Get Better at Chess with Ashwagandha Gummies

Anxiety and nerves unite us all as chess players. Most chess lovers experience a healthy amount of butterflies when facing good players, such as an 1800 player or even a fide master. 

In my experience on chess.com, my hands tremble whenever I get the opportunity to face an international master. I always know I can suck the Elo points out of them if I win, of course.

Higher-rated players seem always to be one step ahead of us, and they almost always control the pace of most chess games. They find moves quicker, feel the game better, and calculate deeper than most players. Getting better at chess cannot always be solved with vitamins and supplements, but they can help the journey.

It always seems that better players have a heightened sense of clarity.

Grandmasters are just as brilliant as anybody else.

Grandmasters aren't more intelligent than you. I have seen grandmasters act as dumb as everyone else. 

Ironically, Hikaru Nakamura took an IQ test and returned with a 102 score. This test might be rigged, but it should be within a plus 20 to 30, give or take. Super Grandmasters have the same fundamentals as casual players, but their thought process differs slightly from ours.

Speculating at its finest, most grandmasters have said similar things about weaker players.

The difference between everyone else and GMs is their ability to withhold good moves until later. Igor Smirnov talks about this in his remote chess academy, where weaker players want to force ideas that aren't there.

This concept made me around 2000 strength, blitz, and rapid.

What is the best way to get better at chess?

The best way to improve at chess isn't to play more games. Instead, you should examine your weaknesses and try to fix holes in your games.

Look at your emotional state. Are you on edge after a losing streak? Are you overexcited when beating a master on chess.com?

Maybe you feel tense before blitz games, or perhaps even rapid. 

Regardless of age, everyone should take time to assess and redefine their chess. I struggled with endgame technique and always tensed up when playing higher-ups. So, I began assessing what was wrong with my playing style and read books to aid in pursuing endgame mastery.

My style resembles Jose Raul Capablanca, where he trades off middle pieces, simplifies, and wins the endgame. It's a dull, low-risk style, but I got to 2100 Elo with his simple chess.

Check out my profile on chess.com, chesscats82. Sometimes, people are skeptical about my blitz rating. 

If you struggle with anxiety and pressure before games

There is a supplement on the market right now called Ashwagandha, which has been proven to reduce stress, anxiety, and overexcitement. I take one before any game on chess.com, and I have seen measurable growth in my Elo. 

In November 2023, my rating was around 1650, skyrocketing to 1900 in January 2024 without the help of books. This was purely supplement-based. Thanks to my ashwagandha gummy, I have reached an all-time high rating. 

How can I be sure that my chess was affected by this goli ashwagandha gummy?

I didn't take any courses for one during that time. I also didn't consume any chess material to boost my rating. And after multiple losing streaks, I didn't rage quit and kept my composure. I could calculate farther in blitz, up to 5 lines ahead. My focus and memory improved, and I could memorize many lines in the Ruy Lopez. 

What is Ashwagandha?

Ashwagandha is an Ayurvedic herb used in Indian medicine. It is classified as an adaptogen, fighting physical and mental stress. This herb is commonly grown in Africa and Asia and is mainly used to treat anxiety, alter the immune system, and have anti-inflammatory properties. 

Although the long-term side effects of Ashwagandha have not been entirely conclusive, it has been safe to reduce oxidative stress in the short term.

There should also be no medications or underlying medical conditions when taking this product. You should consult a doctor beforehand to see if Ashwagandha suits you. 

The science-backed benefits of Ashwagandha for chess players

In my experience, the best ashwagandha supplements can skyrocket your chess and, scientifically, have been proven to reduce stress and anxiety, reduce cortisol levels, and even maintain a lower heart rate.

If you search for Wesley So vs. Nodirbek in the French defense on YouTube, you will find that both players had abnormally high heart rates, around 180! If one takes a supplement to reduce agitation, one becomes calmer during Play. 

Some players like to be on edge when they play, and kudos to you if that is you. 

There are more backed benefits to ashwagandha gummies for chess players than just lowering blood pressure and a sense of calm. It can also improve cognitive ability, heightened focus, quicker reaction times, a longer duration of attention span, and general memory, which means more extended theory knowledge, more strength in long, dragging endgames, and not succumbing to the famous grandmaster effect, where you feel the pressure of a higher rated player. 

How long does it take for Ashwagandha to work?

Improvements in relaxation and a sedating effect usually come after just a couple of weeks, but some players have reported immediate effects, maybe after 1-2 days of taking the supplement. 

For about a month, I have had noticeable effects when ingesting gummies containing Ashwagandha. It took longer for me, but the results may vary depending on the person.

Practical Tips for Chess Improvement

As a chess player for over ten years, I know something about getting better besides vitamins and supplements. 

I was stuck at 1600 Blitz for quite a while, and I couldn't even memorize the London system in chess, let alone win three games in a row. It was always a 50/50 gamble with my games, and it sucked. 

At the mid-ladder elo levels, players must analyze the chess knight and its movements to avoid blunders and mistakes.

It's also wise to remember some rules about the knight piece at this Elo range. 

If your piece is two squares away from the opponent knight piece, it will take two turns to reach it. 

Put high-value pieces on squares of opposite colors to avoid the fork. The knight doesn't move like an L. When visualizing the knight, picture an octopus. 

Chess rooks should always be placed on a semi-open, preferably an open line. 

Switching Sides in Endgames: Tips from Jose Raul Capablanca

What is a good chess rating for this type of advice?

Read no further if you are 1450 since this skill is only for midladder experts.

The theory of 2 weaknesses states that if your opponent has two weaknesses, they will do whatever means possible to defend one weak point.

But this means that one weakness will be severely undefended.

In his book Chess Fundamentals, Capablanca attacks one weak point, then suddenly switches sides to attack another pawn. The attack has to be a sudden switch to catch your opponent off guard. Using this strategy, he records many smooth wins against top grandmasters in the book. 

Most chess players will not understand that all it takes to win at higher-level chess is one pawn, and the game is over. Why is this the case? 

Well, GM Capablanca snags off a pawn in most of his examples recorded in the book and then promoted to a queen in most games. Even Carlsen has qualities similar to Capablanca, as he does the same things with strong players. Rarely will you see an exciting combination, as the commentators only choose the most eye-catching games. 

The Best Chess Books I recommend for strong players

Positional Play is one of my strengths, and some of the best books on chess strategy include Capablanca's Chess Fundamentals and Jonathan Rowson's Chess for Zebras. Carlsen loves the latter, as he said in his recommendations as one of his essential chess books. 

I would recommend Levy Rozman's book How to Win at Chess as a good book for beginners. I haven't read it, but I have heard some good reviews. 

Concluding and Close

Ashwagandha gummies can improve your chess tremendously, improving cognitive function and focus and reducing cortisol levels when playing chess. It boosted my rating by around 100 points, so if you're struggling to break out of a specific Elo range, Ashwagandha can help. 

I am speculating here, but many grandmasters have emerged from India recently. I believe it's due to their focus, supplemented with ayurvedic vitamins, with Ashwagandha playing a significant role. 

I left you, the reader, with some additional tips to improve your gameplay, notably from a snippet from Capablanca's Chess Fundamentals. I also included tips on avoiding knight blunders and chess rooks on open lines.

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