Cure Chess Laziness

Are YOU a Lazy Chess Player?

Do you want to improve at chess but just feel too lazy to study? Is playing chess starting to feel like a chore? You know you should, but you just can't pull yourself to do so? I've felt this way many times throughout the 10 years that I have played this game. As a result of this, my rating has tanked a few times, and it took forever to recover. Here are some ways that I have come up with that can help combat this, as well as ways to come up with your own strategies, and some tips to help you improve at the game. But first, you must remember that everyone is different and some strategies might work better for people than others. Additionally, most of these strategies will help you maintain your skill and not experience a rating tank rather than help you improve. Some may help you combat the laziness however, it may only work with certain people. The best way to improve is to actively study. Now, with further ado, let's get into the strategies.

1. Downloading apps to your phone

The first strategy is to download apps. For those of you who primarily play chess on the computer, try this strategy. This could be any chess app, but chess.com (the app) or Chessable are a few options. However, having this app on your phone means that you will see the icon of these apps every day. Therefore, it increases the chance that you will think "Hmmm, it's been a while since I have played chess". Even if you only play a game or two, that is still a game you wouldn't have played otherwise. This one has personally helped me a lot as it makes it easier for me to access chess, therefore making it easier and more likely for me to play.

2. Bullet Games

If you have ever had a chess coach, they may have told you that bullet games are bad for you. That would be true if you are trying to improve. However, as mentioned before, most of these are to prevent rating tanks (aka loss of skill). This is best combined with number one, as they allow you to utilize the short times of the day when you would otherwise be doing nothing. This could be anything from waiting for a bus to an alternative to the awful hold music.

3. Puzzles

Some people hate puzzles, and I understand. I used to dislike puzzles too. However, it is a fact that puzzles can not only help you maintain your skills, but they can also help you improve! The chess.com achievement "A Good Habit" doesn't lie. Along with the first two, it is also a way to make chess quick and more accessible to you when you feel lazy. If you are someone who already consistently plays but still "strongly dislikes" puzzles, try making it fun with rushes or puzzle battles. A few years back, this was very effective for me cause for a season (one month), I was doing puzzle battles nonstop to the point that I was in the top 100 for that season with like 30,000 points or something crazy like that.

4. Play Some Variants or 4 Player Games

I know that a lot of you may think that variants are weird, confusing, or just simply a waste of time. I thought the same. However, one of my friends really liked 4-player and therefore, I played some 4-player chess with him back in the day. This allowed me to forget about improving and genuinely have fun playing chess. Now this may have been an effect of playing with my friend however, I do go play 4-player ever once in a while to this day. This is one of those things that doesn't help you keep playing while you feel lazy, but helps combat it. However, this will be very hit or miss.

5. Play Daily Games

This one is for people who care dearly about their rating or have a very strong sense of responsibility. Playing daily (correspondence) games will "force" you to come back to come back yo chess consistently. This is one that will not work on anybody, as it requires remembering the games and not flagging (running out of time), as this defeats the point. 

6. Joining a Community

There are many ways to go about this. You could join a club here on chess.com (you should join my club called The 333 Club) or a Discord server. But you could also join a local chess club (though this might require some commitment). Interacting with other players and getting involved in the chess community, whether that is in real life or online, is a great way to increase the amount of chess that you are playing. You could also, however, watch chess on YouTube or Twitch. You could follow major chess tournaments such as the candidate tournaments.

7. Set Goals For Yourself

In many aspects of life, whether that is school, work, or playing chess, creating a goal for yourself is a great way to increase productivity. This is another good one for those of you who are very set on something once you say that you are going to do it. This could be playing a certain number of games per week or month, hitting a new rating benchmark, or really anything. 

8. Find Someone Better

When I was younger, I joined the chess club at my school. Back then, there were people who were better than me. At that time, my ultimate goal was to beat those people. However, this eventually stopped when I became the top player and went undefeated at the chess club. Again, this one may not apply to everyone since not everyone knows people who play chess, or maybe you are better than everyone that you know who plays chess. But maybe you can find someone new here on chess.com to play with.

Find Your Own Strategies

You may have noticed a common theme with many of these strategies. A lot of these strategies focus on making it easy for you to access and play chess. This is because when you are lazy, a lot of the time you try to find the "easy way out". Knowing this, you can create your strategies to implement into your own life. Personalized implementation is a key part of combating laziness, as everyone is different. I hope this will help you combat your laziness and play more often.

Let me know your strategies in the comments below!