel look excellent.
Thanks for all your support!
I just added a new feature!
Forum to find peers for practice classical chess outside official tournaments:
* If you cannot post at that forum page, you need to join the club main page first at https://www.chess.com/club/90m-30s then I will approve it *
Thank you
Send me a friend request if you feel able. Would appreciate it. Cheers
If you are looking for a chess coach or instructor, look no further. Chien is your man. He provides chess training, game review, and now a chess by mail program at a very reasonable price. He runs many tournaments on several sites. Chien is the MOST passionate chess player I have ever know.
Highly recommended!