Competition management
In short
Long events and dense calendars require energy management: sleep, physical training, nutrition and short recovery routines between rounds. Many professional results are decided by who is fresher in the last rounds.
By the end you can
- Manage energy over long events
- Plan colours, opponents and risk
The lesson
Long events and dense calendars require energy management: sleep, physical training, nutrition and short recovery routines between rounds. Many professional results are decided by who is fresher in the last rounds.
Plan the tournament as a whole: expected opponents and colours, where to take risks, and how to handle a bad start without forcing results.
Key points to remember
- Energy is a resource
- Plan the event as a whole
- Recover between rounds
- No forcing after a bad start
Examples
Show the solution
46... Kb4 47. Nd7 Kxa4 48. Ne5 g5
Practise it
Solve puzzles on this idea: defensive move puzzles.
Homework
Design a training and recovery schedule for your next long tournament.
More competition lessons
- Managing the clock (Class C)
- Tournament routine (Class B)
- Tournament psychology (Class A)
- Opponent preparation routine (Expert)
- Setting season targets (Expert)
- Playing for norms (Master)