Turn Your Chess Weaknesses Into Your Chess Strengths!
Introduction
Everyone wants to get better at chess. I believe the best way to do so is to improve at your weak points. If you find yourself losing games because of tactical blunders, you probably need to work on your Tactics! That's why I wrote the below blog post - to help you turn your chess weaknesses into your chess strengths!
How to Use This Blog Post
I identified ten common weaknesses that many players have. First, I'll explain what they are. Then, I'll direct you to some Recommended Content - articles, videos, books, and anything that will help you learn more. Finally, I'll add some Recommended Resources - hands-on experience with online chess tools. I hope you enjoy this post and maybe improve while reading it!
Let's start!
#1 - Opening Theory
First on our list is Opening Theory.
Opening Theory is the concrete lines you’ve memorized in your openings. While most people don’t believe Opening Theory matters much, it’s crucial. Knowing how to play openings can win you games, especially if you play a highly theoretical opening like the Sicilian.
It’s also very important to be aware of traps in your opening. For example, If you play the Ruy Lopez, there are a few traps that you could fall into. For example:
Relevant Content: Any Opening Book, thechesswebsite, Hanging Pawns, chesspub
Relevant Resources: Chessable, Listudy, OpeningTree
#2 - Opening Knowledge
Chess YouTuber GothamChess has said, “If you want to reach 2100-2200 on chess.com, the path to reach there is pure prep. At 1900 level, you are not losing because of your endgames, but for lack of knowledge of how to play the positions that arise out of your openings."
Is that true? Well, I’ll stay neutral about that. But if you do hit 2200 because of my tips, please gift me a membership or something. Just kidding! Or am I?
Relevant Content: Any Opening Book, Hanging Pawns
Relevant Resources: Chessable, Any Opening Database, Game Collections
#3 - Tactical Pattern Recognition
Forks, pins, skewers. Do you know what those are? If you're presented with the below puzzle:
Would you instantly solve it?
This is what Tactical Pattern Recognition is all about. You have spent hours practicing puzzles (hopefully) so that in a real game, you recognize the tactical pattern and use it to win the game. The best players in the world can solve tactics in less than a second, because they have spent years building up their pattern recognition.
Relevant Content: Winning Chess Tactics, The Woodpecker Method, Chess: 5334 Problems
Relevant Resources: Puzzles, Puzzle Rush, The Woodpecker Method
#4 - Calculation and Visualization
Calculation and visualization is about seeing what will happen to the position in a few moves. Calculation and visualization are very important in tactical decision-making. Here's a GothamChess video on the subject which is very instructive:
Calculation and visualization are two skills that are very important and also very easy to hone. Check out some relevant resources that could help you:
Relevant Content: Chess Calculation Training, Grandmaster Preparation: Calculation
Relevant Resources: Blindfold Chess, Visualization Trainer, Pieceless Tactics, Blind Tactics
#5 - Strategic Knowledge
Strategic knowledge is the area where many club players struggle. Strategic knowledge is about concepts that affect positional play. These concepts include space advantages, pawn structures, control of the center, king safety, and more.
Here's a mini-lesson about an important concept, the battle between bishops and knights.
Relevant Content: Winning Chess Strategies, How to Reassess Your Chess, Logical Chess: Move by Move, Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy
Relevant Resources: Play Games and Practice!
#6 - Planning and Prophylaxis
Even a poor plan is better than none at all.
-Mikhail Chigorin
One of the things that many club players struggle with is planning. We find it very difficult to create good plans, which is unfortunate because it’s very important. However, planning is not something that can be trained. To learn how to make effective plans, you need to know a lot of strategy, study a lot of games, and have very good judgment.
While they go hand in hand, prophylaxis is the opposite of planning. Prophylaxis is about actively figuring out your opponent’s plans and taking measures to deter it. Both skills are very important in a chess game.
Try this: What is the correct plan of attack in this position?
Relevant Content: Simple Chess, The Art of Planning in Chess, Judgment and Planning in Chess
Relevant Resources: Play Games and Practice!
#7 - Endgame Technique
“In order to improve your game, you must study the endgame before everything else.”
-Jose Raul Capablanca
Endgame technique in chess is about the skills needed to accurately convert an advantage into a win. It's important because in the endgame, your technique can mean the difference between a win and a draw, or even a loss.
Relevant Content: Silman's Complete Endgame Course, Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual, Fundamental Chess Endings, 100 Endgames You Must Know, Study Master Games
Relevant Resources: Chessable Endgames, Endgame Trainer
#8 - Conversion
The hardest game to win is a won game.
-Emanuel Lasker
If you’re up a piece in the middlegame, can you simplify into a winning endgame?
Against a player at your playing strength, of course! However, the real challenge is conversion against a higher-rated player.
Imagine this: a 1400 is holding on against a 2000 when the 2000 suddenly hangs a piece! The 1400 triumphantly captures it, but the game is not yet over! The 2000, if he is smart, will complicate the position into a tactical minefield!
Check out the below video about conversion to learn more:
Relevant Content: Clinch It!, Turning Advantage Into Victory In Chess
Relevant Resources: Practice Against Stockfish, Play Games
#9 - Mental Toughness
One of my favorite books is How to Reassess Your Chess by Jeremy Silman. It’s a book mostly focused on Strategic Knowledge. Why then, is there a full chapter dedicated to Mental Toughness? It’s because psychology is a huge part of chess.
Here’s an example of how psychology can impact your chess. This is an excerpt from the above book.
“When I was rated in the 1800s, I had a terrible time dealing with those 2000+ gods. As soon as I saw a rating of 2000 or higher I would freeze and lose like a lamb. Finally, I had had enough and decided to only look at an opponent's rating after the game was over. I implemented this in my very next tournament and was quickly paired with some guy that I wasn't familiar with. I didn't know his rating, but after a dozen moves, came to the conclusion that he was in the 1600-1800 range. I wiped him out and was stunned to discover that he was rated 2182!"
I hope you understand how big a role psychology can be in chess and I hope the below resources can help.
Relevant Content: Chess For Zebras, The Seven Deadly Chess Sins, Your Opponent Is Overrated
Relevant Resources: Focus Mode
#10 - Experience
Our final skill is something that can’t be practiced, and it’s experience. If you play a lot of games (and learn from them) you will gain experience. Experience is very important because you’ll gain a much deeper understanding of what you’ve learned.
Experience, especially the experience of playing in an OTB tournament, greatly increases your mental strength. If you’re an inexperienced OTB player, painful losses and horrible blunders will hurt you psychologically. However, an experienced player won’t let it affect him in his next game.
Relevant Resources: Sign Up For A Local Chess Tournament!
Conclusion
If you work on these ten common weaknesses, you can become a more well-rounded and successful chess player. The key is to be honest with yourself about your chess abilities. With that in mind, take the time to analyze your own games and create a study plan for yourself. For now, thanks for reading the Daily Rat!
