Update 12.25.09
Here’s an update post on a quick overview of what I’m thinking and doing so far:
The program is going to consist of 3 phases, each phase lasting 60 days. The first phase will focus on tactics and the following phases will be on endgame and strategy. At the end of each phase, I will participate in a tournament to help gauge my progress. I am compiling positions and content to go along with the program, but I have just recently started doing this and it will take a while.
Right now I am on week 1 of the tactics phase, and things are going well. A draft of the schedule looks something like this:
Monday
Tactics Trainer – consists of doing 1 hour at chesstempo.com
Tuesday
Play a standard game and analyze it afterwards
Wednesday
Stoyko Tactics – consists of doing 1 hour of positions from Imagination in Chess. These are tough, so taking up to 15 minutes per position is not unusual. I am also using a tactics checklist based on Heisman’s ‘Seeds of Tactical Destruction’ Novice Nook.
Thursday
Play and analyze
Friday
Speed Tactics – Consists of doing 1 hour of easy tactics. I am using positions from Bain’s Chess Tactics for Students. The idea is to do as many as you can in 1 hour. I am averaging about 120 positions per hour from the Bain problem set.
Saturday
Core Tactics – consists of doing positions from the Alburt’s Chess Training Pocketbook.
Sunday
Open day – idea is to have fun, take a break or work on any one of the exercises above as extra credit.
I plan on elaborating much more on this new program with much more to follow, and remember in the meantime to visit the chess.com ECT group.
Original Post 12.21.09
I’m currently brainstorming a new chess training program for adult beginners rated 1200-1600 USCF. I have created a group on chess.com for this purpose which you can visit here: http://www.chess.com/groups/home/extreme-chess-training.
I’m still in the early stages of setting this up, but I will be posting more about it in the next few days.
Stay Tuned…
I’ve been getting feedback on the amount of time dedicated to one particular area, such as tactics. As it stands, we are going with 60 days per area, but I would like to get your feedback, so I have setup the following survey for this purpose:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FDVBNPW
I chose 15 days because it seems the most practical. the more levels of completion you have make the experience more pleasurable. Plus, the less time commitments the more flexibility you have and the more check up points with your games.
I seem to like 15, although in some cases, and with some people 30 might be better.
Thank you Charles. I’m 1 week into it, and 60 days does seem like an eternity. So it’s definitely between 15 and 30 days.
So far the survey is 60% 15 days 40% 30 days.
I’ll keep the survey up for a few more days, and I’ll post the results.
Anyone reading this who hasn’t chimed in please do so at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FDVBNPW
It seems a good plan but what bothers me is that you have put a timelimit on it. I doubt one can say i need such amount of time to reach that level or get to know that part of game. Nobody can tell how quickly one can absorb things and then execute them on the board during a real game.
@chesstiger Each cycle has a finite length, but the idea is that you keep cycling it over and over until you attain your goal.