ChessBase Light 2007 (General)

by tapestry , Hampshire, Thursday, October 25, 2007, 21:50 (6385 days ago) @ giorgio

? A little story to end this correspondence a good friend of mine used to
? buy a new book for each half or full point he would get at each congress
? he played in. Along the years, he was an active player, he had accumulated
? one of the most impressive chess library you could wish to have but is
? grading did not improve.

I'd agree. The temptation is to overindulge in amassing the information (whether it is electronic or otherwise) and not spending the time on the hard graft of truly understanding the information contained therein.

Chess is a hobby for most people and, if someone derives huge enjoyment from playing through games from a book in a way that does not improve their playing strength, you could argue that they are spending their time and money wisely.

I reckon most people would like to improve their playing standard but also want to enjoy the time they spend with chess, trying to get a balance between active study and passively reading.

As for myself, I'm sure I spend my time poorly perusing through the books I do have!