How I have Improved my Chess and how you can as well

How can you improve your chess?

How can you improve your chess? That is a great question. Here's my story on how I improved.

- March 8th, 2021

Today is March 8th, 2021. The other day I had discovered something that I hadn't thought would come. I had come back to the rating that I had wanted to have after learning more chess last year. My rating had dropped down from 1200, the rating chess.com gives you after first make an account.

I had started by playing a few 10-minute chess.com games to see what my level was. It dropped to 400. I started to play some more games over the next month. Slowly going up and down.

My mom signed me up for a chess class or club. Teterpall Chess Club was my first club. The classes were ok. We went over some tactics and did some puzzles. After my class, I found a chess tactic book I had never used. Chess Tactics For Kids. This book was written by a grandmaster, Murray Chandler. I found that out after researching the author's name. It helped a little but I hadn't fully learned move quotations yet. I read the book for a while and got the hang of the quotations.

I started to climb my rating up after doing the classes and reading the book. 500, 600, 700. I played my first tournament at about the rating of 450. I did ok tied at 12th place. By the next week, I had played 3 TeeterPal tournaments. Practicing over and over and over.

In January 2021 I had a rating of 800. I was 9 which meant I still needed some time to get better based on my rating. 1000 is the basic rating of a 9-year-old. We're still in January and I had won my first chess tournament. Previously I had won 3rd twice and 2nd once. Now I had first. The only problem was that the tournament had 8 people only. I was still proud because a GM had been in the tournament. February, I had jumped to 900, wobbling to 800, and back to 900 again. I had gotten Diamond Membership on chess.com from my mom. My birthday was in April so I had to move on quickly. Yes, I was desperate to have a 1000 rating. My brother and sister had made a chess.com account each. Each at the age of 5. My brother had improved quickly at the rating of 800. My sister still learning at 400. I had become 950. By the time I am writing this, I am 970.

Never giving up.

Tips on how you can get better

• Play chess in a quiet place with fewer distractions 
• Do chess puzzles every day before you start playing some chess games to warm up your brain
• Play rapid games so you won't have to race for the time
• Study some openings and get a solid opening for black, and white
• Watch some chess video's
• Analyze your chess games
• Practice vs. the bots 

My Favorite Opening is the Italian Game or Giuoco Piano Game: Italian Variation

The opening allows castling at the beginning of the game and allows your knight and bishop to be activated in the game.

I recommend watching GothamChess and others to learn your openings etc. 

"Growing can help you get stronger in your mind so it will take time till you will feel good about your chess." 

 Practice makes perfect, never giving up rewards you, and don't forget to have fun.