BenjiPortheault's Blog

You are not your rating

2025-04-02T07:18:53.608Z

Stop treating yourself only as improvement project

The War on Attention

2025-02-18T20:49:17.011Z

I’m done consuming chess content

10,000 hours? Understanding the conditions for expert learning

2024-11-30T15:52:34.727Z

An introduction to key ideas about the expert learning process

How to Focus

2024-09-22T21:12:12.501Z

From just-sitting to just-chess, a natural relaxed focus technique.

Losing at chess: an unpacking

2024-06-15T11:30:29.191Z

Recognising and handling the biological, psychological and social factors contributing to the pain of losing.

Discipline

2024-05-21T22:45:02.417Z

An operating system to help you align actions and intent: the ICED framework

Guest Interview: Casey Thomas, Esports Performance Nutrition Specialist

2024-05-12T10:19:28.926Z

How to think about nutrition and leverage it for chess performance

Tournament Formats in Professional Chess

2024-02-07T09:31:40.386Z

Getting the conversation started on the drawbacks of ubiquitous formats

The xG of Chess: Shark Points

2024-01-06T17:46:07.748Z

A metric to quantify missed chances

Teach yourself to be a Resilient Tournament Player

2023-12-10T14:42:50.448Z

A practical guide to boost your tournament results. Grab a pen and paper.

Leaning into discomfort

2023-10-14T18:23:23.915Z

Stop trying to trick yourself into focusing on what is important and address the root cause of distraction.

My notes from the esports coaching and performance summit 2023

2023-09-30T11:25:06.301Z

Cutting edge practices for performance from top esports coaches.

Heart Rate Variability for chess players

2023-09-02T10:47:30.85Z

What is Heart Rate Variability and how to use it for performance improvement.

Guest interview #1: PhD in Psychology and chess player WFM María Rodrigo Yangua

2023-08-11T08:16:31.703Z

This week is the first ever interview on this blog, I am talking to Dr María Rodrigo Yanguas. María has a PhD in psychology and is a titled chess player. She was very gracious to spend time answering my questions on chess and psychology. Enjoy the interview and follow María for more of her great content.

“When I finally ...”

2023-07-29T15:25:45.107Z

“When I finally do all this chess training, I will be a complete player and I will enjoy playing in tournaments”

Is team chess a team sport?

2023-06-30T08:30:51.194Z

From club players of the 1890’s to today’s Global Chess league, what does it mean to play team chess? How can teams be successful and have players that play at their best?

Ubuntu

2023-06-10T16:07:10.822Z

The African philosophy that guides us to be better people.

Trust the Process

2023-05-17T21:36:36.382Z

Why process is king - don't be swayed by short term results

Course Launch: Mindfulness for the Tournament Player

2023-04-22T10:40:49.95Z

A series of guided meditations to help you at various moments of a chess tournament

Course review: Next Level Training by Noël Studer

2023-03-25T11:32:58.38Z

Unique and valuable take on "How to study chess" in the age of information overload.

Reflections on Mental Toughness

2023-02-28T00:10:16.458Z

Musings and reflections on two modern models of Mental Toughness.

Understanding mental fatigue

2023-02-20T23:37:05.652Z

Raise your OTB level by understanding of to delay the onset of mental fatigue

Team Chess Analytics: Chess ‘Moneyball’

2023-02-05T23:04:56.406Z

How to maximize the score of your chess team

Jiro dreams of tactics

2022-12-22T13:11:03.395Z

Learn about mastery from one of the best sushi chefs in the world