What went well?

  • Started on the new Endgames 101 course from Chessable. This seemed to come at a really good time because I feel like my endgame needs work. I am spending more time on these studies to make sure I understand the solution before making a move, which I am hoping will help with my calculation. I set the course to be on “cyclical” instead of Chessable’s standard “spaced repetition.”
  • I am in the market for a new opening as white. I made my own d4 opening based on something I heard on the 64: A Chess Podcast with Martin/SayChess about making your own opening course. Just having something new was exciting, but I am still looking for a better opening.
  • Chess Lesson!

What could have gone better?

  • I have not been playing through any master games lately, instead just playing my own games. I would like to have a better balance.

What will I try next?

  • I said this last week as well, but I am starting to stretch out my learning into too many different areas. On the Perpetual Chess Podcast this week, GM Noel Studer talked about the Simple Not Easy concept. My take away was to make my studying much more simple and only focus on one thing at a time. For me this means stopping the work I was doing on the Checkmate Patterns Course and focus mainly on Endgames 101 and tactics. I know that is more than one thing, but I feel like I should never stop studying tactics.