"1 Week, 100 Elo: My Daily Chess Training Diary"
"You don’t get better by playing. You get better by training."
— That's what I told myself when I decided to stop playing random blitz games and start practicing with intention.
Hi, I’m Fintan – a.k.a. The Chess Addict.
A week ago, I was stuck around 800 Elo, frustrated by inconsistency. So I challenged myself:
1 week of serious training. No excuses. No skipping.
Here’s what happened.
π
Day 1 – Opening Discipline
I reviewed all my recent losses. The same story repeated:
Bad opening choices. Blundering by move 6.
π§ What I did:
Watched a 20-min video on Italian Game (my favorite opening).
Created a simple repertoire: If Black plays e5 → Italian. If d5 → Queen’s Gambit.
Played 3 games, only using this structure.
Wrote down my opening mistakes in a notebook.
π₯ Result: 2 wins, 1 loss (but no opening blunders!)
π
Day 2 – Tactics. Tactics. Tactics.
I spent 1 hour doing puzzles on Chess.com and Lichess.
Focused on:
Mate in 2
Hanging pieces
Forks and pins
Then I replayed Tal’s games and tried to guess his moves. Sacrifices? Of course.
π₯ Result:
My puzzle rating went up 60 points.
Played 2 games, both wins — won one with a bishop sacrifice combo I never would’ve seen before!
π
Day 3 – Endgame Bootcamp
I realized I didn’t know basic endgames.
So I learned:
King + pawn vs. king
Opposition and shouldering
How to win with a queen vs. pawn
Played a long game where I was up a pawn. Thanks to the training, I converted it smoothly.
π₯ Result: +20 Elo and confidence in rook endings!
π
Day 4 – Blitz Detox, Focus Mode
No blitz today.
I only played 30+0 rapid games, thinking 2 minutes per move.
Also:
Reviewed ALL my games with game review tool
Made flashcards of tactical mistakes
π₯ Result: 1 loss, 2 wins – and I actually understood my positions instead of just reacting.
π
Day 5 – The Art of Sacrifice
Inspired by Tal, I set myself a challenge:
“Try one creative sacrifice every game — even if it’s risky.”
Guess what? It worked.
I sacked my knight in the opening (Ng5 again!) and lured the king out. Then came the genius rook sacrifice I’ve used before.
π₯ Result: Win by checkmate in 21 moves. Opponent resigned and messaged: “Nice trap.”
π
Day 6 – Analysis Day
I didn’t play at all today.
Instead, I analyzed 5 of my games — win or lose — and asked:
What mistake started the collapse?
Did I play active or passive moves?
Was the sacrifice sound or just a bluff?
I wrote full notes in my chess journal.
π₯ Result: Massive clarity. I realized I overvalue material. Time to change that mindset.
π
Day 7 – Climbing Complete
Final day. I played 4 rapid games with full focus, no multitasking.
Used everything I learned:
Solid opening
Avoided autopilot
Calculated tactics
Trusted my initiative
π₯ Final Result:
Elo jumped from 648 → 754
Record: 9 wins, 2 losses
And one checkmate I’ll never forget: Qxf7++ after a knight lure.
π― My Takeaways
π― Tactics solve most problems below 1000 Elo.
βοΈ You don’t need 20 openings. Just one that fits your style.
π₯ Sacrifices are scary — but they teach more than passive play ever will.
π§ Review more than you play. Learn more than you grind.
π¬ Closing Thoughts
Chess isn’t about perfection. It’s about progress.
One week of serious training changed my confidence, mindset, and Elo.
So if you're stuck?
Don’t just play more.
Train smarter.
Track your improvement.
And never forget:
“Don’t be afraid to burn pieces if you’re lighting up the board.”
