The holidays are coming, and I had a bit of free time today. I pulled out my chessboard and went through a few games (the Sveshnikov, of course) from a real chess book. Yes, you read it right, I was reading a physical chess book on a physical chess board!! 2 AM on a Friday night is a perfect time for this kind of activity.
Studying chess on a computer may seem more productive, but it is actually way less efficient as a learning exercise, because of all the distractions (i.e. web browser) and temptations (i.e. analysis engine) that prevent from focusing on what matters - thinking deep about a position on the board, pausing to consider the plans for both sides, etc. Not dedicating any time to 2 am analysis on a real chess board, combined with lack of practice is what really halted my progress in the last 5+ years. Sigh..
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