PhD, Associate Professor I.V. Mikhaylova^1
1Russian State Social University, Moscow

Keywords: chess sport, physical training, informational competency, technical and tactical training, tie-break.

Background. Chess sport is presently ranked among the most popular sport disciplines in Russia with the national chess-playing population estimated at more than 540 thousand. As reported by Yandex service team, chess-related data search queries are second only to the football and ice-hockey related ones. The core mission of the modern chess sport is to encourage active intellectual progress and intellectual competitions with the players competing in operations with conceptual spatial images and schemes that harmonically combine elements of science, arts and abstract logical game. The creative competitive process in chess is intended to excel the opponent in the abstract logical thinking. The chess sport was recognized by the International Olympic Committee in 1999 albeit not formally ranked with the Olympic sport disciplines as yet.

Objective of the study was to make a content analysis of the academic chess mastering system at the sport excellence stage.

Methods and structure of the study. Modern chess sport may be described as the complex multi-component sport training system with its specific interpersonal relationship, behavioural standards and competitive accomplishments combined in the competitive process as such. Given in Table 1 hereunder is the long-term chess mastering process with its age- and qualification-specific phases and stages.

Table 1. Chess player’s training phases and stages

It should be noted that no precise time periods may be applied to the chess mastering stages and phases as they are rather individual in fact; with a special emphasis on the training process individualisation made at the player’s resource top mobilisation stage. It is the sport qualification attained by the chess player in every phase that is considered a key success criterion. At the sport excellence stage, a player starts progress from the Master of Sport qualification; with the qualification for the national team and successes in Olympic Games, World and European Championships being set as the core goals of the training process.

In 2002, Russian State Social University successively established the Chess Theory and Practice Department; Anatoly Karpov’s Children’s and Youth Chess School; and the International Chess Education Centre. S.A. Kayakin, A.K. Inarkiev, Y.A. Nepomnyashchiy, O.A. Girya, V.E. Gunina and other leading chess players entered the University when they were qualified at least Candidate Masters of Sports. The trainers and educators with the top-notch general and special competences have developed 17 education curricula for the University designed to reasonably combine the traditional, distance and electronic (Skype-based) education models.

Table 2. Chess mastering system applied at RSSU

Given in Table 2 is the practical chess players’ training model tested at RSSU and making a special emphasis on the informational training as a core provision for success in modern chess that is a highly abstract and logical sport discipline [1]. Presently the academic chess training and competitive system is designed as required by the Federal Sport Training Standard (FSTS) for Chess Sport put into effect in 2015. The valid FSTS sets specific standards and requirements for the sport excellence phase applicable at every national education establishment including RSSU.

Study results and discussion. The training model was designed to give a top priority to the relevant informational and communication technologies with application of the modern computer networks, search systems, chess game software, electronic databases and special websites that made it possible to improve the motor intensity of the training process in the sport excellence phase by more than 80%. For 15 years of the chess mastering model being applied at the University, more than 20 students were qualified World Class Grand Masters and World Class Masters [2]. S.A. Kayakin, A.K. Inarkiev, Y.A. Nepomnyashchiy, O.A. Girya and V.E. Gunina have qualified for the Russian national team and won the Olympic Games, World and European Championships. An analysis of the players’ competitive accomplishments in the top-ranking global events showed that the World Championships were often won on tie-breaks that may be compared to the penalties in football. The tie-breaks with time limits were applied in cases of even scores in the main match time to nominate the winners in the following matches: V. Kramnik vs. P. Leko, Brissago, 2000; V. Kramnik vs. V. Topalov, Elista, 2006; V. Anand vs. B. Gelfand, Moscow, 2013; M. Carslen vs. S. Karjakin, New York, 2016; and T. Chzhuni vs. A. Muzychuk, Tehran, 2017.  Sport physicians, psychologists and body conditioning and special physical training coaches were involved in the matches to help the players mobilise their individual resources to the maximum.

Conclusion. The modern top sport excellence training systems applied in competitive chess give a special priority to a variety of mental and special physical training components geared to improve the mental and physical performance of a chess player. Elite chess players’ training systems must be improved with a special emphasis on the tie-break playing skills in the situations burdened with fatigue and game monotony. The relevant components of the technical, tactical and informational training systems need to be advanced to improve the players’ psychophysical functionality including overall and special endurance, volitional fitness, mobilisation fitness, concentration and determination.

References

1. Mikhaylova I.V., Shmeleva S.V., Makhov A.S. Primenenie infokommunikatsionnykh sredstv obucheniya v mnogoletney podgotovke sportsmenov-shakhmatistov [Information communication teaching aids in long-term training of chess players]. Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury, 2015, no. 5, pp. 70–72.
2. Mikhaylova I.V., Makhov A.S. Sozdanie federalnoy innovatsionnoy ploshchadki po formirovaniyu modeli i ideologii operezhayushchego adaptivnogo shakhmatnogo obrazovaniya v vuze [Creating federal innovative platform for dissemination of model and ideology of advanced development of university adaptive chess education]. Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury, 2015, no 10, pp. 56-58.
3. Mikhaylova I.V., Makhov A.S., Alifirov A.I. Shakhmaty kak mnogokomponentny vid adaptivnoy fizicheskoy kultury [Chess as multi­component type of adaptive physical culture]. Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury, 2015, no. 12. pp. 56-58.

Corresponding author: helga@chessy.ru

Abstract

The article gives an overview of modern competitive chess with the typical growth phases and stages in the chess player’s career. A content analysis of the existing chess training system was made to consider the progress logics of the top-level mastery. The study summarises the practical training experiences of a few Olympic Games, World and European champions including the competitive accomplishments of S.A. Karjakin, A.K. Inarkiev, Y.A. Nepomnyashchiy, O.A. Giri and V.E. Gunina, graduates of Russian State Social University. The authors underline the fact that many World and European Championship titles have been won on the tie-breaks in case of even scores in the main match time. The modern top sport excellence training systems applied in chess give a special priority to a variety of mental and special physical training components geared to improve the mental and physical performance of a chess player. Components of the technical, tactical and informational training systems are presently so streamlined that are applied by the players automatically and, hence, they do not give a decisive advantage in the tie-break matches.