Suffern Chess Club

This was the view from our balcony during a recent trip to Aruba over the week between Christmas and New Year’s.  Even though I was on vacation, I made myself a promise that I would take an hour each day to read from my chess book with the hope of improving my opening repertoire.

As I reflect back on 2009, I know I had some successes, but like most chess players who have reached a plateau, I sometimes wonder if my current rating represents the level that I will always be or if I can still learn and move up the ladder somehow.

This surreal experience of studying in paradise, and a recent conversation with one of our regular club members, made me think about appropriate chess based new year’s resolutions for 2010 to avoid any regrets at the end of the year.

1. Prepare for your match against each opponent. If you play in a local club, learn people’s tendencies: What do they play with white and black?  Are they aggressive or defensive players?  How can you get them to play your game?

2. Learn from your mistakes.  As an old boss of mine once said “there’s nothing wrong with making mistakes, just don’t repeat them over and over”.  Study all of your games, not just the ones you won.  Make a vow not to repeat the same errors over again.

3. Be patient and use your clock efficiently. It’s a problem to play too slow or too fast.  If you know your openings, don’t waste time pondering each and every move at the beginning of the game.  On the other hand, if you’ve reached the middle game and are in a complex position, don’t rush to simplify if it’s an even game.  Take the time to review your options and pick the move that improves your position.

4. Don’t play scared. Even if you play people who are much stronger (or weaker) than you are.  Once you are in the middle of the game, play the board – not the man.  This isn’t a contradiction of point #1.  You can prepare for your opponent, but once the game is underway, your job is to find the plan that suits the position.  The minute you become afraid to lose, you will have a self-fulfilling prophecy.

5. Remember to enjoy each game. We’re playing for fun, right? Sometimes after a difficult loss, we tend to forget this.  A number of years ago, when our club was in Montvale, we had a gentleman who came every week and only played once in a while.  Eventually, he would only come and watch.  He saw me lose a number of games, but I kept coming back each week.  One day he said to me “I admire your grit.  I stopped playing because I would get too upset every time I lost.”  I often think about that when I get upset, then I shrug things off and remember, there’s always next week!  (I also remember that I’m a much better player today than I was back then.)

Happy (belated) New Year everybody!  Best of luck in 2010.