Thank you for that wonderful article, a great piece not only on chess but of human nature. You pointed out another beauty of the game, it allows each of us to play as a reflection of our personalities, good and bad. The great players presented a variety of styles, aggressive from the first move, some defensive masters that let their opponent build their own traps. I am tortoise by choice, I play to slow down and focus, refuge from this chaotic word.
As a helpful reminder to Blunder Check, you've probably heard or read that stronger players actively look to disprove their own ideas when considering a move. Aspire to be your best chess self and disprove your own ideas. Easier said than done, of course, but I feel it's a good mindset to have.
Also, since so much of your thinking process is ingrained from your work as an ER doctor, it might help to have a small routine to get yourself into "the chess zone". This would be where you would actively seek a paradigm shift in your thinking, towards the efforts you've made and detailed in this article.
This routine can be for pre-game and also mid-game if you feel your thoughts falling out of "the chess zone". It can be something as simple as taking a brief walk or remembering a key memory. Anything that can help you re-center yourself. Josh Waitzkin, in The Art of Learning, wrote about establishing routines to help prepare oneself for competition, then condensing them into a shorter time span, while keeping the same effect.
I think that would help, being explicit about the transition to slower thinking. Waitzkin's book was amazing but I had forgotten about that suggestion. I'll have to think about what that would be for me.
Thank you for that wonderful article, a great piece not only on chess but of human nature. You pointed out another beauty of the game, it allows each of us to play as a reflection of our personalities, good and bad. The great players presented a variety of styles, aggressive from the first move, some defensive masters that let their opponent build their own traps. I am tortoise by choice, I play to slow down and focus, refuge from this chaotic word.
That's a great point!
Another excellent Substack article!
As a helpful reminder to Blunder Check, you've probably heard or read that stronger players actively look to disprove their own ideas when considering a move. Aspire to be your best chess self and disprove your own ideas. Easier said than done, of course, but I feel it's a good mindset to have.
Also, since so much of your thinking process is ingrained from your work as an ER doctor, it might help to have a small routine to get yourself into "the chess zone". This would be where you would actively seek a paradigm shift in your thinking, towards the efforts you've made and detailed in this article.
This routine can be for pre-game and also mid-game if you feel your thoughts falling out of "the chess zone". It can be something as simple as taking a brief walk or remembering a key memory. Anything that can help you re-center yourself. Josh Waitzkin, in The Art of Learning, wrote about establishing routines to help prepare oneself for competition, then condensing them into a shorter time span, while keeping the same effect.
I think that would help, being explicit about the transition to slower thinking. Waitzkin's book was amazing but I had forgotten about that suggestion. I'll have to think about what that would be for me.