Yusupov's Books and My Training Plan

It feels good to settle on a training plan that gives you an almost tangible feeling of improvement. As you work through your daily routine, you feel yourself doing actual chess work and you know this is the way to improvement. To me, there's not a much worse feeling in my chess journey than preparing some grand plan revolving around a book or project only to feel dejected that the work involved is not what you thought it was going to be and you eventually quit the plan entirely. In these instances, it feels like I put too much weight on the plan, as if it was going to do wonders. It just plain sucks when it doesn't work out and you give up. But you keep trying until you find something perfect for your level that provides the right amount of serious study. 

Enter Artur Yusupov.

I think I found a plan that has been working for over a month now. This is due in large part to re-discovering Artur Yusupov's famous book series. Working through these problems for the last month has given me a bigger sense of accomplishment than re-doing tactics three, four and five times from 1001 Chess Exercises for Club Players--which was my last project. The series I'm talking about is the Build Up Your Chess, Boost your Chess, and Chess Evolution books. There is some confusion over the order since Yusupov chose a slightly strange naming and coloring convention. 

Is blue first or green? Wait, do I do Build Your Chess 1, then Build your Chess 2, or complete one color pattern first? When do I do the Revision and Exam book? At the end, right? Will I ever finish it? How long does this take?

The color order in terms of difficulty is Orange, then Blue, then Green. Each color group has a "Build Up Your Chess" title, a "Boost Your Chess" title, and a "Chess Evolution" title and those are meant to be completed in that order before going to the next color. Orange is The Fundamentals and you do those first, Blue is Beyond the Basics, and Green is the Mastery series. And as far as I understand, there is a Revision and Exam book that you should complete after you finish the three orange books. Here's the order for those still wondering

1. Build Up Your Chess 1 (The Fundamentals)
2. Boost Your Chess 1 (The Fundamentals)
3. Chess Evolution 1 (The Fundamentals)
4. Revision and Exam
5. Build Up Your Chess 2 (Beyond the Basics)
6. Boost Your Chess 2 (Beyond the Basics)
7. Chess Evolution 2 (Beyond the Basics)
8. Build Up Your Chess 3 (Mastery)
9. Boost Your Chess 3 (Mastery)
10. Chess Evolution 3 (Mastery)

Finish them all and you've completed the Yusupov Challenge.

That sounds scary...But possible...I suppose. Right? I've never heard of anyone doing it but I can only imagine it'd do wonders to fill in the gaps in your chess knowledge, which is what Yusupov claims his books will do. My plan is to complete the orange series and I think this will do a lot to get me closer to 2000 OTB. Every chapter I do out of book 1 teaches me a few new things and requires me to calculate a lot more than doing those simple 1001 Exercises books. And it's more than just categorized tactics. Let's get into the book I'm currently working on.


Build Up Your Chess 1: The Fundamentals
Yep, I started at the beginning. Duh. I believe I started it about a year ago but I recently picked it back up again and I'm glad. The book, and this goes for every book in the entire series I believe, has 24 chapters covering a broad range of topics. Here's the chapter list for this book:

1 - Mating motifs 1
2 - Mating motifs 2
3 - Basic opening principles
4 - Simple pawn endings
5 - Double Check
6 - The value of the pieces
7 - The discovered attack
8 - Centralizing the pieces
9 - Mate in two moves
10 - The opposition
11 - The pin
12 - The double attack
13 - Realizing a material advantage
14 - Open files and outposts
15 - Combinations
16 - Queen against pawn
17 - Stalemate motifs
18 - Forced variations
19 - Combinations involving promotion
20 - Weak points
21 – Pawn combinations
22 - The wrong bishop
23 - Smothered mate
24 - Gambits
Final test

Pretty good start huh? And each chapter has an introduction then 12 problems to solve and grade yourself on. I love the structure and that's a key to finding a book to work through. I'm pretty familiar with most of the information he provides but the quiz section has put me to work--especially on the positional stuff. I am two-thirds of the way through and it's going great. I'm tracking percentages on the point totals for each quiz so I know my weak points for review later.

If each book has 24 chapters (plus a final test of 24 problems) and I complete all three orange books, that's 936 problems to solve. That's not including the eight to ten example problem he uses in the introduction for each chapter. If I take my time with all these, I'll surely fill in a lot of knowledge gaps and work on my calculation while doing so! I'd have to think this will be one of the best 3-book series to work through. For someone at my intermediate level, it's a great balance between review of things I've seen before and calculation in the harder problems in the quizzes. 

Here's a youtube video of Artur being interviewed in 2017 about the series.

Openings

The only other chess work I'm doing is working to build up a stronger opening repertoire for white. At the moment, this means making my digital flashcards of positions with an essay-question like prompt and then entering the solution with all variations and ideas/plans in a text file. I've began the project with a book called Starting Out: 1. d4. It's a good introduction to all the things you'll likely see as a d4 player but I find it quite theoretical unfortunately. I'm going through most of the lines and taking screenshots of all interesting positions for my flashcard system anyway, but I absolutely need more than this. We all know that most openings at my level are not played in the same way that masters play them. The Starting Out... book does not cover a lot of "doozies" (Tothian-speak for blunders or mistakes) in the openings so I need to fill these in myself. My idea is to eventually have a large set of flashcards for each major opening family and here's how I plan to build them:

• All interesting positions showcasing strategic plans and ideas from the Starting Out book for any openings I see often--I won't worry about Dutch or offbeat replies to 1. d4 for the moment. 
• Review these positions and add in any other questions. Add in the information to the solutions.txt or make new position screenshots if needed.
• Play through the illustrative games from the book and make more flashcards.
• Use Lichess' opening library but filter the games so it only shows moves from "non-masters", i.e. players below 2000 rating. This will show more doozies than were brought up in the Starting Out... book. Make screenshots of all these positions with prompts and solutions. This is probably the most important bullet point since I'll see more of these types of moves than, for example, perfect theory on move 10 of the slav.
• Continually make flashcards of positions in my own games where my opponent plays something weird or out-of-book. Or if I mis-play my repertoire.
• Go through Chess Structures by Flores and make more cards and notes on those positions.
• If I need more, go through Zurich 1953 and find games in my repertoire.

Whew! That's a lot and probably more than I'll ever do but I'm more convinced than ever that this will serve as a huge boost to my comfort level during the opening stages.

Conclusion

That's it! Openings and the Yusupov Book. I've lately been working on the opening flashcard system for a few mornings and nights a week, and then the Yusupov book during the workday when it's slow. I can generally do one chapter every two or three days. The opening work is slower and I've yet to begin reviewing my cards but I really hope I can stick with that. My idea is that the opening flaschards are tailored specifically to my game and the Yusupov books will be general chess work ranging from tactics to strategy and endgames. It's a simple enough plan I think! I realize this goes against my advice to "just do it" instead of telling everyone your perfect training plan, but I'm very excited about it and it's been working for a solid month! Good luck to any readers looking to find a routine that works for them.

My First OTB Tournament Experience!

In February of 2020, I played my first USCF over-the-board games. As mentioned in other posts, I was able to play six before the COVID-19 shutdown stopped everything. Chess-players in Missouri had to wait a year before any rumblings of a weekend tournament came around but sure enough one sprung up in Columbia, MO! It's something that's been on my chess "TODO" list ever since I started playing over-the-board so I jumped on the registration list as soon as possible. The tournament was ran by Blakeman Chess and it took place during the weekend of March 6th and 7th.

As some background, I'm in my mid-thirties and I've been playing chess seriously for over three years working very hard on improvement with a focus on slower time controls. My classical and rapid ratings on lichess are currently around 1800-1850. I've played less than ten bullet games in my life and rarely play blitz lately. My USCF rating before the tournament was 1096 (provisional/6). The tournament games would be 90m+30s with three rounds Saturday (9:00, 2:00, and 7:00) and two on Sunday. Sounds exhausting.

Expectations and leading up to the Games

As far as my chess life goes, I've never felt quite the level of "nervous excitement' as I did in the day before and the morning leading up to the tournament. It was close to the same feeling when I played my first games at the club over a year ago, but there was more anticipation leading into this weekend. Both then and now, it came down to a matter of  the "unknowns" for me. Last February, I simply didn't know a lot of basic things: 

• What was it like to score an entire game?
• What if I get put in the wrong section? Are there sections?
• What if I hang mate-in-one?
• Do you shake hands like they do in the super-GM tournaments?
• What if you make an illegal move?
• Do you have your opponent sign your scoresheet when you're done like Magnus and Fabi do? (The answer is nope)
• What do you do when it's over?

This post covers those learning curves from 2020. So I'm glad I was able to get some experience and I knew what it was like to play a classical game in the real world. Those questions were answered. However, a full tournament came with its own set of new unknowns:

• What's it like to play three games in a day? Then two more the next day?
• My only other OTB games were a maximum of two hours. These games might be 3 or 4 hours long, oh gawd. How mentally-taxing will this be?
• Do I need my own scoresheets?
• Is there a larger tournament strategy I should know? Should I take strategic byes?
• What do I do in between games?
• How do they announce the first round? Do I just chill in the lobby until something happens?
• With hotel and entry fee, this was a few hundred bucks, What if I lose every f***ing game and I want to quit chess after this? Am I putting too much pressure on some silly little tournament?

That's where I was coming from. Maybe that's helpful, maybe it makes me look crazy. The best thing about new experiences is they are a guaranteed education. You will learn so many new things. These range from the logistical operations of a tournament to the little nuances you notice in the tournament hall to the struggles and choices you make in the face of new things. The more experiences you have, the more you learn to embrace the nervous excitement. The best thing of all is this ultimately results in growth regardless of outcome.

On to the games

I won't use this space to deeply analyze the games. Instead I'll add thoughts and observations about each one, how I spent my time between rounds, and what it's like to be at a weekend tournament in general.

Round 1

After breakfast and a quick jaunt back up to my room to make sure I had everything, i.e. a writing utensil, I came down to the lobby a little before nine. As the lowest-rated player in the field, I had a "see the TD" note next to my name on the pairings list. He said there was an odd number of players so I could take a bye and play a rated or unrated game with him if I'd like. I said sure since I'd come here to play chess and didn't want to kill time for five hours. Turns out he's a 2100-rated player and so the game didn't last long. He was very nice afterwards when he told me I was under-rated. We talked for a second then I peaced out to my room with about four hours until the next game. 

Even though I did not have a strenuous game in the least, I tried to practice what others had recommended during my break: don't rush up to your room and cram chess between rounds. I laid down on the bed for a while since I didn't sleep well the night before, watched some tv, and eventually finished reviewing some of my opening notes I had. I grabbed lunch then right before next round, I did a handful of puzzles.

Round 2 (first rated game of the tourney)

Finally, actual chess against somebody on my level! I started to try out a pre-game system even though I was largely unprepared for these things. The tournament website said boards and clocks would be provided but to bring your own if you'd like. Many did. I didn't. It would have involved me carrying around my rolled up vinyl mat under my arm and the pieces in a Sony headphones bag. I didn't even own a clock until yesterday. I fixed all that and I've even got a little case on the way now too. I'll be super-pro next time. I'll also consider getting a scorebook since I had to notate the first game on blank printer paper. Anyway, at this point, the TD started printing generic scoresheets for players that needed them. I grabbed one of those, wrote down my opponent's information and the board number and went in. 

Just like when I first started playing games at the chess club, I realized there were some things that might go overlooked by those that have played hundreds of club and tournament games. There's a trial period where you're trying to learn the motions you like to go through before a game, how you become familiar with the playing hall and general environment, how you like to navigate through the game itself in terms of snacking, getting up, and drinking water. These things are not really mentioned to you when you go to your first tournament. They're simple things but I found that finding a comfort level with what to expect before and during each game was helpful in calming me down. From round two onwards, I started to get a grasp on how I like to do my pre-game setup.

I had the white pieces against a 1600-rated player. I know these people have families and friends and jobs and interests, so it feels a little wrong to relegate them to some four-digit number. Such is chess though. Anyway, the game was a slav with a symmetrical structure that went to an endgame where I eventually won some pawns and converted four pawns and a knight versus two pawns and a knight. It took four hours and it felt great when it was over. Getting this win was a tremendous confidence booster. Totally worth the time. It was 6pm now and I had an hour before the next game.

Round 3

There are some in-between-game choices you'll have to make that you might not think about until the time comes. For this one, I opted to skip dinner until the 7pm game was over. I'd rather snack before the game and play on a partially empty stomach than eat some crappy takeout or fast food then rush back to the hotel. I was black against another 1600 (provisional but I didn't know or care at the time--people may not have known my rating was provisional either) and he played a london opening. He was probably better after the queen trade but then I won a pawn towards the end and he resigned when I had a winning pawn endgame. This one took two and a half hours. I felt good, more confident, and pretty tired. I celebrated with Taco Bell. Naturally.

Round 4

When I went down to the lobby on Sunday morning right before the round. I felt great so far in the tournament. I'd won my two games yesterday so I thought whatever happens on Sunday is icing on the cake. I was assured my worst fears--losing all my games--weren't going to come true. I'd beaten two solid players. I figured I'd gain some ratings points. I had already learned so much about what it's like to play in a multi-day tournament. That's a win.

I hadn't even considered my place in the standings and it hadn't dawned on me that the first round bye was a full-point. I was solely concerned on playing each round and learning from it. By this time, I'd settled on a pre-game routine when I entered the lobby:  Grab scoresheet, write down opponent and rating, who has black and white, the round number, and the board number, go into the playing hall, find my board and set up everything on the table how I like it, then adjust my pieces and make sure the clock is all good to go. After I found this groove, I was so much more relaxed compared with the moments before round one when I entered the playing hall with nothing but a pen. I'd imagine anybody's first round at a new tournament might be similar. It's probably a good idea to scope out the playing hall and chat with some people before the first round ever begins to feel a little more comfortable.

I had white in a slav that featured middlegame fireworks that eventually settled to an ending in which I was up two pieces to one but my knight was stuck in the corner. I found a skewer tactic that my opponent didn't see (not sure if it's winning otherwise) and took the game. We chatted afterwards and that's when he alerted me to my standings and that I was going to be playing for first place in the lower division. After room checkout, I hung out in the lobby for the rest of the time which was a great idea. None of my other games finished at good times where I could shoot the shit with fellow players and the TD but if you have the time to do so, I recommend it. 

Round 5

It's the final game and I'm playing for first place. My mindset ever since the night before was that I had already performed better than expected and yet I still tried very hard in this game. I ended up messing up and playing some aggressive-looking move that seemed clever but didn't really amount to much and so I was eventually down a few central pawns. My opponent had two serious threats and in the end I lost the exchange. After he stopped my last-ditch idea--what I believe the redcoats would call a cheeky lil mate-in-one threat--I resigned.

Conclusion

And so with all the nerves and excitement and unknowns, I ended up tying for first in the U1800 division and winning the prize money for highest U1500 finisher. This was a great way to wrap up the weekend and I couldn't have been happier. It was a strange experience to not know I was in the front until the very last game and that undoubtedly helped me. It's not naivete or a sense of "Gee-golly I keep accidentally winning, is that good?" Honestly part of it was that I didn't even know the ongoing tournament scores were posted as part of the pairings list for each round so it was truly off my radar and there was zero pressure. For better or worse, I'm certain I'll be paying much more attention to these things in my next tournament!

Before last weekend, I felt like a 1500 rated player was scary and that I didn't even know if I was at that level to comfortably compete with such a player. I'll be less intimidated now. There is certainly a recency bias and a rose-tinted perception here since the tournament was only last weekend, nevertheless, the experience of my first OTB tournament was a massively positive one on a personal level as well as a results level. It's given me tremendous confidence in progressing up the ladder. Time will tell how I handle the inevitable bad tournament in the future. 

Moving forward, I'll feel far more comfortable at the outset of weekend tournaments like this. My ultimate goal is still to reach 2000 USCF and this tournament has given me a lot of positive energy towards that goal.

The weekend also made it abundantly clear that I have to agree with IM Andras Toth that this is real chess. To put it more diplomatically, this is the chess I want to play. I'm talking about real chess pieces, clocks, and long time controls. I like taking twenty minutes and doing a mediocre job at exploring a position. It's fun to hit a clock and write down a move. It's nice to meet people and share experiences. Go play some chess in real life when you're lucky enough to take part!

Post-Tournament USCF Rating: 1391 (P10)