One Way to Play Better
Always Be Comparing
Welcome back to Chess in Small Doses, a Substack for adult improvers in chess. Over the last few years I’ve been writing about what I’ve learned and experienced trying to improve at chess. Recently I’ve gone back to OTB chess which has been a revelation. To play my best I’ve learned I need to play one way, with the intention to always compare moves. Without this intention, I find I simply flow into the game and don’t stop to question my first impressions. Let’s get into it.
Return to OTB
I mentioned that I was returning to rated OTB play after finding a local club that holds a USCF rated Tuesday night tournament. Being an ER doc means I should expect to work half of the weekends each month. This makes it very hard to justify spending one of the remaining weekend days at a tournament away from my family. However, one game per week at 90+30 time control on a Tuesday night… well that works for all involved. Also the time for the game is more than enough for me to really think through my moves.
7 rated games later, I’ve learned a few things and the most important of which I’m going to share with you today. The results so far have been encouraging, scoring 4/7 with wins against some higher rated players. However as the newness has worn off and I’ve had to play some of the stronger players in the group, some reality has set in. Take this position for example. It’s White to move.
I had anticipated this move, planning Bc7 in response. What I didn’t consider was simply playing Nb5 anyway which was the chief threat in the position for White. The engine greatly prefers the knight move, sacrificing the bishop entirely to get the check with Nc7+, then win the rook. The top line goes Nb5 Nxf4 Nxc7+ Kd8 Nxa8. I’m not upset I missed that, but it was the start of a pattern. I simply chose the move that was obvious to me. I didn’t compare alternatives to Bc7. I am not sure I would have chosen the best move, but I never even gave myself that option. Because of the missed opportunity, I went on to draw the game.
Learning the Hard Way
This pattern returned the next game. Here’s the position, with White to move.
Here I was much better and played Rd2 intending to double the rooks. Again I didn’t compare it to other moves like b4! I had seen b4 but simply dismissed it out of hand, thinking it dropped the bishop for nothing. The engine greatly prefers b4 since Rxc4 Rxc4 wins for White and allows Rcd4 next (as the d5 bishop is pinned to the Queen). Just pausing long enough to look for other moves would have helped. Instead I again played the move that was obvious to me. Thankfully, I was able to maintain the advantage and win a nice game.
Some time ago I had started to write a post I may yet finish called “Making Your Own Rules”. The point was to make a set of rules that you can use to focus your play to counteract your weaknesses. One of my biggest weaknesses is that I play too fast too often. As you can see don’t always compare moves and I miss opportunities. So I made a rule called ABC… “Always Be Comparing.”
The ABC Rule
It was based on an idea from a play which was turned into a movie called Glenngary Glen Ross. The story is about a group of salesmen who were put under intense pressure to sell more. There’s a famous scene where Alec Baldwin explains the only rule that needs to matter to them… ABC or Always Be Closing (“Put that coffee down! Coffee is for closers only.”). The acting is great and I recommend it to anyone who likes a good drama. However, I took this phrase and turned it into my own rule: Always Be Comparing.
After opening theory has ended, I have to decide on my own what to play. I play my best when I force myself to compare possible moves every turn. Often there a move that is obvious or jumps out at me. Yet, if I force myself to keep looking I often find a surprising alternative or even better move. Then I can compare the options to each other, calculating short lines for each. Some of the moves I am most proud of have come this way.
When I don’t follow this rule, I find I simply follow the path of least resistance into the easy or quick option. Take this position for example:
It’s Black to play in the Fantasy Variation of the Caro Kann. I’ve never seen 4.Bd3 before and now I’m on my own. If I had sat and compared moves, I might have seen an alternative. However I just went right on playing the moves I know in the opening and followed with Nf6… which is losing. Before playing Nf6 I could have compared moves like c5, dxe, or even g6. Comparing each move I would have simply gone 1 1/2 moves deep to see what happens and then compare the resulting position.
Had I compared moves I might have seen that Nf6 e5 Nfd7 f4 looks very good for White. If I had, I might have instead then played dxe4 and forced White to decide how to respond. Or I might have at least looked at c5 and tried to open the position early. I never gave myself that chance and just played Nf6 almost automatically. According to the engine I was worse from then on, leading to a tough loss.
Playing with Intention
Playing my best means I need to set my intention first. I have been playing chess “seriously” now since 2020 and it’s easy to just fall into routine. I’ve learned I need the ABC rule to prompt me to look for multiple moves each turn. When I do not, I often fall asleep and just start playing automatically. It’s simply too easy to go fast and miss critical opportunities.
Yet another example from the last few weeks. It’s White to move, although admittedly this one is more challenging..
Here White is up a pawn already, but Black has two connected center pawns coming down the middle pressuring White. I played the simple Nd4 intending to give back a pawn and then defend the position. However, my instincts were screaming that there was something else here. I briefly looked at Nxe4 but immediately dismissed it and did not calculate the line. A pity as I might have had my highest rated win. My opponent went on to win in a brutal game for yours truly.
Had I compared the moves, then Nxe4 might have been my choice. At least it might have seemed equal or better than the Nd4 Nxd4 cxd Bxd4 line. The alternative line of Nxe4 dxe Qb3+ is very strong for White. From there White can follow up with Rad1 or Rxe4, pushing Black around. If not careful, Black might even get mated! By not taking the opportunity when it came, I missed my chance to win.
Give Yourself Options
It’s far too simplistic to say there is one rule to play better chess, but I will argue this one is pretty close. Every time I have a position where I need to decide on my own what to play, I perform better when I purposefully give myself options to consider. That is what I mean by playing with intention. I need to have the intention to slow down and compare 2-3 moves every time it’s my turn. This is a commitment, a bargain I make with myself. It also does not come naturally. When I play, my mind quickly settles on what it thinks is the best move. It is more difficult than I’d like to resist that instinct.
Instinctual play is something that I have been trying to improve with my Program Minimum, but instinct can often be wrong or at least incomplete. Every time I play blitz, it’s mostly instinctual moves since I don’t really have time to calculate. Playing rapid or classical that is not really the case. It doesn’t mean it’s easy to stop myself and think. In fact it’s not easy at all, at least for me. Our modern world emphasizes the immediate and superficial. So really the ABC Rule is one way I can give myself the option of being fully present for the game.
After each move my opponent makes there’s so much I “should” be doing. It can often be overwhelming and I personally cannot keep much of a thought process in mind when playing a game. Still, looking for 2-3 options each and every time gets me out of my blindspots and hyper-focus and into the game as a whole.
It’s Just My Opinion
The ABC Rule may not work the same way for you, but I strongly suspect it will. If you don’t already do this routinely, then let me suggest you give it a try. If you’ve ever missed a better move and wondered why you didn’t see it, maybe you simply didn’t look for it. It’s just my opinion but I suspect a simple rule like this will get most adult improvers at least the opportunity to find better moves.
ABC… Always Be Comparing. It’s as simple a rule as I can think of. Each move look for 2-3 options and then pick the line you like the best. Combine that habit with Program Minimum and I believe you’ll play better chess. Let me know if it works for you!
Thank you for reading and I do hope you find it helpful. I would love to hear your comments or thoughts. I’ve been writing less because of my training, but also another project I hope to share with you soon. Stay tuned. Wishing you better chess until next time.
Thanks, Nick, insightful post. I really relate to this one, and have slowly been coming to the same realisation myself! I think maybe it’s something that is particularly common for adult improvers. Strong players that learned the game in childhood automatically think in variations - they calculate lines and make evaluations instinctively. I think this is one of the hardest things for those of us in later life, but is really necessary to understand.
I started OTB in my mid fifties, and it has taken about 100 games over a couple of years to learn some of the hard lessons. I’ve got way too many books and courses, mostly way above my level, and my improvement has been hard won. What ultimately worked for me is the simple stuff, repeated until it becomes subconscious. ABC sounds simple enough to implement easily - it’s almost no mental overhead to remember it, and the results should speak for themselves, I’ll give it a go. Thanks!
I think regular "calculation training" helps train the ABC instinct. My definition of calculation training here is solving tactical puzzles (on a physical board) that are difficult enough to take around 5-10 minutes to solve, but where you're successfully solving more than 50% of puzzles.
The trick of course is finding a good selection of such puzzles. I prefer using books but it can take a bit of trial and error to find a book at the right level.