I try to make my posts timeless, so they stay relevant and not linked to current events. As a result, every new article increases the relevance of the whole content archive. Given the number of new subscribers in the past few months, I wanted to categorise and highlight my previous articles. Many posts like the one on Heart Rate Variability required careful research and I don’t want them to be ‘buried’ in the archive.
The Mental Game
Presence
Presence is everything. If every chess player could play the position in front of them …
Leaning Into Discomfort was written in reaction to a popular trend: ‘force yourself to work and block distractions’, which fails to address the root causes of distraction.
When I finally ... don’t think there will be a magical moment in the future when you will be ‘ready’ and have ‘everything under control’.
My Course: Mindfulness for the Tournament Player. Mandatory course promotion … Joke aside, please check it out.
Why You should meditate and how to do it: this was another short article on lichess about the ‘why’ of meditation with a performance aspect.
Mastery
Jiro Dreams of Tactics - one of my favourite articles, about the deep love and lifetime bond for a craft, and the neverending pursuit of improvement.
Discipline describes an operating system to help with discipline: the ICED framework for Intent - Commitment - Effort-Discipline.
Handling losses
Dealing With Losses: avoiding the second arrow one of my initial ‘big’ articles. A must-read.
Losing at chess: an unpacking is an exploration of the physiological, psychological and social factors at play when we struggle with losses.
General Mindset
Teach Yourself to be a Resilient Tournament Player this post deservedly went on the front page of Lichess. A must-read.
Reflections On Mental Toughness. I am not so pleased anymore with this little article as it is probably too abstract.
Guest Interview with Ben Johnson in which we talk about his great book ‘Perpetual Chess Improvement’
Trust the Process. Process goals and lessons from traditional sports.
Guest Interview #1: PhD in Psychology and Chess player WFM María Rodrigo Yanguas
Team chess
Is Team Chess a Team Sport? is a very detailed dive into the psychology and dynamics of team chess. Start here!
Ubuntu - after meeting Tunde I was inspired to write this on an important African wellbeing concept.
Also mention of the article Team Chess Analytics: Chess 'Moneyball' which mostly belongs to the analytics section.
Physiology: the body of a chess player
Nutrition
The Game-Day Chess nutrition guide resulted from quite a long and detailed research process. A must-read.
Guest Interview with Thomas Casey: Thomas is an esport nutrition specialist and a world expert on diets for mental performance. Very detailed dive into performance nutrition.
Performance factors
Understanding Mental Fatigue was an important topic. Not to miss is a link with an interview on the chess dojo with a mental fatigue expert.
Heart Rate Variability for chess players is exactly the type of article that should not be buried in the archive. Thoroughly researched and full of practical insight. This is practically free Elo if you are adventurous.
High Performance Environments in Chess. There were some reflections on the process of culture and data for chess players.
Analytics: The game in Numbers
I do not enjoy working and writing about analytics as much as about the mental game, but sometimes I am really compelled to drive forward a specific topic.
Team Chess Analytics: Chess 'Moneyball' was the first article, which was 30 hours of research and work, and led to my first few subscribers. Still incredibly happy with the content and results.
The xG of Chess: Shark Points. Finally, an expected points metric, to help analyse tournaments.
Tournament Formats in Professional Chess. I am not sure why I wrote it, I guess I needed to get it off my chest … You will find it thought-provoking.