Road to 2000 Rapid, Expert Level: Searching for Improvement Following Each Game - February 2022

RogueAI3160

Updated: Feb 9, 2022, 12:37 PM | 0

--------------- FEBRUARY 2022 GAMES ---------------

I have begun this blog to track my progress, thought process, style of play, and to share with anyone interested in my games of chess. This blog will help me to find my common errors and mistakes in my chess gameplay along with showing you how I got into certain positions. I modeled this blog after forum posts in which he tracked his progress from 1482 to 1600 rapid on chess.com.

My plan from, 8/3/2021, to 1/1/2024, is to follow my progress to chess Expert level at 2000 Rapid Elo. To maximize my learning and improvement while also saving myself time, I am going to make the most of every single game that I play by only playing 10 minute to 60 minute long games and analyzing them after they conclude. This will help me find my errors, track my progress, and see tangible evidence of my long-term improvement. Off we go!

I will be playing my games in the following format set up by :

1. Eliminate horrible blunders, such as leaving pieces en prise, falling for obvious skewers, dangerous pins, forks and "mates out of the blue". Win, lose or draw is not the important part here, I just want to practice good chess habits and learn how to play patiently and solidly. If I lose I want it to be because I got thoroughly outplayed, not because I gave up something for free. At least this way I can go through my loss and learn something more productive than "I shouldn't have left that piece undefended"

2. Don't play when tired or distracted. Chess time will be "tunnel time", during that time it will be my sole focus. I am going to set aside time specifically for that purpose. I will warm up with some tactics puzzles, and if I'm so tired or distracted that I can't solve any of them then I'm probably better off doing something else than chess at that time.

3. Analyze every game. By forcing myself to analyze every game, I am forcing myself to learn from every game. If it is a particularly instructional game, or the opening catches me off guard or the endgame is completely unfamiliar or something like that, I will do a deeper analysis. I will study the unfamiliar opening or the particular endgame, to be better prepared in the future.

Game 1
Black
"Expert's Recommendation"

Accuracy 85.5 - 84.8

Horrible Blunders: 1 Playing 9...e6 was a pretty bad move. I didn't know that this was so dangerous. The problem was that my knight had one square to go to if white attacked it, and that move would undefend my pawn!

Best Move: 21...Bxb5

Note 1: Study a little more before trying new openings. Figure out what are key traps and common mistakes so I can learn from them. Overall, this was a decent game!

Moral: Never give up in a losing position. Equalizing or winning positions can only happen if you try.

Road to 2000 Rapid, Expert Level: Searching for Improvement Following Each Game - February 2022

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