Thread by @NealBruceBC

I’ve been studying chess in a serious way for 5 years.

This thread is about:

1. Why I started this journey

2. My beliefs, skills, tools, process

3. How I made chess study a daily practice and part of my identity

I hope it will help you in your chess journey. 🙏

I learned chess as a child from my father. I played on @ChessICC in my 30s and joined a local chess club at 40. My first rating: 1161.

1. Why:
On 12 Jan 2016, (46) I missed this tactic as White @MetroWestChess, and ended up losing the game.

That night I said, “Never again!” 😡

That same week, I bought some 3x5 cards and a second copy of Bain’s Chess Tactics for Students and made my first 5 flashcards. ✂️⬜️🗃

I had no idea that I would go on to make another 8,295 tactics flashcards.

In fact, I’m sure I would have quit if I started with that goal.

2a. Beliefs:

1. Practice > Outcomes

2. Habits > Practice

3. I have no innate chess gifts

4. I can learn new skills and build on existing skills every day to get better at chess 🤓

2b. Core Resilience Skills:

1. Self Confidence

2. Problem Solving

3. Curiosity

4. Perseverance/Grit

5. Optimism

2c/d tools and process:

I track my progress using pencil, paper, spreadsheets:

1. Daily: How fast and accurate are my tactics?

2. Monthly: How consistent was I when studying my books?

3. Quarterly: I’m I on track to study 500 master games?

3. Annually: Did I study 12 books?

3. Identity:

I stopped saying, “I’m trying to get better at chess.”

I started saying, “I am chess player, and I study chess every day. It’s what I do.”

Catch yourself occasionally making better chess moves and celebrate those moments. 🔥

Learn to love the journey. 🙏