• Definitely! I like Magnus Carlsen, but I like Fabiano more. I congratulate Magnus for retaining his world title, but like you said Panther, Fabiano did a wonderful job drawing every one of the classical games.


  • Hi guys, how often do you play in tournaments for y’all chess players? I will take any advice as I have joined the USCF and entered a chess tournament for the 27th of December.


  • @Topmat
    I don’t play in person because I’m nowhere near good enough to even bother competing in a serious tournament.

    I tried attending one tournament in my area several years ago, but it ended up being an open tournament, so I was utterly crushed by 2000+ ELO players in every round (I’m something like a 1350, and that’s online, so my IRL rating is probably significantly lower than that). Not a fun day.

    If you’re attending a larger tournament, those are typically structured in such a way that you’ll play others who are around your skill level. Good luck.


  • Thanks Domanmcgee. It is an open tournament, but it is structured for different rating systems. Because I just joined the USCF, I am unrated. I entered the amateur section. I will be playing other unrated players and players with an elo between 800-999. On online rating systems my blitz (haven’t the time to play classical) rating is about 1700.


  • @Topmat Ah, you’re a much stronger player than I am, then. My Classical is like 1400 (the 1350 score was blitz).

    I don’t know if you’ve ever attended an IRL A&A Tournament (or a tournament for any other competitive game), but I can give you some basic general advice for enduring the tournament:

    DISCLAIMER: This is general advice. It may not be suitable for the tournament you are going to.

    • Stay hydrated - Your body is the main thing that’s going to be giving out during a tournament. You’ll probably be allowed a glass of water or some other sort of beverage at your table. Personally, I’d avoid sugary drinks like soda, but more on that in my next point.

    • Stay well-fed, but avoid overly-sugary foods like the plague - You need to last through 8-10 rounds of play, probably. If you’re playing on Classical Time control that means your games are going to last ~3-4 hours, slightly shorter than the length of your average A&A tournament game (~5 hours). My point here is that you’ll need some sort of nutrients between games, or you’re liable to see a lapse in your play due to fatigue. Make sure to pack food accordingly, as it’s not guaranteed that the venue will offer food that’s to your liking, if they offer food at all. Be sure to stay away from greasy or sugary food, I forget the exact science, but from what I remember, it has something to do with your body burning sugars faster than it burns other types of energy. Instead, load up on carbs, nuts, etc. More natural sugars, like fruits, are also okay.

    • Stay calm - Losing 1 game will probably keep you off the podium, but this is your first tournament, so don’t worry about it. Online ratings apparently do not mesh with IRL ratings for chess, so take all of your matches seriously. Unlike online play, you can’t just stop and call it a night if you don’t play well in one game in particular, so unwind by playing for a draw in your next round or something similar.

    • Get good sleep leading up to the tournament - Self-explanatory. If you’re not at 100%, your brain will let you down when you need it most.

    I can’t really offer any gameplay tips, as my rating doesn’t even begin to compare to yours, so just do what you do best and try to avoid getting sucked into other players’ play styles. I imagine you’ll run into a bizarre opening line or two, seeing as it’s an amateur division, so you might want to read up on some common opening traps and how to avoid them.

  • 2024 2023 '22 '21 '20 '19 '18 '17

    I think of myself as a retired chess player, though I occasionally consider un-retiring myself. At my best, some 25 years ago, I was a pretty strong player, and I’m still rated at well over 2300 on FIDE’s rating list, FIDE being the world chess federation. That rating no longer reflects my current playing strength of course. There are several reasons for me not to play anymore. Time constraints, other interests – but also, annoyance at my own game and performance. To reach my former level would require a massive time investment. It’s a difficult game.

    But playing in a chess tournament can be a very rewarding experience. The chess crowd is very diverse and you’ll meet people from all walks of life. I fondly remember tournaments I played during summer holidays long ago, with a group of friends from my chess club, visiting great cities like London or Berlin, and having a very good time overall. So by all means, go for it!

    How to improve in chess? Well, it requires some work. Just playing will probably also help, but don’t expect miracles if you don’t study the game. I’ve known chess players who never improved even after decades of play. Not a big deal of course as long as they’re having fun, but some are more ambitious. It’s tempting to study opening books, but I’d recommend tactics, endgame, strategy. There are plenty of good books on tactics, but the easy way is just to try and solve online chess puzzles. Chess is a game of pattern recognition, and the more pattern’s you’ve seen the better player you’ll be.
    As for playing - try to play strong opponents. Losing may not be much fun, but it won’t kill you and it will make you stronger. Some people think that it’s more ‘fun’ to just play against equally strong opponents, but they typically won’t get past that specific level. Which is not a big deal if that level suits you just fine! But the prime reason I once hit 2300 was that I had a group of friends at roughly that same level - some a bit better, some a bit worse, but we improved a lot by fighting each other over the chess board.

    And DoManMacgee does offer some good advice here too: your overall physical condition is something to be aware of, and it’s a key factor for today’s world class players. Though I must admit that in the old days, my own ‘preparation’ didn’t necessarily exclude a night of beer swilling and blitz games……


  • Thank you both for giving me advice. I knew that sleep was something I would need, but eating and drinking too much sugary foods hadn’t occurred to me. Tactics is one of my strongezt points so now I have shifted alot of my studying to strategy and openings. I have gotten a few videos on endgame patterns etc. I understand that to get stronger, it helps to play stronger players. The local club I go to, when I first joined the coach would beat me every time. Now, a year and a half later, I win more than half our games. At the tournament I hope to meet some of the top rated players in my state. Again, thank you both for giving me this advice. I will let y’all know how I do in the tournament. Merry Christmas!


  • Well, yesterday was the tournament! We got up at 6:00 am est (it was 62 mi to the tournament) and got ready to go. We went 48 miles and our car broke down. Our water pump was spewing out antifreeze all over our motor. We had to get our car towed to my sister’s house. We bought a new water pump and my father (with the Lord’s help) replaced the water pump. Unfortunately we couldn’t make the tournament. Thankfully the TD understood our predicament and returned the entry fee. I look to enter another tournament on the 19th or the 21st of January. I want to thank you again for the advice.


  • @Topmat Gah. That’s terrible news! I’m glad your safe, at least. Good luck in your other tournament later this month!


  • @DoManMacgee thank you very much

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