How much should I study the week before?

Less than you think. Light tactics and one opening refresh a day; arriving rested matters more than one extra line.

Should I prepare against specific opponents?

At club level, prepare structures and your own repertoire. Individual preparation pays off mainly when you know the pairings in advance and your opponent has a narrow, documented repertoire.

What is the single most common preparation mistake?

Learning a brand-new opening in the last fortnight. It costs clock time, invites early mistakes and undermines confidence.

← Chess blog

Tournament play · 8 min read

Planning for a tournament: the four weeks before round one

Tournament preparation is mostly logistics and habits, not secret opening lines. The players who perform above their rating are usually the ones who slept, ate, arrived early and knew what they would play against 1.e4.

Here is a four-week plan that fits around normal life, plus the per-round routine that keeps it working once the event starts.

Week 4: decide the repertoire and stop changing it

Pick one answer to 1.e4, one to 1.d4, and one first move of your own. Written down, not improvised.
Learn the first six to eight moves and, more importantly, the plan behind them: which structure, which piece placements, which pawn breaks.
Do not learn a new opening in the last two weeks. Novelty costs clock time and confidence.
Check the pairing list or previous years' entrants if published, but prepare structures rather than individuals at club level.

Week 3: tactics volume and endgame basics

Twenty to thirty tactics puzzles a day, mixed themes, timed. Volume beats difficulty for tournament sharpness.
Revise the endgames that actually occur: king and pawn versus king, rook and pawn versus rook basics, rook and king mate, two bishops mate.
Practise the patterns you keep missing rather than the ones you enjoy — your reviewed games tell you which those are.

Week 2: play the time control you will face

Play at least three full-length games at the event's time control. Blitz does not prepare you for a four-hour round.
Record every game on paper, even online-adjacent practice, so notation is automatic by round one.
Review each practice game the next day: turning point, missed motif, one sentence of intent.

Week 1: taper and sort the logistics

Reduce study volume; keep light tactics and one opening refresh per day.
Fix sleep to the schedule the event requires, especially for morning rounds.
Plan travel to arrive 30-45 minutes before round one, and know where the venue and the toilets are.
Pack: pens, a spare pen, water, simple food, a jumper, your federation ID or membership details, and a phone you can switch off and store as the regulations require.
Read the event regulations: time control, increment, device rules, default time, tie-breaks, and how results are reported.

The per-round routine

Twenty minutes before: eat something light, drink water, glance at your repertoire notes once, then close them.
At the board: set up, check the clock times and increment, sign the top of your scoresheet with names, colours, round and date.
During: notate every move, glance at the clock every five moves, and keep a process goal in mind.
After: sign both sheets, report the result, note the turning point, then leave the hall and eat.
Between rounds: no deep analysis, no doom-scrolling the standings. Walk, eat, reset.

After the event

Convert every scoresheet to PGN within a week, while you still remember what you were thinking. Review each game for one gap, and let the trends across the event — openings that failed, phases where the clock collapsed, motifs you missed twice — set your study plan for the next four weeks.

That closes the loop: preparation produces games, games produce data, data produces the next preparation.

Key takeaways

Fix the repertoire four weeks out and stop tinkering.
Tactics volume in week 3, full-length practice games in week 2, taper in week 1.
Logistics — sleep, food, travel, pens, device rules — are half of tournament performance.
Convert and review every scoresheet within a week of the event.

Frequently asked questions

How much should I study the week before?: Less than you think. Light tactics and one opening refresh a day; arriving rested matters more than one extra line.
Should I prepare against specific opponents?: At club level, prepare structures and your own repertoire. Individual preparation pays off mainly when you know the pairings in advance and your opponent has a narrow, documented repertoire.
What is the single most common preparation mistake?: Learning a brand-new opening in the last fortnight. It costs clock time, invites early mistakes and undermines confidence.