As a full-time chess lover who is forced to be a part-time player (yes, I must work to pay my bills ) I often find myself wishing to cram more learning into each session. Predictably, it doesn't quite work that way.

I tried all the usual stuff, with varying degrees of success. As another year passes by, I thought it might help if I put it all down and see what worked and what didn't. It could help me make some practical new year resolutions -- though sticking to such resolutions is not an easy matter.

1. Get a learning partner

I've been trying to get someone to play with me and help develop my repertoire ever since I created my chess.com account. Yes there are online players who are willing, but I find the process to be very slow unless I spend 2-3hrs at a stretch online at the same time as my partner. Not an easy task, given all kinds of practical constraints including timezone differences and daily-priorities. Late night sessions tend to affect health and the morning-after. So the real need is for a neighborhood player whose repertoire preferences aren't not too different (and with sufficient spare-time overlap for at least one session a week).

So for the new year, this item remains on my wish-list.

2. Re-learn the use of books, databases and search engines

At work, I often fret when colleagues google-around for stuff that they should know as a fundamental requirement of their profession. Alas, I find myself doing something similar in chess. Even for opening lines that I've been playing regularly for over a year, I automatically hit the "game explorer" not just to confirm the variation, but to figure it out. There came a time (I stopped it now) when I made notes in each of my games indicating which page number of my book I should play the next move from!!

Why? Perhaps it is an easy way out for a part-timer to play what masters play without thinking too much about it. Hey if I had that much time, I wouldn't be a part-timer, would I? But then, it is just an excuse, isn't it?

So back to the basics. I must know at least some of the lines of my repertoire and must keep developing my knowledge. That means that the databases are not to be used life-lines, but as improvement tools -- to discover new ideas and recent developments. The primary use of opening theory / repertoire books is to develop the repertoire -- not as handy excuses to bypass learning altogether.

3. Re-learn how to read Game Analysis posts

My excuse of being a part-timer gave me the right to fast forward through game posts. Just the main lines; I simply don't have the time for the alternative lines posted. I read through the comments of author, and tell myself that some learning is better than nothing. Not even when authors like vbhat force a pause by splitting their games and asking questions that would get most people to think!

Now I realize that it is just not good enough. Except in opening lines that I already know most variations, I must pause for every move and think what I would play in that position and why! This, for both white and black -- flipping the board if necessary, to get a proper perspective.

I know I won't be able to do it for every game I read, but at least one such game analysis a week (well, there is the concession for my part-time status) is probably a good beginning.

Thus in the new year, does the quest continue. The soul stays thirsty.