Article - "What I Learned from Playing LoneWolf League Season #37: Reflections from an International Master's debut" by IM "Fins"

Thanks to the Perpetual Chess Link-Fest I recently found and read the new Lichess blog from IM "Fins" (actually John Bartholomew) about "What I Learned from Playing LoneWolf League Season #37". The blog summarizes lessons from the Lichess 30 30 tournament league season, which he covers in epic narrative form (29 hours of video) offering in-depth commentary. The blog itself offers six boiled-down summary lessons, which are well worth reviewing in-depth at the above link.

I'd like to highlight in particular his Lesson #2, which hones in on the criticality of the thinking process, something which has been a recurring topic here. He offers a three-step summation (quoted):

1. What was the point of my opponent’s last move?
   • Before anything else, I try to identify what my opponent is up to. If I were my opponent, why would I have just played that move?
2. What options should I consider in reply?
   • I like immediately listing at least 1-2 possibilities. I still let my mind wander freely, but having a couple candidate moves gives me a useful roadmap for calculation and evaluation. Unless my reply is forced, this is almost always the most time-consuming stage.
3. I’m ready to play a move. Is my move safe?
   • Also known as a “blunder check.” I take a good look around to make sure I’m not missing anything, and only THEN do I execute my move.

#1 and #3 are well-formulated and I think #1 in particular is absolutely necessary to understand on every move. This is closely related to asking "what did my opponent's move change about the position?" and internally articulating that in an explicit manner. #3 is of course also critical and we immediately can see the results when we miss an important move possibility for our opponent; applying #1 consistently will also help avoid that. #2 I think needs more unpacking for those of us below International Master level, as we normally will not have a big "chunk" library of typical moves/plans in different position-types that "suggest themselves". This is something that I intend to invest time in for my middlegame study.

IM Bartholomew's other summary lessons are similarly well-articulated, and I particularly agree with his #6 on classical chess, so will encourage interested improving players to go see them in full.