Transcription
Ayanokoji is a chess prodigy, but not just due to his intelligence. In fact, with the right approach, nearly anyone could develop chess skills far above the norm. It is undeniable that his education in the White Room is at least to some extent responsible for Ayano koji's feats, but this begs the question: if the White Room were a real place, how would they teach chess? In other words, how can we turn you into an extraordinary chess player? This is exactly what you will learn about in this protocol. I have done extensive research and I am confident that this video will be game-changing for you, so let's sit up straight and lock in.
However, why should you even want to get better at chess? It is cool to beat your friends in a quick game, but is it really worth the time investment? The truth is that the benefits go way beyond that. You want to remember what your teacher said without having to write it down? Then chess is perfect for you, as chess players show a significantly higher performance in auditory memory. Do you struggle with being creative? Chess also inculcates the ability to think divergently and creatively. I could literally go on forever. Studying chess systematically has even been shown to raise students' IQ and exam scores. Honestly, I think it is a no-brainer to invest some of the time you are wasting with social media or gaming into chess.
But how is the best way to approach your chess training? First, allocate a realistic amount of time for chess practice. The key here is that you will actually be able to do this every day, so it does not need to be an hour. When you treat your practice sessions as non-negotiable appointments with yourself, your progress will skyrocket, as this consistent dedication activates neural pathways associated with skill acquisition and reinforces the importance of your practice regimen. Once you have found a good duration, never invest more or less time into chess. Yes, you heard right, you should not go beyond your set duration because our brain works most effectively under time pressure. You will advance faster in chess with a consistent time investment of 30 minutes than if you sometimes play a few hours, but some days don't play at all.
Now, when it comes to actually playing chess, a mistake many people make is to play too much speed chess. Honestly, if you are not an advanced chess player, you should consider speed chess as something which is fun, but does not help you to effectively improve yourself. There is too little time to think about what you should be doing, which makes the game devolve into an exercise in moving pieces around faster than your opponent while avoiding checkmate in hopes that your opponent's clock runs out sooner than yours. If you actually want to improve, play mostly longer time controls, including daily chess, so you have time to think about what you should be doing. This is not to suggest that you should necessarily play exclusively slow or daily time controls, but they should be a significant percentage of your games.
An extremely helpful practice you can do during longer games is to check off a mental checklist before you make a move. Simply ask yourself: What options do I have to give check to the enemy king, and do they accomplish anything? Am I in danger of being checked? Are any of my pieces hanging or under-defended? Are there any tactics in the position? Can I place any of my pieces in a more active position? Can I occupy or control any outpost squares or open files? Can I blockade an enemy's knight or bishop with a pawn push? As you continue to practice and play, this thought process will become natural.
Also, invest one practice block each week into analyzing your games. You do not need to overthink this. Simply review your games and pinpoint areas for improvement. For example, you might notice that your opening frequently leaves you in a bad position, so specifically spending your time on studying your opening will leave you with a massive return on investment. Moreover, remember that it's very important to go over your games yourself and only afterward check with an engine. The correct line it shows you is of limited help to you because you didn't have to do any actual thinking to find the right continuation. Analyzing your gameplay, even just once a week, will make you stand out of the crowd because even though everybody knows the value of reviewing, barely anyone actually does take action.
You spent quite some time on YouTube, and this is a big opportunity for you to effortlessly get better at chess. By following chess YouTubers and watching their content, even just for entertainment purposes, you're subtly engaging your subconscious mind in absorbing chess knowledge and strategies. Some entertaining YouTubers you could check out are Gotham Chess, Hikaru, and Anna Cremeling.
If you want to get the same benefits of YouTube videos about chess, but on steroids, then start reading books about chess. This is for those of you who actually want to be exceptional. Some books you should check out are Thinking Inside the Box by Jacob Aagaard, The Road to Chess Improvement by Alex Yermolinsky, and The Seven Deadly Chess Sins by Jonathan Rowson. To get the most out of these books, check out my reading guide.
Now, when you play chess, you want to be at the height of your mental capacities. For that, I recommend that you watch my protocols on focus and sleep. One thing you can do to improve your sleep is to get a sleep mask, and when it comes to quality sleep masks, Manta Sleep has you covered. They offer various premium models, and as a bonus, you even get free earplugs in a case bag included. Also, if you want to memorize openings or patterns, then you should definitely check out my photographic memory video.
Okay, bro, big respect for being one of the few who actually have the attention span to watch a video till the end. By the way, I'm curious about your chess level, so feel free to comment your ELO down below.