A question that comes up a lot whenever one tries to improve a new skill is:
Why?
Why would one go through a difficult process to improve a skill that won’t make any money—nor will it have any real-life benefits (other than bragging rights)?
When I started my training plan for my first half-marathon, these questions echoed in my mind. And over Christmas with my Family, I got asked that question all the time. Why even bother running a half-marathon?
I came up with a few answers for myself. I hope they inspire you to take your chess to the next level in 2025.
In short:
Why bother?
Because it makes you a better, happier person.
1. Feeling My Insane Potential
In my first training week, I ran further than ever before—12.5 kilometers (7.7 miles). The cool air burned my lungs, my legs screamed for mercy halfway through, and the thought of quitting crept into my mind. Without a clear goal, I probably would have given in.
But I pushed through. Not only that—I ran the second half 20% faster than the first. Even crazier, my last 5 kilometers were faster than my “maximum” speed for 5 kilometers **a week before.
Let me write this again: after 7.5 kilometers, feeling tired and cold, I managed to run my fastest 5 kilometers ever. It was purely mindset-based.
That moment taught me something powerful: when I felt ready to quit, I wasn’t even close to my limit. If you give up as soon as it gets difficult, you miss out on so much growth. This realization applies not just to running, but to chess and life.
2. Nothing Beats Being Proud of Myself
After every single run, I feel a wave of pride. It’s only been two weeks of following a clear plan, but already, I’ve noticed my general mood improving.
There’s simply nothing like going to bed and saying, “I’m proud of what I did today.”
In chess, this feeling comes after putting in focused effort—analyzing a tough game, solving a challenging puzzle, or learning a new opening. Pride in consistent effort is the ultimate motivator.
3. Training Ground for When It Matters
Life isn’t fair. Sooner or later, something that sucks will happen.
If we live in our comfort zone all the time, we have no preparation for these hard moments. Recently, I heard something that resonated deeply. David Goggins (just an all-around crazy guy, a little too crazy for my taste) said something along these lines:
“The only way to prepare for unwarranted hardship in your life is to introduce voluntary hardship into your life.”
Doing something hard—especially when it feels pointless—is excellent training for the inevitable challenges that will shape the trajectory of our lives.
In chess, pushing yourself through frustrating plateaus or tough losses builds resilience. You’re preparing for the moments that truly test your character.
4. Reverse Dopamine Addiction
In the modern world, it’s super easy to get a quick hit of dopamine:
- Check your emails → Dopamine.
- Post something on social media → Dopamine.
- Refresh your YouTube feed → Dopamine.
We start with it as soon as we wake up and finish shortly before going to bed. No wonder doing something hard, where rewards take time, feels impossibly difficult.
But that’s exactly what we need to do for:
- Work.
- Compounding finances.
- Relationships.
- Learning any new skill.
Running mostly sucks for a full hour before I feel good about having run. Preparing for my half-marathon takes 16 weeks before I experience my “big day.” Getting used to this cycle—Input → Time → Output—helps me in every other part of my life.
Chess improvement is no different. You don’t see improvements right away. First, you put in a lot of effort, and then you stay consistent and patient. Only then can you see changes in your results.
Input → Time → Output.
5. Be More Healthy
Speaking of addiction, present-day life isn’t the healthiest. Fast dopamine, little movement, and junk food for the brain and body had left me feeling physically and mentally drained.
Training for my half-marathon forced me to run in the fresh air three times a week. Because I didn’t want to feel horrible while running, I started paying more attention to my nutrition. And spending time outdoors improved my physical and mental well-being.
This one decision—to train for a half-marathon—triggered a cascade of positive side effects.
You can see this two ways:
- Taking care of your body will help your mind – and thus your chess.
- Improving your chess will force you to improve your mind – helping you with any other mental activity.
6. Having a Goal Without Needing to Achieve It
My updated goal is to run the half-marathon in under 2 hours. My current pace suggests I’ll finish in 2 hours and 17 minutes—a big gap.
So why even bother having a goal?
I love goals because they give direction. They motivate me to give my best. The goal isn’t about the final result; it’s about what I gain along the way.
Achieving my goal would be the cherry on top, but honestly, it’s not the point. Whether I finish in 1 hour and 58 minutes, 2 hours and 1 second, or 2 hours and 25 minutes doesn’t matter. By then, I’ll already have:
- Proven my huge potential to myself.
- Felt proud of my effort.
- Trained for life’s difficult moments.
- Broken free from my dopamine addiction.
- Improved my health.
So when someone asks you, “Why even bother improving your chess?”, what will your answer be?
Keep improving,
Noël
PS: I highly encourage you to set an ambitious goal for 2025. One you feel is high, difficult to achieve but possible with your best effort. If you achieve it or not is not the point. What it pushes you to do will make all the difference.
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.
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