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KUALA LUMPUR – Just like any other sport, chess is not exempted from its fair share of gruelling training hours.
Although the sport isn’t physical in nature, a training session for chess athletes is just as strenuous as sporting activities where you sweat it out or run laps as the coach repeatedly blows on a whistle.
Recently, The Vibes had the opportunity and privilege to go behind-the-scenes of a chess training session in order to shed light on this often-overlooked phenomenon.
Unfortunately, with the prevalence of the coronavirus, social distancing has left athletes without an opponent physically seated across from them.
Having said that, it is a blessing that we live in an era where technology continues to advance at a rapid pace.
Armed with a physical chessboard in front and a laptop at the side, chess players prepare their minds and bodies to proceed with their training regimen.
From what was witnessed by The Vibes, a multitude of steps take place during a routine training session.
Instead of initiating and, subsequently, playing game after game, with a physical or virtual opponent, players are tasked to proceed from a given mid-game situation.
To exhaust all possible scenarios, players run a series of potential moves on their own or work with a friend or a coach.
What comes next mirrors a college classroom: players partake in a Socratic discussion to figure out the best ways to approach their respective game scenarios.
Players learn from each other by understanding why the moves they made would have worked or not.
Unlike the lone-wolf concept we have of chess players in training or imaginary chess boards appearing on the ceiling ─ as portrayed by The Queen’s Gambit, chess training involves more than just the player alone.
Although it may not sound as arduous as a football training session, taking a class that demands your utmost focus for up to at least three hours per session is no walk in the park.
Remember that difficult class you had where each session went on for at least three hours? Now multiply that by three: starting from 10am to 6pm.
If players aren’t exhausted by the physical toll they put their bodies through, they are wiped out by the mental dexterity they exert for each session.
To an outsider, chess may not seem like much but contrary to popular belief, it is just as draining as any other sport out there. ─ The Vibes, 8 January, 2021
