if we are between 1250 -1350 should there be a limit on games going at the same time is a 100 +

games good for us, or do we learn nothing and make more mistakes by trying to keep up, 

what amount would the 1800 to 2500 recommend for us to really learn

also could there be unrated games between high and low  rates wih the high

commenting on the moves

If you want to use online chess to learn, I'd say you should use enough time per move (except, of course, for obvious recaptures, only moves, etc). Say 15 to 30 minutes of analyzing the position to come to a decision of what the best move is. If it goes right, after your opponent's move, you can start your analysis with the analysis you already did on that move, saved in the Notes. If your opponent plays a strong move that you didn't analyze at all, you must do better next time!

So then the question becomes, how many games can you play at the same time, while still able to spend enough time per move?

Luckily, I'm just within your 'recommendation' range, so I'll tell you what I suggest to improve.

The first thing that comes to mind is that 100 games is NOT the way to improve. Neither is 50 games.

At most, if you really want to improve, don't play any more than 30 games at once. And this is only if you have plenty of time to study each one individually.

Analyse several different moves from each position (yourself, not by a computer!!!). Write down your findings under the Notes tab. Or, save your analysis in a Word document, for review after the game. Make sure you're prepared for what you think your opponent will do.

As for unrated games with higher-rated players commenting on moves, that is what the Takeback Game function is for. In a Takeback game, you can reverse moves that were bad (or just to go back to a crucial position). Some high-raters will be happy to coach you.

Hi guys,

I still maintain that the best way to improve your chess game is to play players that are stronger than you are.  200-300 points higher than you would seem (to me) a good range.  It is difficult, you take a lot of beatings.  But, you learn more from losses than you do from wins.  Any higher than 200-300 point will usually result in you getting badly beaten and that is not a good learning experience.

As far as number of games to play at one time.  That is really up to an individual to determine.  For me, the number of games I can play and still have time to spend analyzing each move is about 15-20.

Watch your backrank.

I have devised another measurement for game load. Rather than just counting the # of games I prefer the "adjusted moves/day" unit. You calculate it with n/(t-0.5), where n is # of games and t the time control in days. For cansell, it is now 10 am/d.

The great advantages of this more complicated unit is that it can easier be converted into time usage, as well as taking into account the fact that there are different time limits.

The "mysterious" 0.5 stems from the fact of time zones and workdays - a 12 hour average margin is simply necessary. This factor also fixes the fact that a doubling of the time limit gives less than half the load - you have more time management possibilities to handle more difficult moves (or real-life issues).

That being said, with 3 days time control and 2 hours a day for chess, 10 am/d gives 30 mins/ move. As stated above, this is quite enough time for improving.