What do you all use as a chess notebook? Is it solely chessbase, or is it a handwritten notebook or a combination of the two? Would love to hear your feedback. As for me, I’m thinking of using Chessbase but also printing out the diagrams and notes and adding them to a binder for easy offline reference.
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1 person found this article useful
I never thought about using a notebook, great idea, would love to hear more on the topic.
I have a couple of notebooks. One for game analysis another for endgame patterns that I’ve printed out and worked on.
I use the game analysis notebook to do two things really. First, I write down my games and on the right hand side I write down comments and analyses. I also write down the lesson learned. I prefer the paper version of the notes partly b/c I go over this with my coach and he writes notes in the margins, and it is nice to have everything there and not be tied down to my computer (but I guess I am tied down to paper).
It makes it easier to go back through games and look at my notes about what I learned, what big mistakes I make, to see patterns. Flipping through pages is easier than flipping through games on a computer. But this is all a matter of personal preference.
In the same notebook I write out my analyses of positions from books. Every other night I pick a position from a book and analyze it for 15-30 minutes, writing out all the variations I’ve analyzed and my evaluation of the nodes in the tree. I find this very helpful for analysis training, as I wrote about here.
I also have an endgame template notebook, where I tape in printouts from common endgame themes (e.g., the rook encircling maneuver from every possible angle).
Thanks for the great feedback.
there is a lot to be said for notebooks, but not much that i can say that you perhaps have not already thought.
but one important thing perhaps: i keep track of my time, as chess study, far be it for me to say that i dont get enough of it, i can do TOO much, and am of course interested in better chess study, not more now.
i run a stopwatch when i do CT-Art 3.0 to remind myself of the preciousness and focus of that time, !total concentration! ,despite the fact that time spent is indicated at the end of the session. similarly live play.
i also run a log on other life goals, for example, i am ready to start a new career, so keep a 7 day moving average of time spent there, in my search and reSearch, then compare it to my chess, so that chess doesnt overwhelm the prior, but rather is the reward for effort in the practicals of life. if that helps any.
by all means, please, to whom it may concern, stop on by, you wont be disappointed.
I have a handwritten notebook. I jot down notes from chess books, my own games, going over master games, etc. I divide the notes into categories, e.g., attack, planning, minor pieces, endgame, pawn structure, own games, etc. I have just started. Eventually I will input and organize the notes. Just taking the time to write them down helps them stick.
Uhm…How big is the size we should use for a chess notebook [paper type]? Big, medium, small?
You can use any type of notebook, a blog, or Chessbase or another chess database program. The key is to write down key positions and ideas that you come across in books and in your games.