Ziatdinov Part Six

"A chess master should be a combination of a beast of prey and a monk." -- Alexander Alekhine.

For grandmaster games, it is best to look at how they play against weaker opposition. Study their ways of attack. Against equally strong players, masters use too much psychology to be useful to the chess student. Strong opposition forces grandmasters to divert from "normal" ways of playing. They all know the basic rules of strategy and tactics so well that the only way for them to win is by making strange, surprising moves. Weak opponents can be stunned with "normal," classical moves, but strong players know all the standard tricks. Study Shirov and Tal against weak opposition and you can learn the classical, standard ways of chess.

It is a very good idea to memorize the games of masters. Repeat games until they become automatic (same as the word hi in English). Replaying games in the mind is also beneficial. You can go through games in your head when you're walking, waiting in line, going to sleep and especially watching TV (though I don't recommend you practice this technique while driving a car).
When I was in Moscow and had to walk thirty minutes to work, I memorized Arabic prayers. I am not a religious person; I did it for fun and to surprise a few of my old friends who had tried to "teach" me religion. I cannot talk in Arabic at all, but I used a tape-recorder and a small piece of paper to memorize the prayers. It was difficult, but slowly it became easier. You must have will power, because the human mind will take advantage of every opportunity to be lazy. I learned English the same way, through diligent repetition. Before 1995, I could not speak any English. At this time, family from Holland came and lived with me in Uzbekistan. So, I could not speak English and they could not speak Russian. During my long walks to my job where I taught mathematics, I memorized English poetry. Finally, I understood English better than the kids from Holland (they were ten and twelve-years-old) that had learned Russian. I am sure now that the dumber the mental exercise, the faster you can learn! Our brain does not like practical things.

Chess games give me a lot of pleasure. Playing through the games of strong masters is thrilling, even if I already know the result of the game. Usually I try to understand why five possible moves were not made, rather than why the actual move in the game was made. Evaluating candidates that were not made often gives more information than evaluating the move that was actually played. The easiest and most effective method of training is when you are guessing the moves of a strong player. It has to be really guessing, do not try to "understand" (the attitude of "understanding" is wrong in a training session). Enjoy guessing, do it playfully and have fun.

If you choose a move not played in the game, you must be sure that your "teacher" at least considered your move. You should be upset if your guess was wrong, but your error has nothing to do with not "understanding" chess and everything to do with your chess vocabulary. You should be very upset if you missed a tactic or guessed a blunder.

Every game in which you guess moves should take about four to six hours. If you are not able to finish such a long session, stop and continue at the next session, but do not rush to get to the end. Do not hurry even if you're sure about the next move -- and again, enjoy the solution. It is a kind of meditation. You can sit for hours trying a few possibilities in your head. Maybe your "teacher" is stronger than you, but you do have one big advantage -- unlimited time; this makes you equal. Do not debate which move is better, yours or his (for it must be clear -- if you did not find the master's move, you are wrong). For this exercise, you need a cold, objective attitude. To attempt this guessing-game, training without a master sitting beside you is a very difficult task. I have not met a player rated below 2200 who could demonstrate this attitude for a training session. Instead, everyone wants to be shown the correct move to "understand" it. Russian chess masters discuss concrete moves and variations, but never try to "understand" them.

There are no good systems in studying or playing chess. There are systems of course, but only for "How to be a 1200 Player" (probably the best level for a chess fan -- they can enjoy chess and have a normal life). Students who study chess with good teachers learn more about having a confident, winning attitude (which does help) than actual chess. Although there are no perfect systems for studying our royal game, guessing the moves of masters is a tried-and-true method that will improve your chess.