Getting better at the game part 4
In my previous articles I talked about how I havn't really improved much due to procrastinating and really just not applying a good method for chess improvement. In my previous articles I meantioned books that I had planned on studying, however, due to other commitments and extreme procrasting, I am lead to do almost nothing but study my freaking ass off for probably the next 3 weeks so I don't have any time for any chess training at all but here I am procrastinating from my school studies to shed some light on a commenly asked chess.com question. "How can I improve in a short amount of time?"
First and foremost, while you are improving, you need to keep focus on the big picture, that you need to be improving on 5 chess fundamentals while playing and studying the game.
1. Time Management. You need to get good at managing your time on a long game. Don't think too fast, or take too long to move. Please note we are not talking about speed chess because for our own purposes, speed chess, isn't real chess.
2. Piece Activity. You need to get good at developing and making use of the pieces you have developed, and make your opponents pieces less useful if you can.
3. Piece and King Safety. Get good at spoting tactical motifs, learn as many mating nets and mating patterns as you can, and always think before you move. Think about 3-7 possible candidate moves for your next move, and think of the replies to those moves by your opponents, only be concerned with your opponents best reply. From there you would have to consult Dan Heismans book to learn about a cool thinking algorithm to know for thinking up of a good next chess move.
4. Thought process. Basically the thought process behind your chess moves. Thought process, king and piece safety, and chess general principles go hand in hand I think.
5. Chess General Principles.
In order to increase your rating dramatically one needs to master these 5 fundamentals. Here is how to do it.
1.) You need to study a chess "textbook." A good example of a chess textbook is the Amateurs Mind by Jeremy Silman.
2.) You need to get better at tactics. Dan Heisman has one method, others have different methods. A good general method is to pick a good book that covers basic tactical motifs and or mating nets and study them once through, then later going through them again and again increasing your PR (personal time record) each time you complete a "set" (a given set of problems do not do the whole book in one setting you will probably get your brain fried or get too exausted)
3.) You need to start applying Dan Heisman's thinking algorhim in all of the moves of all of your games.
4.) You should spend some time analyzing each of your games
5.) Study and play at the correct ratio's
6.) Study as many master games as you possibly can. If you are a beginner you should start with something like logical chess move by move like I am. I know of one NM that said his cheif reason for becoming a master was having studied 30000 master games.
