Happy new year, chess maniacs!
Now that the new year has come, let's bury everything bad that happened and face this year optimistically, which also means it's also time for making new resolutions for self-improvement.
We do make new year's resolutions like losing weight, be kinder, eat healthily, etc. but end up doing nothing fruitful. We make ridiculous goals, which we, anyway forget past February.
This year, let's make a few practically possible resolutions that are simple, sound, and those that have small goals that have a high impact on your future gameplay. That means, let's not over-promise ourselves; playing 50 games every day is a ridiculous resolution to have; you will be disappointed when 2021 will roll around.
Resolutions are a great way to focus on self-improvement and focus. And, that is why we have a few suggestions for you. But, before we go through the list, we want you to keep these things in mind no matter what and how many resolutions you choose:
Simplicity : The key to the success of your new years' resolution is the simplicity of the resolution you have promised, which will increase the chances of success and keep you motivated.
Realistic : A resolution must be a planned one to keep yourself in a calm state of mind and not rational. A practical resolution has higher chances of success.
Positive Impact : With the graph of your resolution directed towards the positive side, it should make you believe in yourself and keep your energy level up.
"What is measured is managed" - Make sure you set resolutions that are easily measured and tracked.
Don't Give Up - If you miss a day, DO NOT give up! Track the progress you have made, learn, motivate, and start over.
1 Play Tournaments
Playing various numbers and kinds of tournaments is an incomparable learning experience. Playing with friends at home is fun but playing, and winning tournaments makes you immensely proud, happy, overwhelmed, and delighted.
That's not it!
It also helps you understand the game more and learn from your loss. So, why not make 2021 your year of learning through tournaments. We highly recommend the tournaments by Chess KLUB.
We follow the Swiss System. In this system, players in each section play against each other. No one gets eliminated. As you continue to win games, you face progressively stronger opposition players and those who were not successful play against each other. Towards the end of the event, you are likely to face players at your level. The more you play tournaments with players of different levels, the more you learn.
2 Play More Chess Puzzles
Do you solve puzzles daily?
Or, do you at least have your weekly goals set to solve a certain number of chess puzzles?
If not, set a goal and make sure you solve them every week. You will see an improvement in your tactical play and time management. Solving the puzzles will boost your self-confidence, and if you cannot solve them correctly, you will learn! Playing chess tournaments is good but, it's highly recommendable that chess players of any level train chess tactics daily by practicing chess puzzles. No sportsperson performs well without exercising and maintaining fitness.
Well, here, it's your brain at work.
So, practice, practice & practice!
3 Start Blogging or Streaming on Chess
The digital space is expanding at enormous rates.
The internet is a great source to learn and connect with people with the same interest. By making content on various online platforms, you showcase your knowledge and get feedback from other chess players. It's also a great learning experience as you will be experimenting in front of the world with a relevant audience. And, to write a blog, or create a video, or stream online, you don't need to be a Grandmaster. You can create your website or a YouTube channel to publish your content assets.
Don't wait.
Else you will be left behind!
Join us and share your thoughts in the form of text, images, or videos on our feed. Interact with other students and highly skilled trainers, including grandmasters.
4 Eat Healthy
You are not just a person moving wooden pieces on the chessboard. You are a sportsman who needs a healthy mental and physical presence for a more extended time.
The diet of a chess player is a significant factor in the players' performance. As a sedentary board game, chess has many mental and physical side effects that need to be warded off with diet choice. The food you intake is a crucial element to control your energy levels, especially when you are playing chess. Nutrition impacts a player's brain, improves alertness, memory recall, quick decision-making ability, and overall brain performance.
It also enhances the players' physical strength. You could get unexpected results when you play chess without considering a good diet and a nutrition plan.
So, this year, promise yourself that you eat well and play well!
Check out our guide on Diet and Nutrition for chess players like you!
5 Physical Fitness
A chess player might look like an average human to a normal person; a player sitting in formals, seated on a chair for hours with a brooding, intense look- doing nothing but moving pieces.
But, with a healthy diet and good nutrition plan, you also need an exercise regime that fits into the schedule and keeps you motivated. Chess is a very complex sport that requires not just great mental strength but also physical prowess. By this, we do not mean you have to do push-ups before and after the game to play well. You can do mild exercise to keep your body in shape and endure enough to sit in one place for hours.
Chess prodigies like Magnus Carlsen, Viswanathan Anand, Bobby Fischer, Vladimir Kramnik never missed an opportunity to train their body along with the mind. Physical activity helps keep the mind agile and alert for the unforeseen challenges and curveballs coming your way of the chessboard.
So, if you want to become a professional chess player, don't forget to train your body while training hard for your brain.
6 Enhance Your Body Language and Communication
Chess is a gentleman's game.
You do not even kill the opponents' king; you make him surrender.
You need to behave calmly during or post-game no matter what the situation is. Aggressiveness leaves a wrong impression and affects your health, and ultimately weakens you in the games. Chess involves significantly less communication, but the impact it leaves on others is enormous. This new year watch recorded gameplays or visit tournaments and study the body language and how they communicate with opponents and audience.
Few examples are making requests, handling a defeat, responding to criticism, resisting negative comments and news, participating in peer groups, etc.
Chess is a complex game built on a strong foundation of basic principles serving as cemented bedrock for your game. Create a solid foundation for your game by developing chess knowledge, And you can do that by employing such small but hugely impacting goals. Be honest while you are making and following these resolutions. Let's make 2021 great!
Also, did we miss any important chess resolution? Let us know by posting in the comments!
