ScotlandGraham Morrison from Scotland. Scottish Champion 1981. FIDE Master since 1983.
I am now retired (aged 65) after a great job as an Engineer in the UK.
About me
Playing experience
Winning the Scottish Championship in 1981 is a highlight. Also my result in the 1978 World Junior Championship (8th equal) is still a Scottish record.
I have played for the Scotland team in 4 Olympiads and 9 European Team Championships.
My career best "scalp" was a win against Grandmaster Sune Berg Hansen (2543 FIDE) of Denmark in the 2021 European Team Championship. So, I still have some bite!
My best FIDE rating was 2366.
I have played for the Scotland team in 4 Olympiads and 9 European Team Championships.
My career best "scalp" was a win against Grandmaster Sune Berg Hansen (2543 FIDE) of Denmark in the 2021 European Team Championship. So, I still have some bite!
My best FIDE rating was 2366.
Teaching experience
Don't believe those that say that chess these days is purely a game for kiddies. We fuddy duddies can still improve! I have been teaching chess for over 15 years (since about 2006).
You can see some videos that I made at http://www.youtube.com/user/sqmorr/videos.
You can see some videos that I made at http://www.youtube.com/user/sqmorr/videos.
Best skills
A few general tips based on my experience of what makes good players good:
1. Be sharp. Lots of practice to the build up of an event helps a lot, as does daily tactics exercises (eg, CT-ART, puzzles in the magazines, etc). My own personal favourite is to heavily concentrate on solving endgames studies (eg, Studies 2.0) in the build up to an event since it develops skills in precise calculation, imagination and resourcefulness.
2. Prepare well. The usual tip of analysing your games thoroughly is always helpful. Given limited time (which all us amateurs suffer from) it also makes sense to play fewer opening systems - but prepare them very well. I find that Solitaire Chess is very powerful for deeply understanding classic games and developing my intuition and thinking skills. Dvoretsky's books are also very powerful and demand a lot of effort and humility! Also, if you can afford it, hire a Russian (or ex-Russian) coach - I have used three Russian coaches and I gained a great deal of chess wisdom, chess culture and self awareness from all of them.
3. Play the strongest possible players. You really have to be constantly stretching yourself against the best that you can get access to. The lazy habits you develop that suffice to beat much weaker players do you a severe dis-service when facing tougher opposition.
4. Have energy. These days I only play in events where there is one game a day, and try to have a little nap before a game. I will NOT play when I'm tired (eg, at the end of a day's work) and I travel the day before I play. Also, some energy supplements for a long game are handy - that's why people always see me with my bottle of Sprite and bag of bananas!
5. Have self confidence. Techniques like self hypnosis, and performance psychology can help develop this and really persuade your unconscious self that you can and will cope, whatever the challenge. Give yourself chances to be lucky!
1. Be sharp. Lots of practice to the build up of an event helps a lot, as does daily tactics exercises (eg, CT-ART, puzzles in the magazines, etc). My own personal favourite is to heavily concentrate on solving endgames studies (eg, Studies 2.0) in the build up to an event since it develops skills in precise calculation, imagination and resourcefulness.
2. Prepare well. The usual tip of analysing your games thoroughly is always helpful. Given limited time (which all us amateurs suffer from) it also makes sense to play fewer opening systems - but prepare them very well. I find that Solitaire Chess is very powerful for deeply understanding classic games and developing my intuition and thinking skills. Dvoretsky's books are also very powerful and demand a lot of effort and humility! Also, if you can afford it, hire a Russian (or ex-Russian) coach - I have used three Russian coaches and I gained a great deal of chess wisdom, chess culture and self awareness from all of them.
3. Play the strongest possible players. You really have to be constantly stretching yourself against the best that you can get access to. The lazy habits you develop that suffice to beat much weaker players do you a severe dis-service when facing tougher opposition.
4. Have energy. These days I only play in events where there is one game a day, and try to have a little nap before a game. I will NOT play when I'm tired (eg, at the end of a day's work) and I travel the day before I play. Also, some energy supplements for a long game are handy - that's why people always see me with my bottle of Sprite and bag of bananas!
5. Have self confidence. Techniques like self hypnosis, and performance psychology can help develop this and really persuade your unconscious self that you can and will cope, whatever the challenge. Give yourself chances to be lucky!
Teaching methodology
The first "lesson" is usually a "get to know you" session where we explore some of the games of the student, his/her perception of the major strengths and weaknesses, and both ask any/all questions. We then form an initial plan for the next few sessions, so where we go very much depends on our findings.
The crux of what I offer is to compare and contrast how you think about chess issues with how I (and I suggest most master level players) think about the same issues, and bring to bear various training and learning methods and resources that have served me well over the last 4 decades. Self-improvement is difficult, but having a master-level advisor who can watch current capability, advise and assess progress, and inspire (!), is very helpful!
My fee is $40/hour, so give me a shout if you want to take this up. My email address is sqmorr@gmail.com. In addition to the lesson (in Zoom), I also offer a video of the lesson so you can go over all of the key points as often as you like!
The crux of what I offer is to compare and contrast how you think about chess issues with how I (and I suggest most master level players) think about the same issues, and bring to bear various training and learning methods and resources that have served me well over the last 4 decades. Self-improvement is difficult, but having a master-level advisor who can watch current capability, advise and assess progress, and inspire (!), is very helpful!
My fee is $40/hour, so give me a shout if you want to take this up. My email address is sqmorr@gmail.com. In addition to the lesson (in Zoom), I also offer a video of the lesson so you can go over all of the key points as often as you like!