Great post, Nick. I’m an anesthesiologist with a similarly chaotic schedule. I really liked your identification of how mental habits of medicine don’t translate well to chess!
One thing I have noticed for myself is that I often have to get into “tournament mode” my first game will often not be in that vein so to get my habits to be right I will use things like adjusting the pieces before the game to be in the right headspace.
If you have a routine that gets you into the right playing mode you might find you perform better. You might solve a tactic or play out the moves of an opening It’s like stretching before a workout. Part of it is to prepare your mind to do the task you’re about to do.
Re: your Game 1 notes: You say "I made the mistake to play Nf6-e4 thinking I could get a check on the king.... Better would have been continuing development with Be7 or g6." But in the accompanying diagram, where is the check? And also, wouldn't g6 instantly lose your h8 rook? I'm probably totally missing something!
Understandable. I meant playing Be7 or g6 instead of Ne4. The check would require Qh4 AFTER Ne4 - so not quick and not hard to block. It was not a good move
Ah. Right! Thank you. BTW, your recent appearance on Perpetual Chess has been one of the most useful episodes of that podcast in quite a while, for me. I've been taking a look at Anki. Do you share, anywhere, a screenshot or two of what your flashcards look like?
P.P.S. I was getting bogged down in the Anki options and settings, and its user interface seemed ancient. I Googled alternatives and came across Traverse, which seems light-years ahead and vastly more user-friendly.
Great post, Nick. I’m an anesthesiologist with a similarly chaotic schedule. I really liked your identification of how mental habits of medicine don’t translate well to chess!
wish they did! Hang in there, medicine has been a rough ride lately
One thing I have noticed for myself is that I often have to get into “tournament mode” my first game will often not be in that vein so to get my habits to be right I will use things like adjusting the pieces before the game to be in the right headspace.
If you have a routine that gets you into the right playing mode you might find you perform better. You might solve a tactic or play out the moves of an opening It’s like stretching before a workout. Part of it is to prepare your mind to do the task you’re about to do.
That's a good idea...
Re: your Game 1 notes: You say "I made the mistake to play Nf6-e4 thinking I could get a check on the king.... Better would have been continuing development with Be7 or g6." But in the accompanying diagram, where is the check? And also, wouldn't g6 instantly lose your h8 rook? I'm probably totally missing something!
Understandable. I meant playing Be7 or g6 instead of Ne4. The check would require Qh4 AFTER Ne4 - so not quick and not hard to block. It was not a good move
Ah. Right! Thank you. BTW, your recent appearance on Perpetual Chess has been one of the most useful episodes of that podcast in quite a while, for me. I've been taking a look at Anki. Do you share, anywhere, a screenshot or two of what your flashcards look like?
That could be a post… thanks for the idea!
P.P.S. I was getting bogged down in the Anki options and settings, and its user interface seemed ancient. I Googled alternatives and came across Traverse, which seems light-years ahead and vastly more user-friendly.
Hello Nick, how do I send you a DM?
Twitter @nickvasquezmd
Email: Nicholas.vasquez@me.com