Trying to be Competitive

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GhostishA

Apr 4, 2019

I learned to play chess when I was young but only got into it when I was about 15. I have been playing on and off, studying and practicing, for a couple years. Now I am 27.

I think a good way to stay engaged and pushing to be better is to get involved in competition. I was wondering if anyone had a suggestion for a study schedule, like “so many days a week practice tactics” or something similar. Also, what would be a reasonable timeframe to start playing competitive?

I know the last question is dependent on how much time I can spend studying and playing. I guess I’m just asking for a general answer. A place to start.

kindaspongey

Apr 5, 2019

"... for those that want to be as good as they can be, they'll have to work hard.

Play opponents who are better than you … . Learn basic endgames. Create a simple opening repertoire (understanding the moves are far more important than memorizing them). Study tactics. And pick up tons of patterns. That’s the drumbeat of success. ..." - IM Jeremy Silman (December 27, 2018)

https://www.chess.com/article/view/little-things-that-help-your-game

"... In order to maximize the benefits of [theory and practice], these two should be approached in a balanced manner. ... Play as many slow games (60 5 or preferably slower) as possible, ... The other side of improvement is theory. ... This can be reading books, taking lessons, watching videos, doing problems on software, etc. ..." - NM Dan Heisman (2002)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627084053/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman19.pdf

GhostishA

Apr 5, 2019

Thank you both for posting! It helps. To answer your question PawnstormPossie, my goal for playing competitively is to have something to drive me to get better. I love playing the game and love that it keeps challenging my brain (lol).

I have practiced martial arts for years and always kicked myself for not going to competition, I think I would have tried harder to stay engaged with it for longer if I did. I think competition, active goals, will help me stay engaged and drive me to become better (to hammer the point home).

What would be reasonable goals? To increase in rating so much per month/year?

GhostishA

Apr 5, 2019

I will wait for your post and think about it. I would like to elaborate though, chess isn't to make me better, chess competition is to make me better at chess. That is what I meant.

fried_liver-attack

Apr 5, 2019

all these schedules are unhelpful. Im a 13 year old child, and I almost won my county's championship ( I lost to a 40 some year old man ), and the best way to learn is to get a partner. A partner is a friend who you train against, analyze games together, practice openings, etc. You do want to study, and playing against a computer isn't all that instructive. Also, read some books if you are looking at specific openings.

1santiago12

Apr 5, 2019

Who wants to read this?

GhostishA

Apr 5, 2019

PawnstormPossie wrote:

Just recapping what you've said:

You learned to play when young (younger than 15).

You "got into it" at about 15.

You got out of it for about 10 years.

Then about age 25 you got back into it. Playing on/off, studying, practicing for a couple of years.

Now you're 27 and think chess is a good way to stay engaged.

What does staying engaged help you achieve? Why do you feel this need? Is there a greater purpose it help serve?

These may sound like strange questions. They're to help identify why you play chess. It's purpose for you. This will help you determine how much time/money/energy to invest into chess.

If it's determined you intend to use chess to help accomplish something, then you have a purpose for it. Then you can decide how to prioritize it accordingly.

If it's just a game for fun/pleasure/etc, you can determine how to approach it based on your available time after the important things in life are taken care of.

Noone else can tell you these things.

If you have a mission (I call it a goal), it should GIANT. Grand, Inspiring, Awesome, Noble, and Thrilling. Shoot for the stars and you should at least reach the moon.

Objectives (some call them goals, I don't) should be SMART. Specific, Measureable, Acheivable (other words can apply but are similar), Relevant, and Timely.

These things should drive you to constantly aske yourself, what am I doing and why am I doing it now?

I hope you can apply these in your chess endeavors and anything else you do.

I get what you mean. Have a "Why" to what you wanna do. I'd have to think about it.

I didn't take ten years off of playing, I played on and off for awhile, just didn't study at all (openings, endgame, ect.).

Thanks for the input though.

GhostishA

Apr 6, 2019

I do not. That’s kinda why I was asking, “how long should someone wait to compete?” Or should they compete first just to see where they are?

NM BlakeyBChess

Apr 6, 2019

GhostishA wrote:

I do not. That’s kinda why I was asking, “how long should someone wait to compete?” Or should they compete first just to see where they are?

It's never too early to compete! I made a video about the chess rating system (on my site https://chesspathways.com - feel free to check it out, lots of free resources there!) explaining the myth of going to tournaments too early and getting "stuck" at a lower rating. It's not a concern - if you focus on getting better and always getting more chess experience (by going to tournaments, studying, etc), you'll improve and your rating will follow.