Chess Improvement: It's all in the mindset

by Barry Hymer, Peter Wells

Written by Barry Hymer and Peter Wells, Chess It's all in the mindset is an engaging and instructive guide that sets out how the application of growth mindset principles can accelerate chess improvement.With Tim Kett and insights from Michael Adams, David Howell, Harriet Hunt, Gawain Jones, Luke McShane, Matthew Sadler and Nigel Short.Foreword by Henrik Carlsen, father of world champion Magnus Carlsen.Twenty-first-century knowledge about skills development and expertise requires us to keep such mystical notions as fixed 'talent' in perspective, and to emphasise instead the dynamic and malleable nature of these concepts.Nowhere is this more apparent than in chess, where many gifted players fall prey to plausible but self-defeating beliefs and practices - and thereby fail to achieve the levels their 'natural' abilities predicted. Happily, however, the reverse can be true too; through learned dispositions such as grit, risk-taking, strategic thinking and a capacity for sheer hard work, players of apparently modest abilities can achieve impressive results.Blending theory, practice and the distinct but complementary skills of two authors - one an academic (and amateur chess player) and the other a highly regarded England Chess Olympiad coach (and grandmaster) - Chess Improvement is an invaluable resource for any aspirational chess player or coach/parent of a chess player.Barry and Peter draw on interviews conducted with members of England's medal-winning elite squad of players and provide a template for chess improvement rooted in the practical wisdom of experienced chess players and coaches.They also include practical illustrative descriptions from the games and chess careers of both developing and leading players, and pull together themes and suggestions in a way which encourages readers to create their own trajectories for chess improvement.

Genres: Chess, Psychology

469 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 16, 2021

Reviews

[Timothy Ha · Rating 5 out of 5]

One has to play chess a fair bit to benefit from this book

This book is a gem for active chess players (imagine a club player who visits their local club every week and plays in almost every weekender tournament they can travel to) and for parents or coaches of improving chess kids. There’s a great emphasis on having a growth mindset and a continued love of the game as opposed to a results-based fixed mindset. The discussion of group study dynamics compared to coach-pupil relationships is also great.

[Matias · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buena aplicación de la teoría de la mentalidad del crecimiento al ajedrez. Quizá se hace demasiado largo por las partes escritas por Peter Wells.
Se trata de la aplicación al ajedrez de competición de la teoría de la mentalidad de crecimiento, 'growth mindset' en oposición a la 'fixed mindset'. La diferencia principal consiste en que con la 'fm' crees que todo depende del talento natural, mientras que en la 'gm' crees que el propio esfuerzo es lo que marca hasta donde puedes llegar en el dominio de una materia.

Parece ser que los autores entrevistaron a los principales jugadores británicos de los últimos años para que estos describieran cómo había sido su periodo de formación. A lo largo del libro se van revelando las respuestas que han dado dichos jugadores. Aquí creo que es un fallo del libro al no ofrecer al final a modo de epílogo una transcripción de dichas entrevistas. Sería sin duda más interesante que la parte escrita por Peter Wells. Si alguien está interesado en leer esta obra le recomiendo que lea simplemente la parte escrita por Barry Hymer al inicio de cada capítulo y pase directamente al final del capítulo en que se dan consejos prácticos para padres o entrenadores de jugadores.

Sin duda es muy beneficioso para el aprendizaje el estar motivado, el pensar que el progreso depende de ti y no de tu supuesto 'talento natural', aunque creo que creer de verdad y no de una manera superficial en la validez de la 'growth mindset' es más difícil de lo que parece.

[Hugo Cruz montt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is more of a psychology book than a chess book, as chess is used to get the point across.
I agree with other reviews: Hymer's parts are interesting, informative and even if is a slightly complex topic to cover, it is easy to delve into it and learn the psychological aspects of a "growth mindset" vs a "fix mindset". Also is really useful tool to use it as a magnifier in other aspects of your life. Well's parts just drag the book a lot, his games are uninteresting and his quips and stories are just as boring. Read the psychology (Hymer), skip the chess (Well).

[hoppsik · Rating 2 out of 5]

Way too long. The psychological insights of Barry were interesting. The part written by Peter was boring (and that's over half of the book). I feel that it would be more productive to read separate book about mindset and make connections to chess yourself cause it's difficult to find any in this muddy writing.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating and particularly helpful book for chess players from club level and upwards.

Anyone interested in learning and teaching theory would enjoy reading this book, however as a chess player, I would recommend using it as part of your practice on the journey to chess improvement.

I will be dipping back into this book from time to time!

Thank you Peter and Barry.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

All about the growth mindset, but with some chess thrown in. If you're familiar with "growth" versus the "static" mindset - ie, your ELO doesn't determine how smart you are, but that you can instead grow, then you probably do not need this book.

[Ako · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an incredible book! Highly recommend to coaches, parents and adults improves!

[Janek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended and not just for chess players! The chapter about meta-thinking was particularly thought-provoking.