Monday is my day off from rehearsals, when I run Chess club, though “run” is rather a grand title for turning up with some boards and pieces, and welcoming whoever turns up. Generally, it is about four boys – so far different each week, so far as I can tell, who get on with playing each other. When I am available, they are also quite keen to play me; which is fine by me, as I am actually a wee bit obsessed with the game at present.
I play against both of my regular opponents from home, John and Paul, and in the same way I do here, sending each other moves via WhatsApp, as and when we have time, and both recording them on physical boards. Though this does lead to its own issues, as what we refer to as admin errors crop up far more often than one might suppose. Which can lead to serious problems, if they are not spotted at an early stage.
More recently, over the last couple of nights, I have also instigated games against John in which we more closely replicate the idea of facing one another across the board, setting aside a period of time to complete the game in one sitting. Though admin errors crop up in this version too; even more so perhaps, as this form re-introduces the pressure of time. Though we don’t play with chess clocks, there is a certain tension with knowing the other player is sitting waiting for you to make your move.
In addition to the above, particularly as I am afflicted by regular bouts of insomnia, I have played quite a lot of games online, via the Chess.com website. This allows for a variety of methods, but the one I use most often is a ten-minute game, which replicates the idea of a chess clock, with each player allotted ten minutes in total. The opponents come from anywhere around the world, randomly assigned, within your perceived ability, a score calculated from previous results, and going up or down according to the outcome of each game.
So today in particular, I must have played about ten games: two at chess club (lost them both, despite my opponents assuring me they were mere beginners), one with John played over about an hour, and still ongoing, as he had to go out, but with me in a perilous position; about six against international opponents via Chess.com, of which I remember winning two; and the finish of a game over several days against Paul, which I won when he resigned. Not the greatest of tallies then, but enjoyable enough. Whether there is any noticeable improvement is distinctly dubious, however.
Perhaps you should play against John Hislop as I recall he always knew THE MOVE, before recognising the error of his optimism.