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Chess tips for a returning player?

@tpr said in #3:

'I have two vocations: chess and engineering.
If I played chess only, I believe that my success would not have been significantly greater.
I can play chess well only when I have fully convalesced from chess and when the 'hunger for chess' once more awakens within me.' - Botvinnik

@shadow1414 said in #9:

... Quoting what someone has said without adding anything to it yourself does not contribute anything particularly meaningful to the discussion.

Not everyone will have necessarily seen a quote before.

@tpr said in #3: > 'I have two vocations: chess and engineering. > If I played chess only, I believe that my success would not have been significantly greater. > I can play chess well only when I have fully convalesced from chess and when the 'hunger for chess' once more awakens within me.' - Botvinnik @shadow1414 said in #9: > ... Quoting what someone has said without adding anything to it yourself does not contribute anything particularly meaningful to the discussion. Not everyone will have necessarily seen a quote before.

@shadow1414 said ^

C) 'Tips?' ~ Play 15+10, use all of the time allowed, and analyze the games deeply. This is a great way to improve in general.

This. I had a hiatus of 35 years. Life had taken over. Now after being retired I can enjoy chess again. 15+10 with subsequent analysis is my primary choice. And do a lot of puzzles. I think I am better now than when I started the hiatus.

@shadow1414 said [^](/forum/redirect/post/KkGcdA3D) > C) 'Tips?' ~ Play 15+10, use all of the time allowed, and analyze the games deeply. This is a great way to improve in general. This. I had a hiatus of 35 years. Life had taken over. Now after being retired I can enjoy chess again. 15+10 with subsequent analysis is my primary choice. And do a lot of puzzles. I think I am better now than when I started the hiatus.

@MrPushwood said ^

I have actually improved sometimes after a hiatus (at least, back in my younger days).

Me and my friends note rather contradictory but inconsistent iterations where sometimes studying or being serious only caused downhill regression while resting creates better form. Other times, efforts prevail. I believe this has got something to do with rest and lock in combo, or that more commonly known moniker of work-life balance.

@MrPushwood said [^](/forum/redirect/post/1XYNKfBK) > I have actually improved sometimes after a hiatus (at least, back in my younger days). Me and my friends note rather contradictory but inconsistent iterations where sometimes studying or being serious only caused downhill regression while resting creates better form. Other times, efforts prevail. I believe this has got something to do with rest and lock in combo, or that more commonly known moniker of work-life balance.

@shadow1414 said ^

#1: A) 'Due to this, it remains to be of an utmost importance to figure out how to return to your previous peak states' ~ Your peak is exactly that: Your peak. You cannot, 'return to it'; you can only return to your average state, or reach a new average state.

You made it mechanical too much. I was referring to "your prime" or "your previous peak". This state could be regained by practice or even improved by the accumulation of knowledge and experience.

B) When you learn something, a hiatus---even one as short as a few hours or minutes---can increase the odds of it sticking with you. Hiatuses can be a good learning tool for when your mind starts to crumble from an overload.

Not to be a debbie downer here, but I believe that connotations of hiatus commonly refer to longer periods of breaks, may it be weeks, months or years. We might have had a communication breakdown regarding exact terminologies. Regardless, I agree with you about how rest can have a positive impact on learning.

C) 'Tips?' ~ Play 15+10, use all of the time allowed, and analyze the games deeply. This is a great way to improve in general.

Theoretically, that should be wonderful. But in online or real time, it feels too difficult to be that determined to beat a random stranger on stakeless rapid games.

@shadow1414 said [^](/forum/redirect/post/KkGcdA3D) > #1: A) 'Due to this, it remains to be of an utmost importance to figure out how to return to your previous peak states' ~ Your peak is exactly that: Your peak. You cannot, 'return to it'; you can only return to your average state, or reach a new average state. You made it mechanical too much. I was referring to "your prime" or "your previous peak". This state could be regained by practice or even improved by the accumulation of knowledge and experience. > B) When you learn something, a hiatus---even one as short as a few hours or minutes---can increase the odds of it sticking with you. Hiatuses can be a good learning tool for when your mind starts to crumble from an overload. Not to be a debbie downer here, but I believe that connotations of hiatus commonly refer to longer periods of breaks, may it be weeks, months or years. We might have had a communication breakdown regarding exact terminologies. Regardless, I agree with you about how *rest* can have a positive impact on learning. > C) 'Tips?' ~ Play 15+10, use all of the time allowed, and analyze the games deeply. This is a great way to improve in general. Theoretically, that should be wonderful. But in online or real time, it feels too difficult to be that determined to beat a random stranger on stakeless rapid games.