How were the Soviet players trained?

From what I gather, top Soviet players were trained systematically and comprehensively in the openings, middlegames, endgames and tactics with a fair amount of mentoring by older masters and grandmasters. But what specifically did that training look iike?

There are many books by former Soviet players detailing the contents of what they learned, but I haven't found much on the actual methods.

Was there a specific curriculum? How much individual instruction was involved? Did they have special drills? How did they learn openings? Was there a mix of slow chess, medium fast chess and speed chess? What did the daily life of a Soviet chess student look like? How many hours a day did they work? How many students "washed out"?

As far as I know, right now in Russia there are chess departments in Universities dedicated to Sports and Health. Their routine is no different than of any other student, with lectures, homework, probably somekind of test... I assume that in the Soviet Union a similar approach was used. There were chess schools, in which GM taught classes on theory and etc, probably with some kind of "practical" classes where the students could practice their technique.

Vas: I assume too, but I would like to know, especially for the schools where chess legends like Spassky and Karpov were trained.

I imagine parts of it were like standard university courses, but I'm also sure there were components specific to chess on par with Soviet training for Olympic athletes.

Some years ago I read a book titled "Red Gold: Peak Performance Techniques of Russian and East German Olympic Victors" which described very deep and intricate psychological training. It was general purpose material applicable to any competitive arena. I'm certain some of those techniques were also applied in their chess schools.

Now did you really think you find their secrets! We have what we think are their secrets but they keep pushing out top players over the decades....

I tell you their secret they stay locked up and having nothing else on their mind but chess and the pride of their country on their mind. While the rest of the world wants to be good and the pride of themselves on their mind.

Plus playing against a champion frequentlly helps early in your chess career vs the average Joe.

rb: Actually I suspect it comes down to secrecy. I'm sure their chess training techniques were state secrets.

I'm surprised however that none of the numerous defectors and emigres since then have exposed their secrets -- at least to my knowledge. Perhaps such information is still part of their edge over Western players and they don't want to risk that edge.

Well Bobby Fischer made their secrets would never get out at all.

All it took was just 1 night of playing chess. lol

Hey their leader has the New Patriots SuperBowl ring of the owner.

Glad he did that i take it as a trade for not sharing their golden secrets. He cried so much over a ring he did not deserve to win. 

Hey if would teach me "how to be champion" i wave the Russian flag at all my chess games with a smile all the way to GM level. I do not like the taste of Russian but i learn quickly to love it. Hmmm might not be that bad of a trade of as Russian models are .... 

After i become World champion 2 times (more that enough for me) i leave and go into hiding and write a chess book on why i just had to do it. I title it What Would You Do To Be World Champion.

MFCCoach: It sounds like you have direct knowledge of Soviet training techniques. Perhaps you could say more...

For instance, what do you mean by this:

A strong part of visual learning for beginner to master level..

Yeah they waved the American flag and pictures of Fischer during training.

Ok i can get a picture of a player i do not like......................... problem now is the flag of which country and run tapes of their national anthem non stop.

More like they trained at the age of 12.

They had to learn or something happen to their family.

Hey maybe i can have Orange Juice like Carlsen the drink of Chess Champions.

So true! How sad it is to think what they all might have achieved at the chessboard if their talents were channelled more appropriately. In 100 years, we'll have eliminated sickness and death and be travelling among the stars, but nobody will know the price we paid in terms of all the lost  Immortals and Evergreens.

thank you, i thought they stopped supporting chess that way in russia. well that explains a lot

but to be honest, russia has a rich chess culture, i wonder much more how a country like china gets all those competetive players. because they dont seem to have the chess culture and people with chess knowledge. do they just invite russian, european or american players to train??

Due to chess being so much based on experience, I'm sure the children were not allowed to resign. To learn end game properly

larry christiansen wrote how tough beliavskies teacher was, even when he finished second in youth tournament, the coach was really really hard to him and made the little boy cry

I talked to a russian im about this. He said that the standard to get a grade in russia is much lower than in other places. This works motivating..

well christiansen said that chess should be fun and not forced, but when we look at beliavsky chess career force doesnt seem to have such a bad effect on the chess career

wasnt kasparov fed weaker lambs in his earlier /formative years to bolster his wolfishness