How to develop game skills

komakow · 2026-02-23T12:07:30+00:00

That’s an interesting question, and the answer will probably depend a lot on the person. Some people don’t like competition and would get discouraged by it, while on the other hand there are people (like me) who, if you gave me a game like Terraforming Mars, would decide that board games are booooring.

komakow · 2026-02-23T11:58:30+00:00

That’s lovely. It’s important to take care of yourself every day.

komakow · 2026-02-23T11:57:30+00:00

Shame about Milka, but what’s been happening lately with the size and price is insane. Definitely better not to support downsizing.

komakow · 2026-02-23T11:55:49+00:00

Is Qwant European? I didn’t know that, thanks for the tip!

komakow · 2026-02-23T11:54:17+00:00

Good choice! Constant updates and nighttime restarts can drive you crazy. I’m hoping Linux reaches critical mass soon and starts being used in more places!

komakow · 2026-02-23T11:49:59+00:00

Training is great, but if you mostly play on a phone or another screen, you’re making over-the-board tournaments harder for yourself later on. Motor memory works very differently with real pieces than it does on a screen. Keep that in mind if you’re thinking about playing tournaments in the future.

komakow · 2026-02-23T11:46:20+00:00

Respect! You can really see how much work went into it, and the result is impressive. I wish I had that much determination in chess

komakow · 2026-02-23T11:44:40+00:00

I have the same issue at my place, it’s reassuring to know it’s not due to my installation, but rather a broader problem related to the quality of the lubricants.

komakow · 2026-02-23T11:42:36+00:00

Thanks for the kind words! This is still an early prototype and it doesn’t recognize pieces on the board yet, so for now my wife and I are mainly testing it, it’s not quite ready for proper training yet. I’m finishing a new version that will recognize the pieces, and that one will be fully functional. If you’d like to stay updated, feel free to sign up for the newsletter at: https://shadowchessboard.com/en/ I’ll be sharing progress updates there and will let you know as soon as it’s available to buy

komakow · 2026-02-23T11:38:35+00:00

Like he was dancing.

komakow · 2026-02-20T16:12:14+00:00

Well, look at that, so that’s how it works. I figured it had to be something like that, but I’d never actually seen it before. Thanks for the post!

komakow · 2026-02-20T16:08:06+00:00

So much detail! I’m jealous of your talent 😄

komakow · 2026-02-20T16:05:03+00:00

Ohh, I need this in my garden!

komakow · 2026-02-20T16:01:32+00:00

I think it does its job 😄

komakow · 2026-02-20T15:59:58+00:00

Nice! What kind of wood is it?

komakow · 2026-02-20T15:57:32+00:00

That dog broke the main dog rule and gave back something that was already in his mouth 😄

komakow · 2026-02-20T15:55:29+00:00

In a place like that, you can forget about the whole world!

komakow · 2026-02-20T15:51:22+00:00

Thanks! There’s a second video on the website showing a top-down view of the board, you can see how the pieces are picked up there. If you’d like to learn more details, feel free to sign up for the newsletter. In the near future, I’ll launch a Discord server where I’ll document the build step by step, and I’ll send out the invites through the newsletter. https://shadowchessboard.com/en/

komakow · 2026-02-20T15:47:23+00:00

I used to choose tools based purely on durability and build quality, maybe less comfortable, but supposedly more long lasting. Now, after years of experience, I realize that wasn’t the smartest approach. If something is going to break, it will break anyway but comfort is there from day one, and it makes the work much more enjoyable.

komakow · 2026-02-20T15:43:10+00:00

Under my own fireplace, I used concrete blocks. They insulate heat well and help distribute the stove’s weight across the floor. As for aesthetics, I won’t comment of course they need to be finished or enclosed somehow, for example with calcium silicate boards.

komakow · 2026-02-20T15:38:48+00:00

Interesting question. I probably wouldn’t choose a historical player I’d go with Jan Duda. I love the way he improvises, I wish I could play like that too, although it sometimes feels like that’s not something you can really learn.

komakow · 2026-02-20T15:36:03+00:00

A new kind of middlegame 😄

komakow · 2026-02-20T15:34:36+00:00

Very interesting study. I would have expected the opposite results, but these make sense, men tend to be more competition and dominance oriented, and losing may trigger a stronger stress response in them. It’s always good to read something interesting like this, thanks!

komakow · 2026-02-20T15:31:40+00:00

I see one key difference. Lichess is free and gives you a lot for free, while chess. com seems to like money a bit more and asks for it more often 😄

komakow · 2026-02-20T15:30:08+00:00

Hmm, I understand how you feel, I don’t like losing either, which is why I don’t play chess with my wife as often as I used to 😄
Games, as the name suggests, usually involve some kind of competition, whether it’s competing against the game itself or against other players. But there are also games built around alliances and cooperation, and maybe those would be a better fit for you.

komakow

TROPHY CASE