Are we getting stronger?

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irrawang
Posts: 44
Joined: Mon Apr 02, 2012 7:23 pm

Are we getting stronger?

Post by irrawang » Sun Jul 30, 2017 5:56 pm

Chess players these days are generally stronger than 20 years ago because we have so many aids to improvement,
especially with iPads, tablets and smart phones, as they are so easy to use. My rating here on Net-chess went up when I started playing against the engine apps on the iPad. It used to average 2400 and for a while now has average above 2480. Playing against the Play Magnus app definitely improved my chess (who wants to lose to an 8 year old kid ?). ChessPro with Coach is an app which I'd recommend.
I found articles online that support this idea. A newcomer to chess can reach a reasonable standard within a year just by sitting at home with their laptop or iPad. So it seems there will be fewer easy games . Easy wins are a thing of the past, for me at least.
NOTE: due to health issues my chess is not the best at the moment, so my rating may not reflect the above hypothesis.

abiodun
Posts: 200
Joined: Wed Oct 02, 2002 3:22 pm
Location: Beautiful Upstate NY...USA

Re: Are we getting stronger?

Post by abiodun » Sun Jul 30, 2017 7:51 pm

.............................................Image
Interesting comments and insights you have shared here with us Irrawang ! Thank-You !

I consider myself one of the dinosaurs, since I don't own or have ever used an iphone, tablet or any such app. I still refer to and use my hard copy chess books [100's], although I must admit my collection of electronic [PDF] chess books is increasing.

Still even now, my greatest chess improvements have come from :

1]Studying - playing & replaying through games that have human comments/annotations,

2]Studying my own losses, and

3]Testing my Tactics knowledge by using a Tactics database I have with 1000's of exercises.

Can anyone begin to imagine how much stronger Capablanca or Reti would have been, if they had the use of some of today's electronic chess aids ...........????

Thanks again for sharing and giving our forum a much-needed intellectual boost ! :)
ImageChess is more than simply my pastime .... It has become My Passion !

irrawang
Posts: 44
Joined: Mon Apr 02, 2012 7:23 pm

Re: Are we getting stronger?

Post by irrawang » Mon Jul 31, 2017 1:51 pm

Thanks Abiodun, your appreciation is appreciated. Your three methods of study are exactly what the chess writer IM Cecil Purdy recommended, especially the study of your own games. I am pretty useless with regular computers but I can manage an iPad. An iPhone is on my wish list.

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