Leaning into discomfort
Stop trying to trick yourself into focusing on what is important and address the root cause of distraction. Two positions, two different challenges Position 1: Black to play, and to make it even easier it’s mate in two: For most chess players, this is in the realm of ‘hot cognition’, aka system 1 thinking. Let’s…
My notes from the esports coaching and performance summit 2023
Esports are at the forefront of optimisation and taking lessons from the world of traditional sports – to the chagrin of some chess purists, who see esports as ‘just video games’ and chess as a noble board game of rich history. It is undeniable that chess is a noble rich game but the video game…
Heart Rate Variability for chess players
What is Heart Rate Variability and how to use it for performance improvement. What is Heart Rate Variability (HRV)? HRV is a proxy for stress. It is an overall measurement of your stress levels and encompasses physical stressors like physical workouts and nervous stressors. Having a quantified measure of stress is valuable to help navigate…
Guest interview #1: PhD in Psychology and chess player WFM María Rodrigo Yanguas
This week is the first ever interview on this blog, I am talking to Dr María Rodrigo Yanguas. María has a PhD in psychology and is a titled chess player. She was very gracious to spend time answering my questions on chess and psychology. Enjoy the interview and follow María for more of her great…
“When I finally …”
For decades I have lived with the feeling that somehow true life was going to start at some point in the future. As a child I grew up in a modest household and inspired by the hard work of my parents, I went on through the education system to build a future for myself. All…
Is team chess a team sport?
From club players of the 1890’s to today’s Global Chess league, what does it mean to play team chess? How can teams be successful and have players that play at their best? Chess became extremely popular in London in the late 19th century. As early as the 1880s, clubs like the Metropolitan, the Athenaeum and…
Ubuntu
One day in 2020 during our coaching curriculum, I was chatting with my coach and colleague Franck: “Benji, do you know about Ubuntu? You have to watch the Netflix documentary about Doc Rivers”. I was intrigued and checked out “The Playbook”’ – and was amazed by Doc Rivers’ authenticity and charisma. And he explained how…
Jiro dreams of tactics
Learn about mastery from one of the best sushi chefs in the world I would see ideas in dreams. My mind was bursting with ideas.I would wake up in the middle of the night. In dreams, I would have visions of sushi.Jiro Ono Displays of mastery are powerfully attractive. For better or worse we have…
Trust the process
“For me, it’s not so important to become world champion. I always wanted to become the best player in the world.” Ding Liren. As the World Chess Championship is over, it is now time to reflect and analyze. One winner, one loses. We always tend to think that the winner must have done things correctly…
Course Launch: Mindfulness for the Tournament Player
We all want to perform better, let go of an upsetting loss, and overall be more relaxed and focused during our tournaments. This course was designed to specifically help you all throughout the competition. By being more grounded and equanimous you will be able to focus on performing with greater concentration and clarity of thought.…
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