Technology is exciting.
But the more I learn about chess improvement, the more I feel like technology is a problem, not an asset for most chess improvers.
The key problem? If we don’t fight it, technology will use us, instead of us using technology. The most prominent way to get used by technology is to get sucked into the algorithm.
The Almighty Algorithm
The promise from tech companies is big and sounds wonderful. Their algorithm supposedly knows what we want to see. But is this really true?
Spoiler alert, hell no.
To understand this, let’s start with their incentives. YouTube is one of the most common ways to get sucked into a “chess improvement algorithm”. So, what is YouTube’s incentive? Pretty easy:
YouTube wants you to stay on the platform for as long as possible.
More time spent on YouTube = more money for YouTube (Google). As a new YouTube creator, I’m already overwhelmed by all the stats YouTube gives me to help me keep more people hooked for longer.
That means the algorithm favors what keeps you watching. What gets left behind is the key question if you want to improve:
Did you actually learn something valuable?
The Illusion of Improvement
Now, you might argue you can judge this for yourself.
Based on my little research on chess improvement topics, and seeing how many videos with extremely low instructional value get hundreds of thousands or millions of views, I have my doubts.
The problem is what I call The Illusion of Improvement.
A lot of videos give you the feeling that you’ve learned something. After seeing a master demolish everyone with “the best opening,” it looks so easy to win with said opening. So while watching the video, and after you’ve finished (and immediately click on the next one…), you feel like you’ve learned something.
But then you sit down yourself and blunder a piece in this same magical opening. Hmm…
Add to this the always more absurd promises in titles and thumbnails (thanks, MrBeast and GothamChess…), and it is obvious that you are confused and frustrated.
Here is a vicious cycle many are in right now:
- Watch videos that promise improvement
- Feel like you’ve learned something
- You can’t execute what you’ve learned, so you believe you need more videos
- Watch videos that promise even more improvement…
- Waste time until you finally realize this isn’t the way
The Main Issue
The reality is that most of your improvement doesn’t come from watching someone else. It comes from sitting your butt down and thinking for yourself. That happens very rarely while watching a video.
The problem is that this is not at all what content creators, course sellers, and YouTube are incentivized to teach.
The honest approach, to tell you:
Get off YouTube and solve some puzzles
doesn’t make more clicks, doesn’t sell more courses, and directly links away from YouTube, which the platform hates. And that’s why it is increasingly rare.
That means that better quality chess improvement content has a lower chance of performing well in the algorithm.
Or in other words, if you really want to go super viral, you probably need to compromise the quality of your teaching to “please the algorithm”.
You also need to promise things that a good coach knows aren’t realistic. That’s how clickbait was born.
How To Take Back Control
So, how do you take back control?
As so often is the case, the solution is simple, yet not so easy to implement.
And yes, I realize that following these steps will mean that some of you will consume less of my content. It is the trade-off I chose when first being a coach and then a creator.
Do not follow the algorithm.
If you actually want to improve your chess, you need to decide for yourself what you watch. Stop being the product that gets fed videos for others to make money off of your attention. Instead, think for yourself what you actually need and get that specifically.
Here is how you do that.
1) Clean your history
If you don’t like what you are fed, I highly recommend cleaning all your search history to reset the algorithm. The less temptation you get, the less FOMO you feel.
2) Get an improvement plan
If you wander around the internet without a clear idea of what you need, you are an easy target for the illusion of improvement. The easiest plan possible is following my 1/3 rule.
3) Watch only select people
You need to judge for yourself who you think values instructional value more than getting more clicks. As a rule of thumb, those aren’t the top creators (by definition, they need to compromise on value as mentioned above). Then, specifically watch some of their videos when they fit your needs. If a video isn’t important for you right now, just save it in a playlist; you can always watch it later.
4) Stop your notifications, clean your feed
You can have subscriptions without getting a push message when a new video is out. I highly recommend that. This way, you clearly show who you like, without getting FOMO every time they post.
Additionally, I highly recommend using an extension like News Feed Erradicator on Google Chrome. This way, whenever you go to YouTube, you see a blank page, not all of the videos the algorithm wants to feed you.
5) Specifically search for videos that are important for you right now
With that set-up, you can finally take control and choose which videos are good for you right now. If you have a specific question, like “what are the plans for this opening I play?”, you can now search specifically for that video from one of the creators you trust.
I can’t promise you this will end up in watching the best video possible, but it increases your chances of improving your chess drastically.
Free Means You Pay With Your Time
If you hate wasting time like that and have a budget for chess improvement, it might be best for you to simply stop watching free content (with the hope of improving) and buy a course from a creator you trust.
In a course, a creator has no need anymore to lure you in with clickbait or promise you stuff that he knows is impossible to reach. Very often, you could learn the same or similar things by scratching together free content.
There aren’t any magical improvement hacks you’ll only find in courses. What you pay for is the structure, the selection, and mostly an offer that is targeted directly at you.
This is what I do personally when I try to improve something.
- Watch some YouTube videos
- Select the creators I think are first a teacher, then a creator
- See if they offer a course that is specifically for someone in my situation
- Follow their course content and escape the algorithm
When I go back to YouTube, I often consume it for pleasure and pleasure only. That is the best use of YouTube right now.
Keep improving,
GM Noël Studer
PS: And if you really like a creator on YouTube, take 20 seconds to like their video, subscribe, and write a short comment. It’s totally free and your best way to nudge the algorithm in the direction you want it to work.
PPS: This article was initially sent out to my Newsletter list. If you want to get chess improvement advice for free in your inbox, join 17,000+ chess improvers by signing up for Friday Grandmaster Insights here.
Whenever you’re ready, here is how I can help you:
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