Thursday, January 1, 2009

Happy New Year!!!!

Another year has past. I put the finishing touches on my 2008 page on my tournament record Excel workbook, and opened my 2009 page. The year ended the same way it started with my rating at 1700, but unlike the past few years, my rating actually moved around a lot as I had some very good results. Unfortunately more often then not, the good results would be followed by some not so good results. I played a little less in 2008, yet I won and drew more games then I did in 2007. Maybe there is hope for me yet. :-)

What will 2009 bring?

4400 tournament games?: I'm only 21 games away from 4100. Given my past few years 400+ games pace I might even hit 4500.

New states to play: Tennesee is a definite when I play in the Parents & Friends at Super Nationals in April. Indiana is a maybe if I play in the US Open in August. Who knows what other states may appear on the radar.

Chess Improvement: I make no promises on this one, but I am really going to try to study more this year. I want to come up with specific things I can do in a set amount of time. Some days I may have more time then others.

How would you spend your time studying if you had:

15 minutes?

30 minutes?

45 minutes?

1 hour?

Fire away!!

Tae Kwon Do: Okay it's not chess, but I think a lot of the challenges I've faced in that have helped me with chess. I started the year as a no belt. (Our school makes you in your white belt.) I have progressed to purple belt. Now it gets harder to move on. A lot more is expected as one makes their way closer to black belt. Everything has to be sharper, and the forms become more complex. I went through six levels so far. There are three more (brown, red and bodan) before black. I aim to make bodan by this time next year. Black belt will be a 2010 goal.

Thanks for sharing 2008 with me. Hopefully 2009 will be even more interesting and exciting.

8 comments:

James Stripes said...

Happy New Year to you too!

I ended the year at 1722 and played far fewer games than you, but the most I've ever played in a calendar year--37 games with a performance rating of 1750. It was a great year, as I reached a high of 1754, played in the City Championship, losing 2 1/2 - 1/2 (but that 1/2 was a draw with a FIDE master!!), and managed to blog every day through the World Championship, including rest days. That active October effort contributed quite a bit to my total of 103 posts in 2008, and I expect to maintain that pace in 2009.

I've described in some detail my training regimen for 2009, and the goal of getting over 1800 by early 2010 on my blog. C'mon over and leave some comments.

Also, if you'd like to try some turn-based chess, there are two links on my blog that will allow you to challenge me. I'd welcome a game from another experienced B Class USCF tournament player.

Anonymous said...

Al Gore didn't invent the internet, but he did make up global warming.

likesforests said...

"15 minutes?

30 minutes?

45 minutes?

1 hour?"

If I were any good at answering that my rating would be higher!

As you're at the ~1700 level, I think tactical accuracy would still be a priority--whether that means reviewing motifs, focusing on your thought process, studying hard positions, or working on your visualization is harder to say. Only you know you. :)

I'm finding a coach helpful for clearing up wrong-headed ideas and identifying by biggest problems. Having an expert-level or better player sit down with you every few weeks is not such a big expense.

Diamondback said...

Hello P.W.

I always spend my chess training time by playing Blitz on the Internet Chess Club under the guise that I am improving my game. If I spent the same amount of time popping in a chess DVD or watching chess lectures on the Internet , my eyes become quite heavy and close quickly.

Also going over some of your games on your chess blog makes me aware that in OTB play one needs to take enough time to make the best move.

From the patzer said...

I wouldn't know what you should study since for that one has to make an honest weak and strong point analysis of your play.

So either you would do it yourself or you hire a coach/trainer or ask a high rated friend to do it for you.

But it never hurt to make tactical exercises or mate in x moves exercises or a fair and correct analysis of your games, afterall, just as in that fighting sport practise is part of the solution to become stronger.

Happy new year!

BlunderProne said...

I ended the year at 1732 USCF.

If I had 15 minutes... that goes to tactics

in 30 Minutes I can do a first pass at an old timey tournament game with out a net.

45 minutes is what it would take to review my own annotations with the tournament book

60 minutes.... loading up all the games on chess.com and writing a post with pictures from the games I annotated adn reviewed.

Anonymous said...

If you've never done any serious tactical training it would be a good time to start. Otherwise you could work on developing your strategic understanding. Either way, it doesn't really matter too much how much time you spend per day, although I find 15 minutes is too short a time block.

Polly said...

BP: Thanks for your suggestions on things to do in a set period of time. I chose those time frames because I if I have just a little time, it gives me ideas for things I can do with such a period of time.

Azir: I could definitely stand to strengthen my tactical eye. There are times I just overlook dumb little things. They're all things I've seen and know about. Just somehow in the heat of the moment I've been blind to the threat.