The One-Third-Rule: How To Take Control Of Your Chess Training

GM NoelStuder

Comments on https://lichess.org/@/noelstuder/blog/the-one-third-rule-how-to-take-control-of-your-chess-training/LMmytfrV

maydragon

Great article, thank you

Xe0n1

I will try it thanks! My main weakness is probably endgames and openings with black...

TheLastPlantagenet

The point on Youtube videos hits home, I think there are a great many people who need to read this article, I was one of them. Thank you.

amitnew

Superb !! Article

forsoothplays

Thanks for the great advice Noel!

I have a question, though. I play in weekly quads OTB with a 24+5 time control, which ends up being a few hours; but I don't have 8+ hours a week to devote to training on top of this. Is it appropriate to allocate a third of my time to just analysing my weekly games, rather than to playing and analysing? I.e. playing games becomes its own time allocation, then the rest of my training adheres to your suggested "rule of thirds."

Thanks for the great advice Noel! I have a question, though. I play in weekly quads OTB with a 24+5 time control, which ends up being a few hours; but I don't have 8+ hours a week to devote to training on top of this. Is it appropriate to allocate a third of my time to just analysing my weekly games, rather than to playing and analysing? I.e. playing games becomes its own time allocation, then the rest of my training adheres to your suggested "rule of thirds."

azimk7

I feel like the name "Three Thirds' would suit this breakdown better

Toadofsky

If you can just win in the opening every game, why bother studying the rest of the game? Just memorize every opening and... well, I guess buying all the opening books and videos could cost a few bucks.

dboing

edited

thanks for posting that here. A good proposition to explore at our personal scales of chess improvement ambition (and or definition). The same argument are likely portable or transposable that way. About how the mind processes learning in various tasks and time scales....

Narrow the FOMO space to only the board... if is already big enough. For me FOMO, is about "what is out there".
The balance in exploration versus hmmmm.... i don,t like the term origin, but here it comes, compromise with how things are: exploitation, borrowing from machine learning reinforcement learning dilemna when starting from scatch all the way to "expertise" (enough) target of improvement. It can't keep exploring, as it might never "exploit" efficiently that accumulation of data from the environment (e.g. the board verdict at end of game).

I did not know there was even a term: FOMO. It does not have to be always about fear though.. It might be a need to not get into tunnel vision, because we work locally, when studying hard. But trying your blend, sounds like an experienced advice.

Tangentially (i do lots of tangential, default mode), it also reminds me of advice to parent to not overburden their kids with external motivation constantly intense constrained activity, that kids needs their wandering, that's life development advice, but i think it might be a general development of skills in general principle of training.. (even in sports, alternating days of muscle group intensity, old thing i remember from long ago).

thanks for posting that here. A good proposition to explore at our personal scales of chess improvement ambition (and or definition). The same argument are likely portable or transposable that way. About how the mind processes learning in various tasks and time scales.... Narrow the FOMO space to only the board... if is already big enough. For me FOMO, is about "what is out there". The balance in exploration versus hmmmm.... i don,t like the term origin, but here it comes, compromise with how things are: exploitation, borrowing from machine learning reinforcement learning dilemna when starting from scatch all the way to "expertise" (enough) target of improvement. It can't keep exploring, as it might never "exploit" efficiently that accumulation of data from the environment (e.g. the board verdict at end of game). I did not know there was even a term: FOMO. It does not have to be always about fear though.. It might be a need to not get into tunnel vision, because we work locally, when studying hard. But trying your blend, sounds like an experienced advice. Tangentially (i do lots of tangential, default mode), it also reminds me of advice to parent to not overburden their kids with external motivation constantly intense constrained activity, that kids needs their wandering, that's life development advice, but i think it might be a general development of skills in general principle of training.. (even in sports, alternating days of muscle group intensity, old thing i remember from long ago).

WRPeter

@azimk7 said in #7:

I feel like the name "Three Thirds' would suit this breakdown better
Me too!

@azimk7 said in #7: > I feel like the name "Three Thirds' would suit this breakdown better Me too!

Your network blocks the Lichess assets!