Yes, it’s a great way to improve your game. In fact, Paul Keres development as a player was primarily due to his correspondence chess activity. They’re not useless, they just involve only a part of your chess skills — blitz can be very good for training pattern recognition and opening lines for example.
Is correspondence chess good for learning?
Now to your question: Correspondence chess is excellent at helping you learn openings and endings. These involve theory, and you need to memorize it to be able to use it in a tournament where you’re playing over-the-board (OTB).
How often should you play a correspondence chess tournament?
This is why you should play games at regular time controls (no blitz faster than 5 minutes) in order to strengthen your play, and you should play in an OTB tournament at least once per month, if you want to be able to improve your OTB (or online) play at all. If all you want is to play correspondence chess, then you’re all set.
What are the pros and cons of being a chess pro?
As a rule, most pros travel a lot. Those who don’t like to spend too much time in one place and love new impressions would likely appreciate the so-called chess tourism. • Professional longevity. Unlike in most other sports, one can play chess at top level even at 40+. The upcoming WC match between Anand (42) and Gelfand (43) is a bright proof.
How does playing correspondence chess help OTB play?
However, correspondence chess has 4 major flaws when it comes to serving as training for OTB play: It won’t strengthen your board vision (your ability to see the potential combinations in a position), because the normal way to select a move in CC is by moving pieces on a board until you find the most promising variation.
Is it possible to play chess at home?
Thanks to our modern technology and the internet, it is now possible to play against chess players from all around the world without even having to leave your home. You can just get up in the morning and play chess games in your pajama or you can wake up in the middle of the night.
