Now it’s time to talk about the weight of extra knowledge.
Last week’s analogy (You already know more than you can use): knowledge is the gear, skill is the body you built for the hike.
This week, why loading gear you don’t need costs you.
The Extra Weight
Same body, more weight, and you’re slower than everyone around you.
Unless the weight earns its place.
So every piece of knowledge you carry should have a job during a game. Something it actually does for you.
If it doesn’t, it’s not neutral. It’s slowing you down, and probably confusing you too.
How To Play With Almost No Gear
My Dad is a good example of very little gear.
He peaked around 1500 in his late 40s, self-taught, basically without any gear.
He only played because he had to drive me to tournaments anyway, and he’d rather play than sit around waiting for me to finish.
I showed him a few opening moves. He mostly butchered them.
From there, he did three things, all game long:
- Check for threats
- Look for a way to win material
- If neither, develop or improve a piece
That’s it. That was his whole game.
And it worked.
The Confusion Extra Weight Brings
Now the modern adult improver.
Hundreds of hours of content. You know something about pawn structures, prophylactic moves, desperado sacrifices, common plans.
Most of it is a glimmer. Nothing clear in your head.
You’re carrying a lot of gear, and for some of it, you don’t even know what it’s for.
So every move, you stop. Do I need gear here? Which piece? Is this the moment for it?
Meanwhile my Dad has a bottle of water and walks the simplest path.
As long as the path isn’t too steep, you will never keep up with him.
That’s what overwhelm actually is at the board.
Not knowing too little. Wanting to understand the position better than you currently can.
My Dad just looks at it and does his three steps. He plays an okay move, over and over.
You? Once in a while you find the sophisticated move you were chasing.
The rest of the time you burn the clock, get confused, and lose sight of the basics you should have used.
The Ideal Case
As a Grandmaster I know a lot about chess. Paired with skill, that’s a superpower.
But here’s what the knowledge actually buys me: I know precisely what to bring for each hike, and what to leave home.
Only high quality gear.
Only what this specific hike needs.
With a clear understanding of how each piece helps me, and when, because I’ve used it hundreds of times at home.
Where This Is Going
My Dad never gets into trouble he can’t handle.
He can’t, he doesn’t own the gear that would tempt him.
You do.
And owning gear you can’t use doesn’t just slow you down. It pulls you toward mountains you have no business climbing.
That’s next week.
Keep improving,
GM Noël
PS: 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.
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