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Apparently Gary Kasparov argues that approximately 55 serious games in a year is the optimal number for a top grandmaster. I have seen other grandmasters suggest between 60 to 80 games in a year.
Last year I played approximately 140 games between CFC, USCF and non-rated training games and events. I would have played a few more if work demands hadn't got in the way. I think that is probably too many games.
What is the optimal number of games in a year for one of us patzers?
I didn't play in this weekend's Michigan Masters and Experts tournament even though it has been a tournament that I enjoyed in the past. I am currently playing in a ten round local tournament (double round robin) and am looking at the upcoming tournaments in London, Guelph, Kitchener and Hamilton and if I make it to all the Canadian events I will probably have played 37 games in the first three months of 2010 which is way ahead of schedule if I want to limit myself to no more than 80 to 100 games in 2010.
What is the optimal number of games in a year for one of us patzers?
For a patzer, who's only interested in playing and not his rating, the optimal number is probably anything he wants it to be. Simply play and enjoy.
For a serious player who's rating is important to him, it would be whatever number of games it takes to maintain the rating and improve it. Not so many games as to get sloppy and lose points. The serious player also has to study and stay current on the latest theory. So it would probably vary according to the player.
For a patzer, who's only interested in playing and not his rating, the optimal number is probably anything he wants it to be. Simply play and enjoy.
For a serious player who's rating is important to him, it would be whatever number of games it takes to maintain the rating and improve it. Not so many games as to get sloppy and lose points. The serious player also has to study and stay current on the latest theory. So it would probably vary according to the player.
Simply my opinion.
The problem with playing too many games is that it doesn't give you time to go over your games afterwards to help root out your mistakes. Playing in a weekend tournament every three weeks seems to me to be about the ideal pace. That gives you plenty of time for reflection and study in between tournaments.
Years ago Roman Pelts told me that beginners should spend about 90% of their chess time playing and 10% studying, and strong players (c.2400+) the opposite. If that's right (I think it is), then the optimal number of games varies depending on how strong you are and how much time you devote to chess.
e.g.Beginner
for a beginner who spends 2hrs a week on chess, 90% of that time would be about 45 long format tournament games (since beginner games rarely last more than 2 hrs).
a more determined beginner who spends 8hrs/week on chess ought to play four times as much, or 180 games/year.
e.g.expert
an expert (2000-2200) who spends 15hr/week on chess might optimally spend 30% of that time playing, which would be about 75 games of 3hrs each.
e.g.Chess Pro
a professional-GM who spends 40 hrs/week on chess, then 10% of that would be 200 hrs or about 54 games of 3hrs 45 min each.
e.g.Victilly Kortchuck
a Victilly Kortchuck, who spends 14hrs/day on chess 365days/yr should spend about 6% of the 5110 hrs/yr devoted to chess playing approximately 82 tournament games. :D
Judging by the number of games being tossed around, who has time for a job?:) Now I am at least semi-retired, I have a lot more time for chess but 50 games a year is about all I can handle (and I thought I was going a bit overboard). I admire, and envy, those who can play more and who also seem to have read all the latest chess literature and studied their own games and those of others. Where do they find the time?
Of course, that may help explain why they play so much better than I could ever hope to.
What is the optimal number of games in a year for one of us patzers?
Some pretty reasonable responses so far.
Chess is my biggest hobby I think and I probably play way too much, being on the 25 most active list a few years in a row, spreading some 550 CFC rated games over the past 5-6 years. I used to be able to put all my games in a database at home, run them through Fritz, put them on chess5 for a while, occasionally with analyzes. I enjoyed that often times but have not been able / willing to do it since Summer 2008 -- too busy. In order to play the same amount of games as before, I sacrifice analyzes and many games I don't analyze at all. Maybe that's a part of why I am stuck at the same level. I used to do an immediate post-mortem with my opponents a lot more regularly than I do now, and it doesn't bother me not to do it now. I can always analyze the game later with friends at school, though it's not the same thing as I no longer remember 'what was I thinking when I played this move?' and cannot try to correct the faulty thought process. Chess has become kinda social for me, and as much as I love playing, I definitely would not enjoy a tournament as much if it was just for the chess.
To do it "properly", I could not play more than about 40 games a year at the moment. But like someone mentioned, this depends on people and how much time they're willing / able to spend. What are people's goals, and how content or not they are with what they get out of chess? That's a way to think of it.
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