Twelve-week programme

Weekly Chess
Training Plan

A quiet system for deliberate practice—built around calculation, strategic understanding, serious play, and honest review.

Select any day to reveal the session notes

The week

Seven days. One rhythm.

Consistency compounds. Keep the work clear, unhurried, and repeatable.

Study well

Nine steps for turning every diagram into a small, serious training session.

01Read SlowlyMeasure understanding, not pages.+

Don’t rush. Understand. Don’t measure pages—measure understanding.

02Stop at Every DiagramMake the position your own.+

Treat every diagram like a tournament position. Spend 5–15 minutes thinking before reading.

03EvaluateWho is better—and why?+

Assess weak squares, open files, pawn structure, space, piece activity, bad bishops, good knights, and outposts.

04Candidate MovesFind two or three real options.+

Don’t instantly play the first move. Ask: “What is this move trying to achieve?”

05CalculationChecks. Captures. Threats.+

Visualize the resulting position, then compare your candidate moves.

06Blunder CheckGive your opponent a turn.+

Before deciding, ask what your opponent can do. Check forcing moves, loose pieces, and back-rank danger.

07CompareReasoning matters more than guessing.+

Reveal Stean’s move. Don’t ask, “Did I guess correctly?” Ask, “Was my reasoning correct?”

08LessonWrite one thing worth remembering.+

For example: improve my worst piece first; open files matter more than attacks; don’t create weak squares.

09ApplyCarry one idea into your next game.+

Choose one idea. During analysis ask: did I actually apply it?

At the board

Pause. Breathe. Then work the position in order.