What went well?

  • I’ve been doing well in my rapid games. That said, I was finding it hard to find good moves. Some games it just comes so easy, but this week I really had to work hard to see even simple moves. I think that comes and goes.
  • I played in a rated online tournament. It was fun and I did well, but I wasn’t fully invested in it.

What could have gone better?

  • I don’t feel like I made much progress with studying. Instead of doing things on my list like homework from my coach or reading the endgame book, I would play a couple games of blitz. It was hard to find motivation to push myself. Maybe that isn’t a bad thing to take it easier once in awhile, but I want to get back into a better routine.
  • I started playing daily games, which started out OK, but now I have a few going and I’m not giving them my full attention.

What will I try next?

  • To try to get back on the right track, I’m making myself a list of things I want to do each day.
  • Chess lesson this week
  • Think about when I can get back to the chess club
  • Heard a good piece of advice about studying openings: don’t spend time on openings you don’t see. Use OpeningTree to see what openings you face, then study those first.