How To Ask The Right Questions

Many Chess improvers are stuck because they ask the wrong questions.

The most common example is (once again…) openings. Most people try to answer the following question:

“How can I have the best possible opening repertoire?”

1) This question is not that important.

2) It is never-ending.

Trying to answer this question will cost you a lot of money (invested in the latest “best opening course”) and time.

“Quality Questions create a quality life. Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers” – Tony Robbins

By using a much more simple and high-quality question you can get to an answer quicker and with better results. Ask yourself:

“What is the minimum amount of opening knowledge I need to get a decent position on my level?”

The answer depends on your rating. But it is usually way less than you think. You can check out my Free Beginner Repertoire in this study.

Choose Your Questions Wisely

We only have limited time and energy. Thus, we can only try to answer a certain amount of questions.

If you want to make progress in Chess, you need to focus on a few, solvable high-quality questions at a time.

To avoid solving the wrong questions, ask yourself right now:

• What Questions am I currently trying to solve?

And then:

• Can I get an answer to this question? + Will the answer lead to (big) progress?

I try to do that frequently in any area of my life. Sometimes, our auto-pilot needs some adjustments.

The Right Chess Improvement Questions

Here are some questions I see people solve that need a second look. If any of those resonate, take the time to replace them with a proposed alternative:

• “How can I avoid losing/making mistakes?” -> “How can I learn the most from my mistakes?” or “How can I avoid making the same mistakes again?”
  ​
• “How can I improve quickly without real effort?” -> “How can I get the most out of the little time I can spend on Chess?”
  ​
• “Is this going to improve my Chess?” -> “What is the most efficient way to improve?”
  ​
• “What is the most fun now?” -> “What makes me feel most proud once I finished?” This question usually leads me to do the hard things that really change my life for the better.

Notice that your set of optimal questions might be different than mine. That’s totally fine. The aim of this Newsletter is to help you figure out your questions and re-phrase them if needed.

There is nothing worse than solving a life-long question only to figure out this was the wrong question to begin with.

And one question applies to everyone: “How can I make the best out of my limited time on this planet?”

If you find the right answer to this, you won’t regret your actions later on.

Keep improving,
Noël

Want to improve your chess?

Here is how I can help you:

• Join 400+ happy students by taking my course Next Level Training. From solving chess tactics the right way to building an opening repertoire and analyzing your own games, this course teaches you everything you need to know about effective Chess Training. Let me be your guide to get your chess to the Next Level.
• Get my Chess Training Planner. This is the perfect help to schedule your chess training and review each session. The Planner will help you to study chess more effectively and get more out of every session.