How to Get Better at Chess (Realistic Advice from a 1200 Elo Player)

I'm currently rated around 1200 Elo, and I want to share five practical tips that genuinely helped me improve. This isn't some grandmaster-level advice—just real, tested ways that work for average players trying to climb the rating ladder. [noob knows noob's feeling]

1. Calculate Moves with Patience
Don't just move pieces quickly—take your time. Always ask yourself:

Is there a fork, pin, skewer, or check?
How does my piece affect the board?
What threats does my opponent have?
The more you practice spotting tactics and understanding your pieces' roles in their original positions, the better your decision-making becomes. Good calculation often beats memorized tricks.

2. Solve Puzzles (But Don’t Overdo It)
Puzzles are useful, but doing 200 a day won’t make you a genius overnight. Focus on basic tactical patterns: forks, pins, skewers, mates in 1–2 moves, etc.
I recommend Lichess.org’s free puzzles—they're sorted by theme and difficulty, and very beginner-friendly. Quality over quantity.

3. Learn Openings Properly
Opening knowledge starts to matter from around 800 Elo. But avoid trap-based YouTube Shorts—they’re entertaining, but rarely help in real games.
Instead, study simple opening principles by topchess and gothamchess:

Control the center
Develop minor pieces
King safety (castle early) + Pawn Break

If you want resources, books or opening theory PDFs are better for understanding long-term plans, but YouTube videos from trusted creators still have value if used wisely.

4. Learn Endgame Skills
Endgames are underrated. If you don’t know how to convert a winning position, all your good opening prep means nothing.
Practice basics like:

King and pawn vs. king
Opposition
Basic checkmates (rook + king vs. king, etc.)
Again, Lichess.org has free endgame practice that teaches you interactively. Very useful!

5. Play and Analyze
Playing games gives you experience, but analysis is what turns experience into skill.
After each game, review:

Why did I blunder?
Did I miss a simple tactic?
Did I panic under time pressure?
Even if you don’t understand everything in the engine analysis, you’ll start recognizing patterns you should avoid next time.

 
Final Thoughts
Improving at chess isn’t about memorizing fancy tricks. It’s about slowly building a toolkit of skills: seeing tactics, playing solid openings, understanding endgames, and learning from mistakes.
As a fellow 1200 Elo player, I can tell you—if you stay consistent and think before you move, improvement will come. Believe I was just a 300 elo 9 months ago but I am now a school champion(It was a hard journey but I think it is very worth it)