Chess players will sometimes take a break from the game, sometimes because life intervenes and they don't have enough time. Another scenario can be that they have not been doing as well as they hoped, perhaps through feeling stale, tired or unprepared, and they stop playing in tournaments for a while to regroup and refocus. So what are the pros and cons of taking a break?
Curtailing chess activity to focus on other pursuits can have obvious benefits in terms of career and family, so I won't dwell too much on this. On the other hand a break because of staleness can be a more complex issue, on the one hand you have time to learn new things but on the other you can get out of practice.
I took a largely involuntary break after my son was born in 2002. I did not stop all chess activity because I was still active in writing, making videos and coaching, but I stopped playing. Over the next couple of decades I had brief periods of activity, but without studying much for myself. In retrospect I can say that a lot of rust accumulated, I came back much older, and I also didn't keep up with the rate of change with regards computerization.
It's fair to say that this was not good for my standard of play, and it would have been better had I tried to keep a certain preparedness for a return competition by playing online, keeping up to date with new developments and doing some serious training exercises along the lines of Alex Fishbein's post post-mortem. On the other hand I did spend a lot time learning and practicing tai chi and qigong, which brought its own benefits. This outcome was not really planned for, but I can say it turned out reasonably well. On the other hand I might have worked harder on my chess, had I considered the effect of my prolonged absence from competition.
I'd say that breaks are OK, whether chosen or enforced by various life events. At the same time I'd suggest considering why you are taking one, and what you are doing to maintain your chess if one day you think you might return.
Next week I'll discuss what you should do to get back into shape after taking a break.
Training Tournaments
This week's training tournaments are in the 8.Be3 Exchange Variation of the Gruenfeld Defence, with 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.c4 Bg7 4.Nc3 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.e4 Nxc3 7.bxc3 c5 8.Be3 Qa5 9.Qd2 0-0 and then 9...Nc6 This line is recommended for White in the White 1.d4 Repertoire course.
Sunday September 7th at 5pm UK Time: Gruenfeld Exchange with 8.Be3 & 9...0-0
Sunday September 7th at 6.15pm UK Time: Gruenfeld Exchange with 8.Be3 & 9...Nc6
Video Discounts
This week's discount is 40% off the Learning from the Greats: Akiba Rubinstein, using the code 'sep5to13'. Rubinstein is one of the most influential players in history, largely because of his wonderful endgame play and profound strategic insights. He also came up with many new ideas in the opening.
Last week's discount was 40% off Learning from the Greats: Mikhail Botvinnik, and is still valid until close of play tomorrow. Botvinnik was a major influence on my development as a player and introduced many new ideas into the game. Please use the code 'aug29sep6' if you want to buy this series.
My Upcoming Events
In the wake of the Tenerife cancellation, I've accepted an invitation to the Scarborough congress, largely because my wife enjoyed going there last year. By the time you get this I'll have started play in Hull, so now there is just one event on the horizon:
September 5-7: Hull 4NCL Congress
I'm a big fan of 4NCL Congresses because they are played in nice venues, they're invariably well organized and they offer free entry and accommodation to GMs.
October 24-26: Scarborough Congress
I played in this last year and it's a popular event. Details can be found here.
Have a good weekend.
Nigel
