Chess Study Lag Time

How long it takes to see chess study improvement...

The age old question in any field when looking for potential results is - How long is this going to take me? You can see it or hear it in many areas of study, in physical performance or even in learning a new skill. When will I see results from deliberate and intentional effort? When you start a new workout program or running for the first time you can typically see results in a few days or even weeks depending on what your goals are. If it’s to lose weight you may see your clothes starting to loosen. If its to run and get fit you will find its easier to run longer distance or faster without tiring and again or stronger with more definition usually in a few weeks. However; with chess, this seems varried and rather delayed much longer at least in my experience.

When discussing chess improvement you will find an extremely wide range of what you should and even wider range of what you shouldn’t do. You can see many armchair quarterbacks expecially on Twitter. Many of whom are not putting in the pactice or effort to have say one way or another but are certainly adamant on how to do it. However there are some of us who are really putting these questions to the task. In either case it could take a while before you start to see results in either direction good or bad based on whatever practice or method of study you have chosen. Some will choose play. Some will choose reading books. Others Chessable. In any event, I believe we can all agree, diliberate chess time whether playing or studying is useful regardless of your chosen path to chess enlightenment and truth.

In chess I strongly beleive there is a longer lag time when the things you have been learning and studying start to really pay dividends in your games and overall chess performance at the board or screen for those of you online players. My theory is that it takes anywhere from three to six months before you will see some of the themes come up in your games regulary. And in some cases even longer. This is the time where the study finally turns to knowledge and understanding. The repetitive, deliberate and contiunued practice of those concpets you have been drilling over and over. At the beginning of 2024, as I have done most years, is come up with a training plan. Then do it. Not blindly following, but with some back stops in the event I am on the wrong track, of course.

Whichever method of improvement you are choosing to follow the key is continued effort. Showing up everyday. Doing chess things. Chess Imersion as I call it. Now it would be an entirely different discussion if you had been studying and not improving. We can have a talk about that at a later time. If you are one of these people please reach out to me. I believe I can help. However if you are keeping with your plan long enough you will see the results. Know there is that lag time. For me it took about four months before I saw my study efforts manifest in my games. And during this last four months I can say I even had a wrinkle in there with my pyschology. I lost a devastating game to a fellow club player which really put a dent in my mindset I had to correct as well. So in this instance I added to my already set study plan. All of it has helped. My minsdet is back to where it was (though I am still working through Rowson’s Seven Deadly Chess Sins) and I can see my efforts really coming into practice in my play now.

Many times we are going along our plans over and over and then reach a point where we beleive well this isn’t working and its time for a change. When in all reality, we are right there. Just a little bit longer with enough of a tiny nudge and it finally comes. The breakthrough. Many reach that point and then tuck tail and change direction. Keep going. You are right there. Keep pushing. Keep grinding. The improvement will come. Remember there is a lag time anywhere from three to six months most times before you will see the improvement. If you find yourself on a plateau or one of those dreaded “pits of dispair” as a few have coined it, please reach out. I can help. Otherwise enjoy the process of learning and know the lag time is there.