World Open 2010 Preparation Part 3

Well, it has been a while, hasnt it?

One thing I like to do before a chess tournament is to do things that are totally unrelated to chess. It doesnt really matter what it is. Reading is always a good way to go. Playing other games can be fun too. Getting some free college on game theory can also be interesting as well. Basically, I just like to relax the chess portion of my mind. At the same time, I try to do some mild exercise with the rest of my brain. Lord knows it needs it!

As far as not playing chess, if you do the 4 day schedule at the World Open, you are going to be thinking about chess for about 60 hours. That is a lot of chess in 4 days! It is good to give the mind a little rest before then.

I think the worst thing to do is study a lot of openings before a tournament. Usually opening study actually hurts your chess playing abilities a bit. After all, rather than figuring out the best move on the board, it usually entails memorizing various lines of what other people say are the best move on the board. Unless you are a cheater, you will not have this luxury at the World Open! It is not too bad to study tactics. The best thing to do is probably go over some grandmaster games, and go over them quickly.

It is also important at sometime to focus on the more technical and physical aspects of playing in a chess tournament. This isnt exactly mentally taxing, but a little bit of thought can be pretty helpful. After all, a chess tournament is very physically taxing.

I dont recommend exercising sitting uncomfortably for hours on end. Stretching will probably be helpful, though.

Also, I would recommend preparing what food you will bring to the tournament. Fruits and veggies are going to be helpful. Be careful with the veggies, though. A lot of vegatables actually make you tired, as it takes your body a bit of energy to break down the veggie fibers. Juice is ideal on a lot of levels. It is easy to consume while you are playing, it gives you sugar, which is critical for your brain, and gives you a bit of water as well.

Bread is generally a good food to eat in between games. It is digested fairly quickly, and shouldnt tire you out too much.

Foods I would not recommend are basically anything from a gas station or restaurant. These foods are usually very high in saturated fat, which is going to tire you out a great deal. Save your appetite for a big dinner after your last game.

One thing you may want to think about is what types of drugs you will be using during the chess tournament. I only recommend using caffeine! It may be a good idea to bring some ibuprofen, though, as chess tournaments can give you a head ache. If you have two games in one day that go the distance, by which I mean the full 6 or 7 hours, a couple of ibuprofen might help you get some good sleep.

Also, if you are of age, I would recommend drinking a bit of alcohol with your dinner. This may not work for everybody, but for me, chess really strains my nerves. Drinking maybe 3 or 4 good hoppsy beers really helps relax my nerves.

I think it also helps get my brain thinking properly. This is going to be difficult to describe, and I probably will word it very poorly! It doesnt help that I am not really sure what is going on. I just know it works.

Basically, I think my main tendency in chess is to overpress. Drinking alcohol the night before slows down my brain. After all, it is a depressant. Intuitively, you would think you want your brain thinking as fast as possible for a chess tournament. However, because of my tendency to overpress, having my brain stuck in first gear is actually a good thing. I play much more calmly, and I dont get hyper aggressive and play foolish and empty attacking moves.

Maybe the World Open wouldnt be the best place for you to test this out. On the other hand, even at the World Open it is a good idea to get away from all the chess for an hour or two a night.

Well, this will be my last World Open Preparation post. I will be posting my World Open games, though. Maybe all my blogging about preparing for the World Open will pay off!