WHAT 2026 BRINGS

 

Another year has arrived! Should we repeat the mistakes of 2025? Or move forward? There are some thoughts that I wish to share with readers (particularly my students) reading this post. Let's focus on the following if we are to make significant steps in improving our game.

STOP THE "NO TIME" EXCUSE

 Here I like to quote from GM Grigoryan from ChessMood who said it best about us having no time to do chess work.

 If you really want something, your brain becomes a magician.

It finds time where no time exists.

If you want to improve so badly…
Or if you simply love this game with your whole heart…

You will create time in places you once believed were impossible.
You will steal minutes from sofa riding, Instagram scrolling, and Netflix wandering.
You will start waking up earlier without even complaining.

Your WANT will win over your CAN’T.   

 Indeed. We do not need to make changes in our schedule, just start small with pockets of time that we can gather ( the 10 minutes before dinner, bath) to do a few chess puzzles, play a short 5+3 game or go through a page in the notes. It really boils down to the next question : Find your why ( the goal for wanting to improve). Using rating as a measure is good but I caution against over-obsession about wanting to stop the loss of rating by not playing. Your rating goes up or down depending on how you play and of course the strength of your opponent. You may still lose against a stronger opponent but what matters is that you REVIEW the game to learn and get better the next game. Every loss reviewed is a step to bring your rating up the NEXT game. Not playing simply means you will not learn, gradually forgetting what has been covered and the downslide can be pretty damaging to your morale and motivation.

 FEAR AGAINST HIGHER RATED OPPONENTS

 Just because an opponent is higher rated doesn't mean that he/she is necessarily stronger. Every game is even from move 1. What matters is to adopt the attitude that so long as you play and spot your opponent's moves and answer them well, there is little that the higher rated player can do. Most "stronger" players rely on mistakes made before they get to work to finish the game - if there isn't one, then they start to panic as accepting a draw is bad. This compels them to risk the game by taking some tactical operations which may often turn into mistakes. Little wonder then that in the recent World Rapid and Blitz Championships, several top players fall to junior players desperately trying to avoid the draw. Hence learning to use one's time is CRUCIAL in spotting the opponent's threats to steer clear from trouble rather than using the time to think how one can save the game (sometimes you just can't).

 HABITS

This is linked to the the No Time excuse. When we can determine small pockets of time to work, use the period to make it stick every day or every other day so long as it becomes a routine. Doing this regularly for 21 days and you'll make a habit. Habits are useful in maintaining consistency which is further fuelled by good results in game play and consequently rises in rating. You will feel enervated to do more but please keep it within your means timewise. 

This approach has been championed by many coaches notably Noel Studer and Ben Johnson who expounded that chess improvement comes from :

 

Doing the right thing

Doing it well

Doing it consistently

That is my wish for my students for 2026.