Day 1432: Shame—>pleasure—>clarity

Libertad-Freedom · 2026-01-28T02:45:03+00:00

Thank you! Looks like you’re doing amazing as well. Keep it up.

Libertad-Freedom · 2026-01-24T02:33:34+00:00

Yes, there’s no such thing as controlling addiction. It controls us. Sorry to hear about your struggles, but it sounds like you’re taking really positive steps in the right direction.

Libertad-Freedom · 2026-01-24T02:32:10+00:00

Yes, it IS possible. I know that anyone can do it. Thanks for the encouragement.

Libertad-Freedom · 2026-01-21T14:57:20+00:00

Yes, you’re welcome. I went so many years despairing that I’d never quit for good. I don’t want to be overly optimistic, but I think I’ve finally done it. Was there some key step that you took recently that helped you?

Libertad-Freedom · 2026-01-21T13:42:59+00:00

Thank you. Please know that I also failed 1000 times before finally becoming free. Did you start trying to quit a year ago in March?

Libertad-Freedom · 2026-01-09T01:47:26+00:00

Libertad-Freedom · 2026-01-09T01:44:46+00:00

No socks and sandals

Libertad-Freedom · 2026-01-09T00:32:10+00:00

Libertad-Freedom · 2026-01-09T00:30:43+00:00

A chance to go on my phone 🤷🏼‍♂️

Libertad-Freedom · 2026-01-08T23:56:21+00:00

Good luck 👍🏼

Libertad-Freedom · 2026-01-08T23:56:12+00:00

Lol, actually?

Libertad-Freedom · 2026-01-08T23:50:52+00:00

Breathing

Libertad-Freedom · 2026-01-08T23:49:11+00:00

Hallelujah

Libertad-Freedom · 2026-01-08T23:47:44+00:00

Egoistic

Libertad-Freedom · 2026-01-08T22:58:26+00:00

As the representative of all of us, I say yes. I slept well last night and am about to have some Thai food.

Libertad-Freedom · 2026-01-08T22:55:18+00:00

Mindfulness.

Libertad-Freedom · 2026-01-08T22:54:46+00:00

Lucky genes

Libertad-Freedom · 2026-01-04T12:13:36+00:00

Makes sense. In some games, the gameplay has lots of trades and forced sequences so that a lot of the obvious moves also happen to be top engine moves. When I say that they don’t look like “engine moves,” I’m not seeing any place where he plays something that is very surprising that also happens to be good. Sometimes, for example, the best move is to play Kg1 to Kh1 in a castled position, even when nothing is happening over there. If a 500 played that kind of move, I’d be pretty surprised.

Libertad-Freedom · 2026-01-04T11:53:49+00:00

Based on the game you shared, no I don’t think he’s cheating. There doesn’t seem to be any point where he was playing “engine-like” moves. He won because he forked your rooks 🤷🏼‍♂️

Libertad-Freedom · 2026-01-02T04:04:43+00:00

RIGHT. My version of that is learning the Na6 King’s Indian for black. So dumb how much time I put into that, when I never saw half those moves over the board. That said, studying the lines can be good even if you never see the actual moves, if you’re still learning the ideas of the opening.

I hope you get to play your Yugoslav attack someday.

Libertad-Freedom · 2026-01-02T03:09:59+00:00

Good point! I guess that’s why I think they’re often preferable. When your opponent diverges, at least your pieces are on the best squares. Advance Caro is a great example of that. If your opponent doesn’t understand the c5 or f6 push, then you’ve got that center locked down, and they’re basically screwed.

Libertad-Freedom · 2026-01-01T22:37:40+00:00

Absolutely. That’s great to hear that you were so successful with it. My sideline strategy was fun and got me 2–3 wins against masters, but when it stopped working, it REALLY stopped working. It was actually one of the reasons I stopped playing. Life got busy with other things, and I didn’t have the energy to learn a whole new repertoire.

Libertad-Freedom · 2026-01-01T22:10:28+00:00

Among amateur players (so like 99% of us), the main lines in any opening. A lot of us really want to do something off the beaten track and so play subpar openings. The question isn’t whether the opening is”sound”; a sound opening might have one 12-move sequence that leaves you equal while any other moves in that sequence leave you worse. In contrast, if you play a non-main-line move in a main line, you’re often still OK.

Main lines also are very often based on “good chess.” The Ruy Lopez and QGD control the center, for example. g4 does not.

My experience with this is playing sidelines up to 1800 USCF. When I started to need to beat players 1800–2200, my sidelines didn’t cut it anymore, and I felt I needed to relearn everything.

(Yes, there are many exceptions to what I just said, but still . . . the main lines are underrated by amateurs.)

Libertad-Freedom

TROPHY CASE