Wells / Hymer Chess Improvement

It's all in the mindset
1. Auflage 2020
ISBN: 978-1-78583-509-4
Verlag: Crown House Publishing
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 6 - ePub Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 336 Seiten

Written by Barry Hymer and Peter Wells, Chess Improvement: It's all in the mindset is an engaging and instructive guide that sets out how the application of growth mindset principles can accelerate chess improvement. With Tim Kett and insights from Michael Adams, David Howell, Harriet Hunt, Gawain Jones, Luke McShane, Matthew Sadler and Nigel Short. Foreword by Henrik Carlsen, father of world champion Magnus Carlsen. Twenty-first-century knowledge about skills development and expertise requires us to keep such mystical notions as fixed 'talent' in perspective, and to emphasise instead the dynamic and malleable nature of these concepts. Nowhere is this more apparent than in chess, where many gifted players fall prey to plausible but self-defeating beliefs and practices - and thereby fail to achieve the levels their 'natural' abilities predicted. Happily, however, the reverse can be true too; through learned dispositions such as grit, risk-taking, strategic thinking and a capacity for sheer hard work, players of apparently modest abilities can achieve impressive results. Blending theory, practice and the distinct but complementary skills of two authors - one an academic (and amateur chess player) and the other a highly regarded England Chess Olympiad coach (and grandmaster) - Chess Improvement is an invaluable resource for any aspirational chess player or coach/parent of a chess player. Barry and Peter draw on interviews conducted with members of England's medal-winning elite squad of players and provide a template for chess improvement rooted in the practical wisdom of experienced chess players and coaches. They also include practical illustrative descriptions from the games and chess careers of both developing and leading players, and pull together themes and suggestions in a way which encourages readers to create their own trajectories for chess improvement.

Grandmaster Peter Wells has over 30 years' professional experience in the chess world and has authored or co-authored nine well-received chess books. He has extensive coaching experience, having worked with the England Open and women's teams at a total of 16 major events, and has supported England juniors in international competition on numerous occasions as well. As a player Peter has won three British Rapidplay titles and is part of a small group of English players to have progressed beyond the zonal stage of the World Championship cycle. Peter is based in Wiltshire, UK.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Wells, Peter

Hymer, Barry

Leseproben

Praise for Chess Improvement Wise, witty, informative and inspiring! Carol Dweck, Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology, Stanford University Well written and rigorously researched, Chess Improvement shares valuable insights and is often very funny. By interviewing England’s leading chess players, Barry Hymer and Peter Wells help readers to understand what it takes to become a top chess player: how they studied, the steps in their chess development, and most of all their mindset. In doing so, both authors – one an amateur and the other a professional player – make sense of their enduring fascination with the game and learn how, even after many decades of involvement in the chess world, they can continue to learn and improve. The real-life stories of the players and the authors are examined through the lens of educational and psychological theories, in particular the growth mindset. As a player and coach, I share many of the experiences considered in the book and I can relate to much of the material. The interviewed players reveal different paths to improvement (even if they all, to some extent, share the growth mindset). These differing paths are dissected and discussed thoughtfully and carefully with caveats and consideration. Daniel King, chess grandmaster and coach A quirkily delightful book, at turns wise, insightful and funny. Every coach and every parent who wants to support their chess-playing child should buy a copy. David Edmonds, co-author of Bobby Fischer Goes to War When I co-founded Chessable, I spent a year studying the scientific literature on chess improvement and learning. Chess Improvement condenses the science into an engaging, highly enjoyable and instructive text that you can read in under a week. This distillation of the key lessons that learning science has for us has the potential to have a greater impact on chess than AlphaZero. A seminal work. David Kramaley, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Chessable Chess Improvement is a brilliant mix of research and practical advice on what it takes to improve at chess (along with great takeaways for other pursuits, too). There’s a great blend of theoretical works, such as from Carol Dweck, combined with practical insights from the top chess players and coaches. The focus is not on memorising strategies, but on setting up the proper environment and mindset for success. There’s also a nice summary at the end of each chapter with specific advice for parents and coaches. The case is made for a growth mindset, that effort matters, that process matters, that every challenge is a learning opportunity, and that how we structure rewards and even the words we use with ourselves (often inadvertently) and our students can really impact progress. It sounds simple in theory, but the book does a great job in giving specific examples of the top players and coaches who are exemplary in how they approach chess improvement, as well as unfortunate examples of the less experienced who tend to get stuck in their progress. Coaches working with young students will benefit immensely from watching how they word their praise or feedback, or even how they structure their lessons in general. I also really enjoyed grandmaster Peter Wells’ insights and anecdotes which described chess culture both from how the top players really think and approach tournament and training life as well as the culture at the junior tournaments that may be helpful for those who are ready to enter this magical world of chess. Chess Improvement is a must for all chess educators, as well as for aspiring players (and their parents) of all levels of ability. Dmitri Shneider, Chief Financial Officer, PlayMagnus, and chess international master ‘Find your thing and sweat blood to get brilliant at it’ is good advice for a fulfilled life. If chess is your thing, this book is right on the money. If it isn’t, just substitute your thing, and read it anyway. It will strengthen the oomph you need in order to succeed. Guy Claxton, author of The Learning Power Approach Since the pioneering work of Djakow, Petrovskij and Rudek in the Soviet Union in the 1920s, Adriaan de Groot in the Netherlands in the 1940s, and Chase and Simon in the United States in the 1970s, psychologists have studied chess – and chess players – in great detail. However, most psychological studies of chess have focused on the nature of expertise in chess, rather than how the expertise is developed. There have, of course, been literally thousands of books published on how to improve one’s chess playing, but these have in general been written by chess experts, rather than by those with expertise in learning. Now, for the first time, we have a book that brings these two themes together – blending the latest research on motivation and learning with insight from great chess players. If you have any interest in chess or in learning, you will find this book worthwhile. If you have an interest in both, you will be enthralled. Dylan Wiliam, Emeritus Professor of Educational Assessment, UCL Institute of Education Chess Improvement is one of those chess books that contains so many rich and uncomfortable truths that as a player you are dimly aware of, but may have avoided facing up to. It forces you to look starkly at your whole relationship with and attitude to studying and playing chess. It is a wonderfully creative collaboration between educational psychologist Barry Hymer and Peter Wells, one of the most thoughtful and eloquent English chess writers, and draws on contributions from top English players with whom Peter has worked extensively over the last few decades. The sometimes haphazard personal trajectories of these players, who forged to the top of English and international chess despite the absence of any specific or helpful guide to their development, leap from the page. Harriet Hunt, chess international master The joy and horror of chess is that once in battle, whether as a young beginner or the world champion, you alone are totally responsible for yourself – and, in order to withstand the pressure, you need both psychological clothing and technical weaponry. In this very interesting book, Barry and Peter draw on their skill sets to help chess players enhance their game in both of these key areas. Jon Speelman, world championship semi-finalist and three-time British chess champion, chess columnist for The Observer I must confess to a long-standing personal fascination with the topics at the centre of Chess Improvement, having done quite a bit of work and reflection in similar directions. The novel ingredient that this book brings to the task is Barry Hymer’s academic credentials, as well as the book’s division of topics into scholarly theory and chess practice. Chess Improvement is a welcome addition to a very niche segment of chess training manuals; a book that makes the effort to combine mainstream work on psychology and education and apply it to the game. The authors make no effort to sugar-coat what is clearly a serious tome – the book demands time and effort, and doesn’t tempt with quick fixes. What it does do, however, is scrutinise aspects of (chess) teaching, thinking and learning in a way that should fascinate and galvanise trainers and parents. It also provides valuable and scarce food for thought for players wondering about their personal obstacles to improvement. Working your way through this book will surely bring rewards – not just because that is the bonus of making a targeted effort towards improvement, but because Chess Improvement offers a very different type of material, including insights into the thoughts of elite English players. Chess Improvement will take its spot on a sparsely populated shelf alongside volumes such as Chess for Zebras, books which navigate the fascinating waters of chess psychology and contemplation. Jonathan Tisdall, chess grandmaster and FIDE Senior Trainer In Chess Improvement Barry Hymer and Peter Wells make a compelling case that a growth mindset is valuable to a chess player. Equally importantly, they confront just how tough it is to cultivate and maintain an optimal approach to the game in the face of inevitable adversity. The wide experiences of many players, illustrated throughout the book, attest to that. Whilst reading, I was fascinated by the diverse ways in which colleagues in the chess world have grappled with these issues. Peter has been a chess trainer to me, and a trusted adviser, on countless significant occasions. I recognise that same psychological insight in these pages, and revere the imagination which conjured, amongst other highlights, two (!) sparkling piece sacrifices on the f4 square. Look out for those as well! Luke McShane, chess grandmaster and England Olympiad Team member This absorbing and thought-provoking book takes an unusually well-structured approach to chess improvement,...