Update before continuing series

Hello,

I haven't kept up with this blog but here is an update. I am still playing chess and I am currently teaching the game to a few select students(!) and have attained expert rank and very close to master. For readers who have been interested in Knights Errant (or just interested), please consider reading this blog and leaving comments! I will refer to methods as appealed to by De La Maza, Rowson, Aagaard, and several other authors in this article, which may be of interest to readers who are specifically engaged in the discussions risen by these authors. It will motivate me to keep my thoughts updated about this subject, and answer any inquiries to my furthest abilities on the topic of the psychology of chess improvement.


I'm revisiting my old posts and refining a lot of the material I have previously posted in terms of grammar, spelling, and presentation of the material without removing any of its original content.

For me it is an effort to see how I developed as a player, and the way I have previously examined the game. So before I continue with the series, I will be reading my own previous posts.

EDIT: After short review, I will comment a little the assistance I had while paying for professional coaches. As a coach, he/she has zero obligation to teach you anything. They are not magic, and any amount of money you are paying them will not increase any part of the chess learning experience IF the player himself/herself is not engaged in the work, and when I mean engaged, I mean completely IMMERSED.

This is why there is often discontent with the teachers, when much of the attitude of the approach of the game stems from the player him/herself. So while you are here, keep an open mind and enjoy the process. For where your heart is, the attitude will follow, and similarly, if you approach chess with the attitude of learning, then the rest will follow!

I also feel a blog is more alive when the blog involves people who are directly learning from the discussions. So I have adopted my own personal philosophy to make it a point to show that this blog is a "living" one, and that I am continuously learning and showing results! If what I divulge does not work for myself, I have no business in continuing this blog. But I have been putting up some good results I will be posting rating graphs and associated information at the end of the Mechanics of Combinations series.