Improve Your Chess Now - The Book - Depth of Visuaization and analysis

[Aris Marghetis]

Same thing happens to me all the time. I've been in post mortems where I couldn't figure out what I was trying to do.

Excellent! That makes me feel more "normal".

[Fred Henderson]

hmm. my point, which was just speculation, is that when you reach a position that you have reached before, if you are in tune with your thinking process, then you should play the same move, unless you have insight into the position you didn't have before. Replaying a game is like writing out song lyrics from memory. You start out slow, but as you proceed, it all comes back to you. You would think. :)

[Hans Jung]

Perhaps when replaying the game we are first of all remembering our thought process, which helps is to rememember not just what we played, but what we would have played?

Usually I have no trouble remembering the moves I played as distinguished from moves I should have played (and Ive checked this with students too), Its the inbetween moves that I have sometimes trouble remembering. But I guess its open to debate.

[Hans Jung]

hmm. my point, which was just speculation, is that when you reach a position that you have reached before, if you are in tune with your thinking process, then you should play the same move, unless you have insight into the position you didn't have before. Replaying a game is like writing out song lyrics from memory. You start out slow, but as you proceed, it all comes back to you. You would think. :)

I used to teach that (about playing the same move as you reached in a position before) but in practice ..... what I realized is I was being hypocritical because in my own play I would often vary for the sake of creativity, pure fun, mood (many reasons) So I then changed my teaching style, But I did have some success - having taught several students that became masters.
So in short a big part of me believes that (playing the same move as you reached in a position before unless...) but in practice - No wonder I didnt become any stronger.

[Fred Henderson]

OK, so remembering sequences of moves is easier for most of us, it would seem. I will change the subject. Here's a couple of more points from Tisdall's book...

Tisdall says he thought of the "stepping-stone" idea himself, but I guess it's an obvious concept.

He is saying that when we approach our known limits, we make certain efforts to "burn" the position into our mind's eye. Then a few tricks such as extra focus on pieces on the new squares. Once the "fog is cleared" we try to analyze further.

Perhaps the most interesting statement ids on page 37... "If you can bring one position into clear focus when desired, you have everything you need to extend the range.] of your calculating ability." So maybe another way to practice is to do just that? Bring one (any?) position into focus, outside of the context of a game?

edit: in other words, just "build positions in your head" might be helpful.

[Hans Jung]

Yes very interesting - build positions in your head - if Id only known it would have saved me a lot of mental discomfort.

[Fred Henderson]

Since you mentioned Lakdawala, I picked his Move by Move book on Capablanca. So we add Capa's clear plans to clear simple explanations.

Another thing that occurred to me is studying simple endgame positions first and building in complexity, instead of playing through games from the beginning, , and building in complexity from there.

??

[Vlad Drkulec]

I used to teach that (about playing the same move as you reached in a position before) but in practice ..... what I realized is I was being hypocritical because in my own play I would often vary for the sake of creativity, pure fun, mood (many reasons) So I then changed my teaching style, But I did have some success - having taught several students that became masters.
So in short a big part of me believes that (playing the same move as you reached in a position before unless...) but in practice - No wonder I didnt become any stronger.

Mood and how you feel play a part. When you are tired you might avoid the tactical slugfest and try to put your pieces on good squares. It is good to have some versatility built into your repertoire but also to have some old friends you can rely on when you need to win.

In a recent tournament where I played well despite having blood sugar issues (up until the last round when I played like someone with blood sugar issues) in the fourth round my higher rated opponent said he noticed that I did not look well so he sacrificed a piece unsoundly hoping to take advantage of my king being stuck in the middle of the board but I only had to play three accurate moves in a row to consolidate my advantage and kill all the possible counterplay and then another three easy to find moves to neutralize even a whisper of play on his side. It took me a few moves to bring all my pieces to their best squares and then the position was hopeless for him because all of the pieces that should have been defending his king were off on an adventure trying to hunt my king on the queenside.

[Fred Henderson]

Great information on health and well-being, Vlad, A little sugar boost late in a game can be very beneficial, I understand. I am trying for every edge.

Hans, When I said that when you reach the position we had before, we should play the same move. What I meant was, when you reach a position in post game analysis, and you don't remember what you played, if you are in tune then you are likely to FIND the move, because your post game thinking will be much the same?

What relevance that has to blindfold cherss I am no longer sure. :)

???

[Vlad Drkulec]

For me sugar is poison. Sometimes necessary but to be avoided if possible. I just have to rewrite what I believed to be true based on my last tournament when high blood sugar levels did not translate into terrible play aside from a one, two or three move sequence in the last game which relegated me to second place.

I never had much difficulty visualizing positions though I am getting lazier as I get older.

[Fred Henderson]

Yes very interesting - build positions in your head - if Id only known it would have saved me a lot of mental discomfort.

hmmm...

The book said "bring a position into focus". "Build a position in my head" was my own way of re-phrasing. But Now I think it is two different things.

I would suppose one might have a few different pictures, of the terminus of three different variations you are analyzing, and maybe you want to bring them in and out of focus, in order to compare the lines? These positions are not built from scratch, are they?

Also, another thing that occurred to me about "pattern recognition" as opposed to visualization. I believe all of our memories are there, it is recall that is the problem. Probably one might be able to visualize a position, but then put it aside and be unable to visualize it again later. But maybe down the road, you might see that sort of position again, and then you recognize it?

Not sure where I am going with this.