tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78534292939897437792011-12-15T11:34:21.217-08:00Zenchess's BlogBecoming a chess masterJacob Wagnernoreply@blogger.comBlogger11100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853429293989743779.post-53367375673683329212011-12-14T06:27:00.000-08:002011-12-14T06:27:20.251-08:00Welcome to the "Becoming a Master" blog Hello. My name is Jacob Wagner, I'm rated 1970~ by the United States Chess Federation. I used to be rated slightly over 2000. <div><br /></div><div> I quit chess for 3 years, although I did play a bit of blitz chess during this time. There were times when I went at least a month without playing a single game of chess. </div><div> </div><div> My goal with this blog is to chart my course to going from "expert" to "master". This is not an easy task. Although I have beat 2 official "masters" in over the board play, I am definitely not of "master" strength. In other words, when I'm on form, inspired, and lucky, I can beat strong players. But on the other end of the spectrum, I can completely mis-read a position and have many holes in my game. </div><div><br /></div><div> I'd like to say that I could realistically achieve this goal in 2 years. I've got tons of chess material to study, a huge backlog of information. Chess software, scores of pdf books, videos, websites, etc. </div><div><br /></div><div> I've been playing chess seriously since about 1997. I'm 31 years old. I've played thousands - yes- thousands of speed games on ICC, Playchess, Chess.com, Chess.net, and in person. I've played tournament chess for years as well. I was highly under-rated for years: with a 1300 rating I was beating 1800's. My rating finally caught up to my skill when I moved to Kansas City and was able to play more tournaments. </div><div><br /></div><div> I also like to teach chess. More on that later. I am not looking for students. I like to make chess videos and am thinking about making a chess video site. </div><div> </div><div> I will be posting frequently, attitude willing. In the next few posts I hope to explain a bit about my chess career, the way I view the game, how I improved, etc. Let's just say I'll be mentioning Josh Waitzkin a few times. You may hear the phrase "maintain the tension". Heck - just go buy chessmaster grandmaster edition already and start watching the Josh Waitzkin lectures. There, I got that out of my system. Best lectures available in chess, hands down. </div><div><br /></div><div> Thanks for your time, and I look forward to your participation as I make the long journey from expert to master. </div><div> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7853429293989743779-5336737567368332921?l=zenchess.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Jacob Wagnernoreply@blogger.com2