Chess Improvement: Developing a Disciplined Routine
Mikhail Botvinnik led the Soviet School of Chess for decades in the early 20th center, developing a brilliant method of chess training that revolutionized the approach to improvement in chess. Botvinnik was a 3-time World Chess Champion (1948–57, 1958–60, 1961–63) with a Ph.D and distinguished career in electrical engineering. Botvinnik was also a pioneer in the field of human chess, and in the 1950s and 1960s he developed an algorithm that enabled a computer to play reasonably well. Mikhail Botvinnik dominated the chess world through the eyes of a pure scientist, and it was this distinct perspective that led to his significant contributions to chess training and improvement. An overwhelming testament to Botvinnik’s success is the fact that the Botvinnik School of Chess has turned out dozens of Grandmasters, most notably former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov.
Kasparov Analyzes with Botvinnik
Chess, like any creative activity, can exist only through the combined efforts of those who have creative talent the ability to organize their creative work… Chess is the art which expresses the science of logic ” – Botvinnik
Developing a Disciplined Routine
Many people complain about working long hours, although they are only working a fraction of the time. Studying haphazardly for 45 minutes before dazing aimlessly for 20 minutes only to realize you have no idea what you’re doing or will be doing next is not efficient. The same principle applies for chess training. Developing and enforcing an organized regimen of training is the most effective method of improvement in chess as in any other endeavor. How much time you can spend studying chess depends on a variety of factors, so I’ve decided to list my recommendations for players under 2000 in percentages.
30% Tactics – Tactics are seen in every position. You especially want to focus on shorter combinations (2 or 3 moves) and tactical awareness so that you don’t miss any easy wins.
25% Positional Play – While tactics are extremely important, many beginner and intermediate players will develop an unevenly balanced style by ignoring positional understanding. Positional chess forms the foundation of any position, while tactics represent the immediate needs.
20% Endgames – Endgames are incredibly important because it occasionally happens that you can’t beat your opponent in the opening or middlegame. I’d recommend studying the games of Capablanca and Karpov for improving your endgame technique.
15% Openings – A basic level of openings is necessary to improve past the absolute beginner stages, however many players neglect other areas of study and drastically overemphasize the importance of studying openings.
10% Psychology – The effect of chess psychology should not be underestimated, as your approach to the game determines your decision-making process for every move.
Mikhail Botvinnik insisted that we must recognize the rationale behind every move. All of Botvinnik’s students learned to become great sceptics, even of the moves of the best players. Most of the time we eventually discovered that there was a powerful idea behind each Grandmaster move, but we also found improvements” – Garry Kasparov
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