Three Steps Backward, Two Forward

Training Log

Yesterday's Valley, Today's Climb

There's an old figure of speech concerning progress amid adversity: three steps forward, two steps backward. However, sometimes we fail to make progress. So it was with my marathon training session yesterday. I did not intend to spend more than four hours on Chess Tempo. My failure was grounded in initial success. My standard tactics rating had been hovering near +25 relative to the interim goal I was just under when I wrote "Getting Angry." My objective since crossing that mark was to achieve the next line at +50. I reached +45 after a relatively short session, then crashed. I ended the day at -46. By the end of the day I had correctly solved 125 problems in 273 attempts, an abysmal 46%. I must say that I was not enjoying the training. At least I had some solace in knowing that deliberate practice is not inherently pleasurable, but rather often painful. This morning, I refused to write my weekly training log until I had crossed back to the positive relative to mid-April's interim goal. I correctly solved 47 in 83 attempts for 57%. My rating is now +1. I have spent more than twenty-seven hours working Chess Tempo problems in the past six weeks.

For the week that ended yesterday, I solved 155/336 on Chess Tempo.

I continued working with Shredder's iPad app, but only ten problems.

1657 puzzles: 12987/16570 points 78%
last 10 puzzles: 97/100 97%

I also continued solving problems from the set of 300 that come with Chess-wise Pro, another iPad app. These problems are good quality positions, but only the first move is part of the puzzle. The first 110 offer a verbal clue upon request, but no other assistance. I have not been tracking these week-by-week, but have completed the first 134 since beginning in early March.

For the first time in several weeks, I spent more than one-half hour working problems from Lev Alburt, Chess Training Pocket Book II. Thus, two of my three resolutions were met this week.

Yesterday's slide began Thursday night. I played two of three rounds in an unrated thematic tournament at the Spokane Chess Club. Due to scheduling issues that others faced, I was asked to say a few words about the Dutch Defense before we began a tournament in which all games began after 1.d4 f5. It was enjoyable looking through some games to highlight for the club. Then, in the event, I played awful in the first game against Ron, dodging a bullet when he stepped into checkmate in one. Then, I made a simple opening blunder against Nikolay, giving him the initiative with Black. I defended well, and created some counterplay. At the end, he erred in giving me a choice of rooks to capture. The correct capture would have left me one pawn ahead, but I took the wrong one and had a minor piece for a queen. I left for home, while Nikolay went on to tie for second in the event with a draw in the final round. On Friday, I squandered some time playing online blitz in the quest for elusive redemption.