Mental Toughness in Chess: Practical Tips to Strengthen Your Mindset at the Board

by Werner Schweitzer

Overview

Your performance at the board does not only depend on your pure chess skills. Being a winner also requires a mindset that is able to cope with lots of stress and setbacks during hours of uninterrupted concentration. Just like technical chess skills, mental toughness can be trained. There are simple steps you can take that will help you to better realise your potential. Professional mental coach and chess player Werner Schweitzer has been working with chess teams and individual players for many years.

In this book Schweitzer presents practical tips and tools that will help you to improve your mental power during a game. You will learn how to increase your concentration and stamina, recognize your own strengths and weaknesses, cope with losses as well as victories, increase your self-discipline when studying, handle disturbing thoughts and feelings during a game, boost your self-confidence, avoid underestimating (and overestimating!) your opponent, make better decisions while under pressure and other mental skills.These lessons and simple mental workouts will help players of all levels to unlock the full power of their brain and win more games.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789056918583
Publisher:	Continental Sales, Inc.
Publication date:	04/15/2020
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Werner Schweitzer graduated as a mental coach at the University of Salzburg, Austria. He knows from experience which mental factors impact a chess player’s performance. Schweitzer has been coaching players and teams for many years.

Table of Contents

Preface - More success through mental toughness 7

Part I Mental toughness can be trained 11

1 Strengthen your strengths 12

2 Get to know yourself better 15

3 Get the best out of yourself 18

4 Our brain is like a muscle 21

5 Learn from your mistakes 24

6 Dismantle your fears 27

7 Mental toughness through resilience 30

8 Put your defeats behind you 33

9 Bounce back with mental toughness 36

10 Courage is not the absence of fear 39

11 Making brave decisions 42

12 The inner game of chess 45

13 More confidence 48

14 Think positively, but do it right! 51

15 More patience 54

16 The right way to set goals 57

17 Visualize your goals 60

18 The 5-minute-start trick 63

Part II Game preparation 67

19 In calmness lies your strength 68

20 The right tension 71

21 Mental toughness through taking naps 74

22 Proper nutrition 77

23 Do not fear your opponent's Elo rating 80

24 Beating your 'Angstgegner' 83

25 How to play against a kid 86

Part III Playing successfully 89

26 Emotional balance 90

27 Sidestepping threats successfully 93

28 Avoiding gross blunders 96

29 Maintain your concentration, even after a mistake 99

30 Concentrate in the decisive phases of the game 102

31 Good time management 105

32 How to profit from your opponent's bad time management? 108

33 Winning your won games 111

Part IV More practical tips 115

34 Luck in chess 116

35 Why some teams are tougher than others 119

36 Learning from Magnus Carlsen 122

37 Mental toughness through focusing clearly 125

38 The power of meditation 128

39 More success with more fighting spirit 131

40 Realizing your full potential through more enthusiasm 134

41 Mental toughness through journaling 137

Epilogue 139

Bibliography 141

Biography 143

Editorial Reviews

"A useful mental toolbox. Chess players are exceptionally nervous, before and during a game. A certain tension is good, it increases our attention and helps us to focus, but too much tension blocks the cooperation of the two halves of our brain. This and much more is covered in this well written mindfulness tool box! Highly recommended! Also for training sessions."

Elburg Chess Reviews

"The Austrian coach has studied mental strength and in this work, which will surely prove popular, addresses such issues as how to increase your concentration, how to handle disturbing thoughts and feelings during a game and how to increase your self-confidence."

CHESS Magazine

"This little volume covers an important but rather neglected part of the game. We find topics such as knowing yourself, fear, decision making, tension, concentration, luck, fighting spirit and confidence In other words, pretty much everything that might go through a players mind - for good or ill - before, during and after a game. The author doesn't do the work for you, but provides plenty of tips and advice. It is well produced with key paragraphs, clear text and illustrations. The book is a quick read (no moves or diagrams), but not a quick fix. You could easily get through it in one sitting, but the issues raised demand much more time, thought and dedication. You will truly get out of it what you put into it."

Chess Scotland - Ian Marks

"The focus is on offering simple advice and encouragement in a variety of practical situations. It rang true in reminding me of some typical scenarios and problems that I had encountered in my games. I felt it was a useful refresher ahead of my next competitive outing."

co-author of 'Game Changer' - Matthew Sadler

"I don't think it's a problem to read several tips in relatively quick succession, because the material is nicely coherent. The book seems written for the average chess player who wishes to put a stop to typical mistakes he or she often makes. The author underlines that mental power is something you can train, just like other chess skills, and to be patient while doing that."

Schaaksite - Bram Klapwijk

"Mental Toughness in Chess lays out a 'how to' guide to improve your performance at chess. The main premise of this chess guide is that chess toughness can be trained. The author delivers the content in a direct and concise way. The book is small in size, flows well, and its contents are actionable. Mental Toughness in Chess is a one of a kind chess book!"

Florida Chess News - Miguel Ararat