So I’m going to do it: the dreaded Seven Circles program. Although I am still in school, I can do it provided I give myself a full four months, rather than try to compress the program into two, as I did last year. (Not surprisingly, I got burned out that time and didn’t even finish circle #1.)
Right off the bat I will be committing the sacrilege of skipping the Chess Vision drills entirely. As this might come back to bite me in the ass later, I am fully prepared to subject myself to them in the future. The only circumstances under which I will do so, however, are:
1) If I miss a simple fork or skewer in an OTB game;
2) If I play an OTB game in which I take too long calculating the most efficient Knight path(s) from A to B.
Obviously #2 will be more difficult to judge, so I’ll have to be honest with myself. If my mind is slow/tired during a game and I have to ponderously “calculate” these paths, or “think them out loud,” that will be a sign that the Knight Flight micro-level drill will, in fact, be beneficial.
The other way I will deviate from RCI “scripture” will be to spend MORE THAN TEN MINUTES on many of the final 200-300 problems. This, of course, will only be necessary for the first Circle; once I have analyzed all variations and “why-can’t-he-just-do-this”‘s for the first time, I shan’t forget them on the second. I know which ones are problematic, though, as I made an extensive checklist last time…now I have no unknowns to fear.
Wish me not luck, fellow Knights, but energy, Will, and grim determination for the inevitable moments when I will want to lay down my weary head and say “why the F--K am I wasting my life like this?”
5 comments:
Huzzah! May you be one of the 5% of Knights who stays the course.
Welcome and good luck!
Nice to see such an upbeat approach to a casual and enjoyable pastime. ;)
You might consider letting your passion for chess drive you rather than grim determination and sheer will.
Good luck in any case :)
The Path is long, hideous and temptuous. Many started many fell. Numerous dangerous will be lurking on you. Go forth and tell me, will your armor shine in the end or will it be smirred with your own blood. Good luck!!
Haha, thanks everybody. I don't really take myself as seriously as it sounds; keep an eye on me, Patrick :-)
Numerous dangers...let's see...like women? (Since women, school, and chess cannot all coexist in my life. This annoying theorem is actually quite simple to prove.)
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