5 Ways To Improve Your Chess Game

5 Ways To Improve Your Chess Game
Every chess player is constantly looking for ways to improve. Whether you’re a beginners. intermidiate, expert or grandmaster there is a good chance you will win some and lose some which is why you should always be trying to improve your game. There is a lot of debate of the best ways to improve. Some people study countless hours of games, others spend hours solving puzzles. and some try to play as many games as possible.
Regardless how you decide to improve your game I will be sharing 5 easy ways you can improve your game below and you can choose which one works best for you.

1. Play more chess
Now this one may be obvious but it definitely works. It’s just a fact that the more you play the better you will get especially if you are playing different opponents with different strategies. This is also a great time to implement all the new strategies and tactics you have practiced and learned since the last time you played.
Some games are more valuable in improving your game then others. Long games which can usually last between 30 minutes to an hour or more allow you to really plan think on every move. This allows you to really analyze the board and consider every possible option and it’s consequence.
Blitz games can also be a great way to practice which bascially means you are playing with a timer which causes you to think faster and on your feet. These games leave you with less time to think but can be a great way to improve as well.
If you are just starting out long games may be a bit better for learning experience.

2. Study Games of the Pros
This can be a great strategy to improve your game in that it allows you to analyze how grandmaster’s use their pieces to form an attack.
It will be even better if you can get your hands on an annotated game where the player actually walks your through the game.
Analyzing championship and/or tournament games can tremendously improve your game. It’s like being in the mind of a Grandmaster and seeing how they think.

3. Review your own games
Although learning from watching others play can be helpful there is nothing like going back and analyzing your own games and learn from your own mistakes. Being able to go back and review where you made a mistake that caused you a lost or a move that caused you to take control is extremely valuable.
You will notice that by doing this you will see moves that you may have missed while actually playing the game and be a good indication that you need to spend more time analyzing the board before making your move.
It can also be valuable to analyze your game with a stronger player and get another point of view. Or maybe even analyze your game with your opponent and give each others tip on where to improve.

4. Tactics, Tactics, Tactics
Tactics decide whether you win or lose, especially if for beginners and improving players. Improving these skills will allow you to when one of your pieces is in danger or not defended properly or find unsuspected checkmates against your opponent.
Learning great tactics will also allow you to recognize and defend attacks during games.
There are a ton of books that have a bunch of tactical problems for you to work out or even better there is free software that does the same such as Chess Tactics Art. This software allows you to play through problems and get instant feedback without having to set up positions on a board.
A great free option is the Chess Tactics Server, an online tactics trainer that can guide you towards problems of an appropriate difficulty level.

5. Hire A Professional
Having your own personal trainer/tutor can be an extremely rewarding experience. Wheter you are meeting with them in person or are learning from an online video training program you purchased online like Igor Smirnov‘s “The Grandmaster’s Secrets” can extremely improve your game.
There is nothing like learning from someone who’s been around the game for years and has competed at the professional level. If you are interested in significantly improving your game I highly recommend checking out Igor’s program. It will be invaluable to your chess career.