Woot! Long Breaks

Submitted by benws on Sun, 11/02/2008 at 4:40pm.

I'm not sure how i did it, but i've scored 3.5/5 (3 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss) at the NC Open. And i haven't played tournament chess in 4 months. With the exception of a third round game that i epic phailed (), i think i played ok.

So what do you guys think? Is taking a long break from chess a good or bad thing? Currently, i'm still waiting for the others of the U1600 section to finish. In the meantime, can you guys analyze this game for me?

EDIT: Three way tie. After adding up the 2nd place, 3rd place, and class prizes, then dividing by three, it come out to $196.50.

» posted in Fun & Trivia

| 1298 reads | 7 comments |

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Comments:

by snits - 2 months ago
Phoenix United States

Member Since: Jun 2008
Member Points: 177

Taking a break every once in a while is good. Is gives you a chance to recharge your batteries, and lets your mind assimilate all the information that it has been taking in.

by mathijs - 2 months ago
Utrecht Netherlands

Member Since: Jan 2008
Member Points: 259

Ben, not that it was a bad game, but did you really make 200 bucks for playing like that? Only in America...

by leoz08 - 2 months ago
Makati Philippines

Member Since: Oct 2008
Member Points: 21

Taking a break is a good habit in anything you do. Even machines need to stop for lubrication. However, taking a break in chess, maybe, should not be more than a month in my opinion. Short breaks like a week may refresh one's mind but taking long breaks of more than a year may rust one's consistency/sharpness in chess.

by cruzfranzenrico - 2 months ago
Makati City Philippines

Member Since: Aug 2008
Member Points: 345

I have not played competitive chess for a long time until i discovered chess.com and my play actually is much better than before.

by photray94 - 2 months ago
United States

Member Since: May 2008
Member Points: 398

Instead of taking a break, I take chess itself in moderation every week. I play legitimately every Sunday, only studying on the weekdays if I truely have "free time".

by Jaguarphd - 2 months ago
California United States

Member Since: Jun 2007
Member Points: 112

I play go sometimes. Taking a break is good. Like in playing sports, you play a lot for a week. Then you take a one day break and come back to play the best game of your life.

by NM DavidForthoffer - 2 months ago
Eureka, California United States

Member Since: Jul 2008
Member Points: 678

I do know that when I was studying Go in college, I would study books and play against strong players, then take a break (to play chess) of three months or so, and after my break my Go ranking would have gone up one or two kyu.

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