How Do World Chess Champions Prepare For Matches?
The 2024 Candidates Tournament has been completed, and the matchup for the upcoming 2024 World Chess Championship is now confirmed.
Defending champion Ding Liren of China will take on Gukesh Dommaraju of India. This much-anticipated chess match will take place later in the year. Although, as of writing, the event is still several months away, the combatants will already be well into their preparation.
The World Chess Championship is a rather unique event in the chess calendar. It is a duel between just two players. This contrasts to most chess tournaments where a larger field participates. This format goes all the way back to the very first world chess championship. This was held in 1886 between Wilhelm Steinitz and Johannes Zukertort. With only a few exceptions, the title has been decided this way ever since.
Click here to read more about the early history of the world chess championship.
In this article, we take a look at how world chess champions (and their challengers) prepare for their upcoming encounter. We also provide a few tips that club players can borrow for themselves to put to use in their own chess tournaments.
Physical Conditioning
Perhaps one of the most misunderstood aspects of chess is the physical aspect.
Those who have never played chess seriously may find it ridiculous to suggest that a game played while sitting in a chair in silence could be physically demanding. But those who have experienced the rigor of chess tournaments know the truth: chess can be as much of a physical challenge as a mental challenge.
Related: MASTERCLASS - Damian Lemos' Middlegame Chess Masterclass.
As the hours of play tick by, tiredness can easily creep in. In chess, one bad oversight can be all it takes to lose the game on the spot. A lapse in concentration due to tiredness can be the cause of a game-changing blunder. Which the opponent will only too happily take advantage of.
There is, therefore, a large advantage to be gained by the player who is able to maintain their concentration for longer than their opponent. Having a healthy body helps a lot in this regard.
Former world champion Magnus Carlsen is legendary for his stamina at the chess board. Besides his litany of other strengths, Carlsen’s reputation for grinding out results stands out. Even after the game had been going for four hours, five hours, six hours, or even more was oftentimes what set him apart from the competition.
Carlsen plays football, does yoga, and even travels with a personal chef in order to further optimize his physical condition. Expect Ding and Gukesh to take a leaf out of Carlsen’s book. They will be in tip-top shape before taking their place at the 2024 world chess championship.
Chess Openings Study
Among elite chess players, the opening phase of the game is especially vital. If they are able to surprise their opponent and gain an advantage out of the opening, it goes a long way towards winning the game.
While most chess players will have more to gain from working on their tactical skills. The very best chess players in the world find it trivial to spot a clear tactical opportunity that presents itself. You simply don’t get to become a 2700-elo grandmaster otherwise!
Because the two contestants are known months in advance. The world chess championship presents each player with the opportunity to dive deeply into opening preparation tailored especially for their upcoming opponent. The world chess championship title is so important that almost nothing else matters. They just need to come up with a repertoire that can help them defeat the one person standing in the way to the crown.
Related: Encyclopedia of Chess Openings - Volume B - Part 1.
Opening preparation can easily turn into a game of bluff and counter-bluff. As a simple example, let’s say that Player “A” was known as a King’s Pawn Opening specialist with the White pieces. It would then seem reasonable for Player “B” to focus their efforts on preparing against 1. e4 when playing Black. But then Player “A” decides to surprise their opponent by beginning with the Queen’s Pawn Opening instead. This renders Player “B”’s preparation useless.
Championship Dynamics Count
Of course, in the world chess championship, this dynamic will play out much deeper into the game. Such is both players’ extensive opening knowledge, a novelty will almost certainly need to be around move 10, or move 15, or even later if it is to have a realistic hope of taking their opponent into unknown territory.
At this level, it is worth putting an incredible amount of effort into opening preparation. If one player can get their opponent into a situation where they have memorized the computer’s top moves and their opponent has not. Then they stand an excellent chance of being able to pounce on any slight inaccuracy their opponent plays.
Suffice to say, the two world chess championship contenders will be spending a vast amount of time on opening preparation!
Related: Encyclopedia of Chess Openings - Volume B - Part 2.
The Use Of “Seconds” In Practice Chess Matches
There is an old saying which goes: “In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice - while in practice, there is.”
Applied to chess: it’s one thing to analyze with the help of a computer. But it’s another to get match practice against a fellow human. This is where “seconds” can come in.
A “second” in chess is employed by the grandmaster to assist with various aspects of their game. Seconds assume a similar role to a chess coach - providing a sounding board and noticing aspects of the player’s game that need attention. Even the world chess champion needs to always be learning if they are to stay ahead of their competition!
One way that seconds can help the world championship contenders is by playing simulation chess matches against them. Just like in combat sports such as boxing. Sparring practice against someone with a similar style to their upcoming opponent is invaluable.
Ahead of the world chess championship, games against a strong second can also provide insights into how a human might play in the opening novelties they have prepared. Some of these “human” moves may not have come across their radar, had they limited their preparation to working with computers alone.
What Can We Apply To Our Own Chess Tournaments?
Not everyone can be Ding, Gukesh or Magnus.
Even so, we think the way world chess champions approach their chess matches offers useful pointers to the rest of us.
Here are three key takeaways you can apply to your next chess tournament:
Pay attention to your body - not just your mind
Chess players have a rather unfortunate reputation for being sedentary. Perhaps it is a stereotype, but a quick look around chess tournament venues tends to confirm that many amateur chess players are not in great physical shape. Many suffer from poor dietary habits, a lack of exercise, or both. As we have seen, paying attention to your health can improve your chess performance. That is aside from the myriad benefits resulting from better health in other areas of life.
Prepare for your upcoming opponents
You are unlikely to know your opponent many months in advance, as is the case in the world chess championship. Even so, classical chess tournaments often announce the pairings well before the game begins. Perhaps the day before, or a few hours before. If you can glean what your opponent is likely to play through finding past games they have played. You can brush up on your openings, and maybe even prepare a surprise for them in case they play exactly what you expect.
Related: Endgame Renaissance - Practical Chess Endgames for Club Players.
Train your weaknesses, with the help of human opposition.
Generally, it is more important to work on your weaknesses. Instead of continuing to hone aspects of the game which you are already strong at. For example, if you know you fare badly against a certain opening, try to get as much exposure as you can against it. If you are a member of a chess club, you can ask other members who are experts in that opening to give you practice. Or, you can enlist the help of a chess coach to be your “second” as you prepare for your next chess tournament.
As you prepare - remember that chess ought to be a journey of continuous improvement. If you apply the same preparation techniques the world chess champion employs for their chess matches, you are sure to see great results!