What It Really Takes to Be a Competitive Chess Player

By Anonymous

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A game of chess played in the open might appear to be a simple, quiet game, but most of the winning is actually done away from the board. Everything from training to recovery, sleeping, and travelling can affect a player’s performance. This holds regardless of whether the player is taking part in an over-the-board tournament or playing online in preparation for live events.

For a number of years now, I have been tracking and observing the world of competitive chess and how it is increasingly becoming intertwined in the realm of strategy games and modern chess culture. I'd like to remain anonymous to protect my standing in the community, but I participate in a few online chess tournaments and follow the progress of international chess and e-sports games. Having gone through more than a dozen sites for chess and games, I have found that enjoying a game of chess is a very different experience than preparing for, or participating in, for real games.

What Competitive Chess Players Do Behind the Scenes

It’s not hard to get a sense of a chess player’s life during a tournament — news reports, interviews, and the players’ own accounts paint a fairly accurate picture. But once the tournament ends, we return to our usual routines, which are less familiar even to those who follow chess news. Every professional chess player spends far less time on “just the game” than most people think. The game itself is only the visible part. Most of the real work happens before and after the game.

What you usually do not see includes:

• Building and updating opening files
• Checking pairings and likely opponents
• Preparing specific lines before the round
• Managing nerves and conserving mental energy
• Recovering quickly after a bad result

From my experience, even one weekend chess tournament demands early travel, a cramped schedule, and long breaks that still feel draining. On top of that, I also need to switch from calculation mode to recovery mode fast.

That is why strong players that I’ve competed with often look more disciplined than dramatic. A good tournament run usually comes from simple habits done well: