Leo's Blog Discussion Mega-Thread

[Exystem]

When I asked chatGPT to transfer my chess insights into real life it gave me these answers:
A little shallow but true. I'm working on more of those. I'd love to see you adding more nuggets of chess wisdom and metaphoras into your content.

1. Balance Self-Focus and Empathy

Chess Insight: Take the same amount of time to think about the opponent’s move as your own.
Life Wisdom: Pay equal attention to how others' actions influence you as to how your actions influence others. True control is an illusion—it’s all interconnected. By considering others’ perspectives and actions as deeply as your own, you’ll better understand your environment and relationships.

2. Walk in Others’ Shoes

Chess Insight: Play the board turned 180 degrees to see from your opponent’s perspective.
Life Wisdom: Regularly shift your perspective to see life through the eyes of others. This builds empathy, improves decision-making, and helps you anticipate challenges and opportunities you might miss when viewing only from your own angle.

3. Reverse Engineer Your Goals

Chess Insight: Learn checkmates from 1 move out, then 2, 3, and so on. Start at the end.
Life Wisdom: Begin with the end in mind. Imagine your ideal outcome—whether it’s in your career, relationships, or personal growth—and work backward to map the steps that will get you there. This ensures focus and efficiency in pursuing your dreams.

4. Embrace Discomfort for Growth

Chess Insight: Playing inefficient openings forces focus and develops a broad skill set.
Life Wisdom: Seek out challenges that put you at a disadvantage. These uncomfortable experiences stretch your abilities, make you more adaptable, and help you develop resilience. Avoid the trap of sticking only to what you’re already good at.

5. Seek Feedback Relentlessly

Chess Insight: Analyzing blunders is crucial; feedback makes perfect.
Life Wisdom: Success isn’t about repetition; it’s about reflection. Actively seek feedback from others and analyze your mistakes without defensiveness. Every failure is an opportunity to refine your strategy and grow.

6. Adapt to Different Speeds of Life

Chess Insight: Play with and without time pressure to develop different skills.
Life Wisdom: Practice decision-making both in high-pressure situations and in periods of calm. Quick decisions teach efficiency and adaptability, while slower deliberation hones depth and thoroughness. Both are essential for a balanced and capable mind.

7. Invest in Long-Term Complexity

Chess Insight: Knights require more mastery than bishops but yield greater brain gains over time.
Life Wisdom: Don’t always choose the easiest path or the quickest payoff. Pursue complex challenges that require patience and deep effort—they offer richer rewards in terms of personal growth and mastery.

8. Surround Yourself with Real People

Chess Insight: Engines at low levels are inconsistent and teach bad habits.
Life Wisdom: Engage with real, complex human beings instead of relying too much on artificial or simplified feedback systems (e.g., algorithms, curated content). Authentic human interactions provide the unpredictability and richness that foster true learning and growth.

9. Challenge the Best, Even If You Lose

Chess Insight: Grind your teeth against the chess engine at its highest level.
Life Wisdom: Challenge yourself against the toughest opponents or situations, even when failure seems likely. Surviving and striving under intense pressure builds fortitude, creativity, and skills you wouldn’t otherwise develop.

10. Never Settle for “Good Enough”

Chess Insight: If you’ve found a good move, find a better one.
Life Wisdom: Resist complacency. Even when you achieve a goal or solve a problem, ask yourself, “What’s the next level?” Continuous improvement is the key to long-term success and fulfillment.

[Exystem]

Sorry for spamming, this is my last post here in a row
I asked chatGPT for more nuggets of chess wisdom like mine and potential life applications. I'm quite impressed to be honest.
Didn't want to withhold it from the community

1. Develop Your Pieces Early

Chess Wisdom: Prioritize developing all your pieces in the opening phase to control the board and prepare for the midgame. Avoid moving the same piece repeatedly or over-relying on your queen too early.
Life Application: Don’t put all your energy into one area (like work or one specific skill) at the expense of others. Build a balanced foundation—health, relationships, career, and personal growth—so you’re ready for the complexities of life later.

2. Control the Center

Chess Wisdom: Controlling the center of the board gives your pieces maximum mobility and strategic options.
Life Application: Identify the "center" in your life—your core priorities or values. Focus on controlling these, as they influence everything else. For example, maintaining your physical and mental health can act as a "center" for achieving success in all other areas.

3. Castle Early

Chess Wisdom: Protect your king early in the game by castling to avoid vulnerabilities.
Life Application: Prioritize safeguarding your most vital assets (your health, financial stability, or loved ones) early on. This creates a solid foundation and protects you from unnecessary risks as life progresses.

4. Don’t Waste Tempo

Chess Wisdom: Avoid unnecessary or redundant moves that waste time and give your opponent an advantage.
Life Application: Be efficient in your actions. Don’t procrastinate or overcomplicate decisions. Time is a resource—use it wisely to move closer to your goals without getting sidetracked.

5. Always Think a Few Moves Ahead

Chess Wisdom: Don’t just focus on the current move. Anticipate your opponent’s response and plan multiple moves in advance.
Life Application: Think strategically in life. Consider how today’s actions (saving money, learning skills, building relationships) will affect your future. Anticipate challenges and prepare for them.

6. Sacrifice for Greater Gains

Chess Wisdom: Sometimes you need to sacrifice a piece to gain a better position or set up a winning attack.
Life Application: Be willing to let go of short-term comforts or lower-priority goals for long-term success. For instance, investing time in learning a difficult skill now might mean sacrificing leisure, but it will pay dividends later.

7. Recognize the Power of Pawns

Chess Wisdom: Pawns may seem weak but can become queens when they reach the end of the board. Use them strategically, especially in the endgame.
Life Application: Small, consistent efforts (like daily habits or minor skills) may seem insignificant now but can lead to massive rewards over time. Never underestimate the potential of "small moves."

8. Avoid Overextending

Chess Wisdom: Pushing too many pawns or overcommitting pieces can leave you vulnerable to counterattacks.
Life Application: Avoid overloading your schedule or resources. Stretching yourself too thin can lead to burnout or expose you to risks. Maintain balance and know when to pull back.

9. Learn the Principle of Opposition

Chess Wisdom: In the endgame, controlling key squares and placing your king in opposition to the opponent’s king can secure victory.
Life Application: Position yourself strategically in life to gain leverage. For example, in negotiations or competitions, understanding the dynamics of your counterpart’s position can give you an edge.

10. Don’t Ignore Threats

Chess Wisdom: Always consider your opponent’s potential moves and threats, even if your position seems strong.
Life Application: Stay aware of risks and challenges in life, even when things are going well. A proactive mindset helps you anticipate and mitigate potential setbacks.

11. Aim for Harmony

Chess Wisdom: Coordinate your pieces so they support each other and work toward a common goal. Disconnected pieces are weak and vulnerable.
Life Application: Cultivate harmony in your life by aligning your actions with your goals and values. Build strong relationships where mutual support fosters collective success.

12. Be Flexible

Chess Wisdom: Adapt your strategy to the situation on the board. A rigid plan can fail if conditions change.
Life Application: Flexibility is key to thriving in an unpredictable world. Be willing to pivot your goals or methods when circumstances shift, without losing sight of your overall vision.

13. Know When to Simplify

Chess Wisdom: In a winning position, trading pieces to simplify the board can make it easier to secure victory.
Life Application: Simplify your life when overwhelmed—declutter your commitments, focus on essentials, and remove distractions. Complexity can often obscure clear paths to success.

14. Study Patterns

Chess Wisdom: Studying openings, endgames, and common tactical motifs sharpens your intuition and speeds up your decision-making.
Life Application: Learn from patterns in your own life and others’. Recognizing recurring challenges or opportunities helps you act decisively and avoid repeating mistakes.

15. Use Discovered Attacks

Chess Wisdom: A discovered attack unleashes hidden potential by moving one piece to reveal another’s threat.
Life Application: Recognize your hidden strengths or resources, and find ways to bring them into play. Sometimes removing one obstacle can reveal unexpected opportunities.

16. Watch for Forks and Pins

Chess Wisdom: A fork attacks two or more pieces at once; a pin immobilizes a piece by threatening something more valuable behind it.
Life Application: Look for opportunities to achieve multiple goals with one effort (fork). Avoid being “pinned” in situations where one bad choice locks you into greater problems.

17. Practice Endgames

Chess Wisdom: Many games are won or lost in the endgame. Mastering this phase gives you a huge advantage.
Life Application: Focus on long-term planning and preparation for life’s “endgames,” like retirement, legacy, or major life transitions. This ensures that you’re well-positioned when the time comes.

18. Stay Calm Under Pressure

Chess Wisdom: In intense situations, keeping a clear head allows you to find the best moves.
Life Application: Stressful moments in life demand composure. Practice mindfulness or stress management techniques to maintain clarity when it matters most.

19. Understand Your Opponent

Chess Wisdom: Knowing your opponent’s style and typical strategies can help you counter them effectively.
Life Application: Learn to read people’s motivations, behaviors, and preferences. Understanding others deeply can improve relationships, negotiations, and teamwork.

20. Keep Learning

Chess Wisdom: The more you study and practice, the better you become. Chess has infinite depth to explore.
Life Application: Life is an endless learning journey. Stay curious and open to new knowledge, skills, and experiences, no matter how much you think you know.

[RightHand]

16 hours ago, Dazgwny said:

I feel this has been ghosted over too easily. Unless there’s more about it elsewhere on the forum I’ve missed, which I very well could have as not been on as frequently of late. I just think it requires a more substantial in depth explanation. I mean like, what the hell were you actually getting upto in these awakenings to cause these effects Leo? Shattering windows and blood on walls? 

Shit stains => most likely due to plugging 5 meo.

Scars => Leo said he damaged his fingertips due to surges of Kundalini, it's probably that.

Holes in ceiling => eh, no big deal.

The shattered window(s) and blood was probably during one particular awakening? I can see myself hitting a window during an OH MY GOD moment. 

 

Edited Saturday at 05:21 AM by RightHand

[Leo Gura]

3 hours ago, PenguinPablo said:

@Leo Gura How strong are you in regular chess elo wise?

I'm not sure. Haven't played it much. I dislike memorizing opening theory. To me that's not real chess.

[Girzo]

@Leo Gura Your elo is not around 1600 if you play against 1600-rated bots. Real people are much more demanding and it's harder to get that rating in real games. I am around 700 elo and can win consistently against these 1000-2000 bots on Chess.com.

[Leo Gura]

27 minutes ago, Girzo said:

@Leo Gura Your elo is not around 1600 if you play against 1600-rated bots. Real people are much more demanding and it's harder to get that rating in real games. I am around 700 elo and can win consistently against these 1000-2000 bots on Chess.com.

Fair point.

I should play real people more. I am training up on bots first so that I don't make embarassing blunders.

Edited Saturday at 08:37 AM by Leo Gura

[koops]

20 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

Fair point.

I should play real people more. I am training up on bots first so that I don't make embarassing blunders.

Make those blunders a few times against real people.

Embarrassment make you learn FAST.

 

[Raskara]

I would like to play a few games with you once you reach a 2000+ Elo rating. I mostly prefer to play on lichess.org. My username on Chess.com is theghost2300. But right now I am way stronger than you.

[Leo Gura]

13 minutes ago, Raskara said:

I would like to play a few games with you once you reach a 2000+ Elo rating. I mostly prefer to play on lichess.org. My username on Chess.com is theghost2300. But right now I am way stronger than you.

How well does your ELO carry over into Fischer Random?

[Leo Gura]

18 minutes ago, koops said:

Make those blunders a few times against real people.

Embarrassment make you learn FAST.

I'm learning quite well from my blunders against bots.

[trenton]

@Leo Gura I hope you continue doing well in your training to reach 2000. I could tell you about strategy, calculation, and other universal skills that apply to this. You probably are not interested in having people tell you all the answers. Would you rather just figure it out for yourself, or are you actually studying things like pawn structures, endgame theory, planning, and calculation? I don't think you would want to spend money on actual books and courses.

I could tell you these things, but I'm guessing you would rather do it yourself.

Good luck.

[Raskara]

4 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

How well does your ELO carry over into Fischer Random?

I stopped playing at 1900 2yrs back, I will give you an answer after I play at least 10 games before the end of today...

[vibv]

4 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

Fair point.

I should play real people more. I am training up on bots first so that I don't make embarassing blunders.

People play way different than bots on chess.com. I had the same thinking once. But as it turns out being good against bots doesn't make you necessarily good against people. Firstly, because it lacks the psychological component and secondly, because bots make way more obvious blunders (as long as they don't play so well you can't win anyway).

I only play against people when I play nowadays and it's a completely different play style - even though I'm way too concerned about losing elo, which in itself makes it worthwile to practice playing human opponents.

Edited Saturday at 01:16 PM by vibv

[Leo Gura]

1 hour ago, vibv said:

and secondly, because bots make way more obvious blunders (as long as they don't play so well you can't win anyway).

Yeah, I don't like how bots make very stupid blunders. Their difficulty doesn't scale down intelligently as one would expect.

It's kinda sad that Chess.com doesn't have higher quality bots which play at typical human levels.

I like that with bots I can play at my own pace. I treat it as entertainment.

Edited Saturday at 03:11 PM by Leo Gura

[Girzo]

@Leo Gura Lichess.com bots scale more inteligentlly. There are 10 levels of them and level 6 starts to get difficult for me.

[Amadeusz]

Real people are ten times more fun for me than bots. I never play against bots.

[PenguinPablo]

16 hours ago, Exystem said:

When I asked chatGPT to transfer my chess insights into real life it gave me these answers:
A little shallow but true. 

Still deeper than Gary Kasparov's book... lol 

[AtmanIsBrahman]

@Leo Gura Some advice from a 2200 player: focus on piece activity first!

This guy's channel is a gold mine for instructional chess content (aside from his opening videos which are mostly cheap tricks). He explains a thinking system that works really well for getting to a high level at chess (2000+). You can apply the rules he shares in Fischer random too.

 

[r0ckyreed]

@Leo Gura I wish Leo would just play normal chess. He is playing this bizarre form of chess where the pieces are set up randomly and not how they are suppose to. I would like to see him play a regular chess game so that we can see how familiar he is with openings and traps. Also I would like to add feedback on considering playing against humans rather than bots. These bots are a waste of time. 

[Leo Gura]

@r0ckyreed The real traps are in Fischer Random.

Edited Sunday at 01:29 AM by Leo Gura