I play less than 4 classical games every month. Because I know I should analyze them thoroughly, I wait for when I’ll have time to do so. Of course, that time never comes and I end up not looking at them at all. I should at least take a quick look with the engine and not feel guilty about it.
Opportunity cost is a real thing with chess. Training, analysis, study etc… But as you mentioned elsewhere - what matters is what you retain from the analysis.
i think the problem with using an engine for more than fact checking your analysis is that doing engine-less analysis kind of teaches you to spot errors. Whereas engines just point them out, and I known for a fact from watching streamers that the engine doesn't help them in the long run. They tend to just see errors and don't improve.
Of course if you don't have time or can't stand spending a long time doing analysis there's a reason to just turn on the fish. Chess shouldn't be work unless your goal is to become the best possible version of you.
I play less than 4 classical games every month. Because I know I should analyze them thoroughly, I wait for when I’ll have time to do so. Of course, that time never comes and I end up not looking at them at all. I should at least take a quick look with the engine and not feel guilty about it.
As in this case, so much of maintaining any sort of consistent chess improvement plan comes down to "don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good."
This post is like a big beautiful breath of fresh air!
Opportunity cost is a real thing with chess. Training, analysis, study etc… But as you mentioned elsewhere - what matters is what you retain from the analysis.
i think the problem with using an engine for more than fact checking your analysis is that doing engine-less analysis kind of teaches you to spot errors. Whereas engines just point them out, and I known for a fact from watching streamers that the engine doesn't help them in the long run. They tend to just see errors and don't improve.
Of course if you don't have time or can't stand spending a long time doing analysis there's a reason to just turn on the fish. Chess shouldn't be work unless your goal is to become the best possible version of you.