Practical Lessons

My Quest to 2800 Blitz (And Why You Should Play More Blitz Too)

How I'm climbing from 2581 to 2800 blitz before the Naroditsky Memorial and why blitz deserves a spot in your training plan

11 hrs ago • Dalton Perrine

What a Figure Skater Can Teach You About Chess Improvement

How an Olympic figure skater's approach to competition, failure, and pressure can make you a better chess player

Mar 12 • Dalton Perrine

What Every Chess School Got Right (And What You Can Steal From Each One)

Five training philosophies from five different countries. You don't need to be from any of them to use what works.

Mar 4 • Dalton Perrine

What “Talent” Actually Means in Chess (It’s Not What You Think)

Talent exists but it's not what's holding you back.

Feb 25 • Dalton Perrine

Plateaus Don't Exist (in Chess)

You're not stuck. You're just not out-improving everyone else.

Feb 6 • Dalton Perrine

What If Your Biggest Chess Problem Has Nothing to Do With Chess?

How out-of-game issues sabotage your results and what to do about them

Jan 30 • Dalton Perrine

A Flowchart for Chess Decisions: The 4 Questions to Ask Every Turn

A simple thinking system to reduce blunders and find better moves

Jan 22 • Dalton Perrine

Stop Doing More Tactics If You Can't Convert Winning Positions

Why your tactics rating doesn't match your playing strength (and what to do about it)

Jan 13 • Dalton Perrine

Why You Keep Blundering in Chess (And How to Stop)

Learn proven methods to reduce blunders, spot hanging pieces, and defend better in your games.

Dec 30, 2025 • Dalton Perrine

5 Takeaways from the 2025 US Masters

Two weeks ago I played in the US Masters tournament which took place from November 26-30.

Dec 11, 2025 • Dalton Perrine

Make Your Opponent Sweat for Their Rating Points

The mindset and methods that keep strong players alive in bad positions

Dec 3, 2025 • Dalton Perrine

How I Rebuilt My Entire Opening Repertoire From Scratch

A four-month process for building a repertoire that holds up in real games

Nov 26, 2025 • Dalton Perrine

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