“How can someone be training chess and be below 1500? They must be stupid.”
This is sadly a quite common sentiment among Grandmasters.
It is not only a cruel statement, but simply wrong.
Because here is the truth:
The players that study chess, spend time, energy, money and still get stuck below 1500 are often very smart. That’s their issue.
Let me tell you loud and clear:
Not reaching 1500 has very little to do with your intellect. And a lot to do with what things you consistently do, or don’t do.
Here is why being smart can be a disadvantage. And what you can do about it.
All about the basics
I can’t stress enough that chess is all about the basics. Not only for players below 1500, but just even more so for you guys.
If you manage to consistently spot opponent’s 1-2 move threats, spot your own immediate tactical ideas and play many non losing moves in a row, you will be able to cross 1500 eventually.
That’s not fancy, nor does it sound super inspiring. It just is how the game works.
From a Grandmaster perspective, that can look so simple and easy that, when you don’t apply any empathy, nor have coaching experience, you might arrive at the statement above.
How these basics get easy
So you might wonder, how did stronger players get to a point where spotting these small tactics and hanging pieces gets easy?
The answer is:
Through repeated practice of the same basics.
This is only easy to us Grandmasters because we all have been beginners once, and were guided to do the basics over and over again.
As a kid, I’ve solved thousands of simple tactical exercises. Not because I loved it, but simply because on most Friday Junior Trainings, we simply solved one Step Method position after another.
When playing, I cared more about finding the little tactics than subtle positional nuances. So all I did was scanning for hanging pieces and looking at cool tactics.
Strategy was a far away thought that sometimes came into play when looking at a game with a coach.
Why your being smart holds you back
What I see often with smart adult improvers is that you want to find a better way of training.
Because you are smart, had an easy time in school and excel in your career, you learned that the standard way is too easy for you. You can easily jump over a few steps and still quickly understand what is going on.
In chess, that doesn’t work the same way it works in academics.
Why?
Because chess is all about skills, not understanding.
Being smart helps in understanding things like pawn structures, strategic ideas and connecting different patterns together.
But it does not help you magically being able to apply a certain knowledge in your games.
You still need to put in the reps.
Think of it like building muscles. It is great if you are able to understand all the science behind muscle growth. That you deeply understand why rest is crucial, why training to the point of failure helps… but if you don’t end up going to the gym and putting in the reps, it won’t help at all.
Intelligent people are also more prone to overthinking, while someone less intelligent might just go to the gym 3x a week and follow whatever plan they found online.
Trying too advanced stuff
Part of the problem is not doing the work, another part of the problem is going for too advanced things because you can understand them, but not implement them.
In the gym example, you might understand the ideal way of training would be 5x per week, with a clear split of which muscle group gets trained when.
But if you just start out, 5x per week will end up in an injury. You need to build it up to the ideal way of training, can’t just start with what a bodybuilder does.
In chess, that means you might understand certain types of plans, structures and positional ideas. When you watch someone strong, you really appreciate these deeper ways of playing chess.
It is more exciting, more stimulating.
Sadly, you simply aren’t there yet. As long as you don’t consistently spot the basics of hanging pieces and 1-2 move tactics for both sides, any strategy will fall short.
Just do it
So, what is the solution?
If you are smart, you probably won’t like it. It is too simple. But it is all I got.
You need to be aware of your tendency to overthink things. And find a way to simply do the basics consistently.
One way of doing the basics consistently is Real Chess Training.
With the weekly test that is as close to a real game as it gets, you really train your basic skills the right way.
It is now available in an intermediate form for players 1000-1500.
You can join until Monday 2nd of November midnight PST with a special launch price that will be applied as long as you stay subscribed.
Learn more about RCT Intermediate.
Remember: the key is not deep understanding of what you should do. But actually doing the work. That’s all RCT is about.
PS: For 1500-2000 players, a little more advanced way of the same training is already out. You can learn more about RCT advanced here.
