Thinking about perception in chess -- how should one fight for control? 7-24-2026 FRI
July 25, 2026โข203 words
"Education in Chess has to be an education in independent thinking and judging. Chess must not be memorized, simply because it is not important enough. If you load your memory, you should know why. Memory is too valuable to be stocked with trifles. Of my fifty-seven years I have applied at least thirty to forgetting what I had learned or read, and since I succeeded in this I have acquired a certain ease and cheer which I should never again like to be without." -- Emanuel Lasker, Laskerโs Manual of Chess
2r5/1r6/2kP1p2/pNPpp1p1/P4n1p/5P2/KP1R3P/2R5 b - - 2 35
position MJF received after battle on Thursday, 23 July 2026. Post-game analysis says Black (controlled by MJF) is better than 1.7 (STOCKSIXTEEN). Set up on your own board, and see if you have a plan for each side, even before you realize whose turn it is to move. What initiatives can you find?
In observing students in chess camps all summer, many coaches encouraged them to look at positions with fresh eyes. With many students gleaning information from videos on Twitch, YouTube, Chessable, etc. they are eager to memorize ideas, but new positions allow for creative approaches, so long as vision is fresh.
MJ Farris