Good luck @DaleCB! You can do it, keep us posted and keep enjoying the game! 
Dale’s Novice Study Plan and Journey
Sort:
Good luck @DaleCB ! I am trying to get to 800 as well, just starting out 
Good luck @DaleCB! I am also part of the "Senior Club". Best of luck and keep us posted. And have fun.
Jan 16, 2022
0
#6
Week 1 Update
Stayed right on plan this first week. I feel like I’ve played more chess this week than ever. My rapid rating is a little higher, and I established an abysmal blitz rating, which I’m ok with. At less than 200 blitz, there’s only one way to go! This week gave me a final ratings baseline to work from. I have all the suggested books so I’m starting to work through all that. I’ve also been analyzing my games on both chess.com and aimchess. Overall so far, so good! Looking forward to week 2.
Supplemental tools I’m using
Gotham Chess Novice and Intermediate Courses
Chess King Tactics for Beginners App
5334 Problems Book by Laszlo Polgar
Aimchess
Ratings:
Rapid 326 (+46)
Puzzles 1238 (-14)
Daily 524 (established)
Blitz 169 (established)
Jan 23, 2022
0
#7
Week 2 Update
The big takeaway from this week is that I'm getting more comfortable with Blitz. Still on Plan, learning a lot, playing better, and having fun. Looking forward to week 3!
Supplemental tools I’m using
Chess King Tactics for Beginners App
5334 Problems Book by Laszlo Polgar
Aimchess
Ratings (week to week):
Rapid 326 (-0-) No rapid played this week
Puzzles 1257 (+19)
Daily 568 (+44)
Blitz 288 (+119)
Jan 30, 2022
0
#8
Week 3 Update
Still on Plan, and doing ok. My weak spot seems to be with Rapid. Since this upcoming week is mainly Blitz, I may add a few Rapid games to the Plan and see what happens. Looking forward to week 4.
Supplemental tools I’m using in addition to the Novice Plan
Chess King Tactics for Beginners App
5334 Problems Book by Laszlo Polgar
Aimchess
Ratings (Gain/Loss from Week 1):
Puzzles 1281 (+43)
Daily 587 (+63)
Rapid 333 (+6)
Blitz 324 (+155)
Feb 2, 2022
0
#10
Thanks! I think it was more of just getting comfortable with the 5+5 format.
Feb 6, 2022
0
#11
Week 4 Update
Hard to believe it's been a month already. Still right on Plan and I can see it in my ratings as well as just playing better. This is Rapid week, so I'm looking forward to that, and hope to squeeze in a few extra games.
Supplemental tools I’m using in addition to the Novice Plan
Chessable Winning Chess Tactics by Seirawan
5334 Problems Book by Laszlo Polgar
Aimchess
Ratings (Gain/Loss from Week 1):
Puzzles 1369 (+131)
Daily 716 (+192)
Rapid 333 (+6)
Blitz 402 (+233)
Wow, impressive improvement! I, in contrast, am the poster child for moving in the other direction! 
Feb 6, 2022
0
#13
Thanks Dave! I keep waiting on a plateau or reversal to hit. I've had a life long love/hate relationship with chess. I walked away for decades, and am now back to basics and shaking off the cobwebs. Enjoying the ride and having fun are the main thing. Numbers will come. Keep grinding! 
Feb 13, 2022
0
#14
Week 5 Update
Ratings didn't move much this week, didn't play well, and it just kind of felt like a grind. Had a couple of days where my head just wasn't in it. At least I feel like I'm starting to shake it off. Looking forward to starting week 6 and put week 5 behind me. Better days ahead!
Supplemental tools I’m using in addition to the Novice Plan
Chessable Winning Chess Tactics by Seirawan
5334 Problems Book by Laszlo Polgar
Aimchess
Ratings (Gain/Loss from Week 1):
Puzzles 1293 (+55)
Daily 714 (+190)
Rapid 334 (+7)
Blitz 406 (+237)
Feb 19, 2022
0
#15
Week 6 Update
Already at my half-way point, and 6 more weeks to go. Once again, ratings didn't move much this week. But I feel like I'm playing better. And my head feels like it's in a better place than last week. I'm losing traction in Rapid but I'm hopeful I can start pulling that around this week. Overall, I'm happy with the improvement I'm seeing so far.
Supplemental tools I’m using in addition to the Novice Plan
Chessable Winning Chess Tactics by Seirawan
5334 Problems Book by Laszlo Polgar
Aimchess
Ratings (Gain/Loss from Week 1):
Puzzles 1339 (+82)
Daily 736 (+168)
Rapid 298 (-28)
Blitz 353 (+184)
Feb 27, 2022
0
#16
Week 7 Update
Wrapped up Chessable Winning Chess Tactics by Seirawan and I'm now taking some supplemental courses on kasparovchess. The training videos on that site are actually pretty good. Ratings still aren't moving much but I feel like I'm getting a better understanding of the game. The ratings will come. And most important, I'm enjoying it. Onward to week 8.
Supplemental tools I’m using in addition to the Novice Plan
Kasparovchess.com
5334 Problems Book by Laszlo Polgar
Aimchess
Ratings (Gain/Loss from Week 1):
Puzzles 1337 (+99)
Daily 751 (+227)
Rapid 311 (-15)
Blitz 337 (+168)
Mar 5, 2022
0
#17
Week 8 Update
Ratings are kind of a mixed bag this week. But still happy with the overall progress from the last two months. Hopefully I can start making gains in Rapid this week. Onward to week 9.
Supplemental tools I’m using in addition to the Novice Plan
Kasparovchess.com
5334 Problems Book by Laszlo Polgar
Aimchess
Ratings (Gain/Loss from Week 1):
Puzzles 1317 (+79)
Daily 769 (+245)
Rapid 323 (-3)
Blitz 292 (+123)
Mar 13, 2022
0
#18
Week 9 Update
Ratings are all up a little this week, so that's a bright spot. I'm a little behind on the schedule due to work stuff, but catching back up today. Onward to week 10, and three weeks to go.
Supplemental tools I’m using in addition to the Novice Plan
Kasparovchess.com
5334 Problems Book by Laszlo Polgar
Aimchess
Ratings (Gain/Loss from Week 1):
Puzzles 1403 (+165)
Daily 776 (+252)
Rapid 362 (+36)
Blitz 292 (+123)
I’m starting the novice study plan this week, and the road back to playing chess at 60. I’ll update this post weekly for accountability with the good, the bad, and the ugly. I’ve been studying, and I’ve played a few games since October of last year. While it’s been enjoyable, my rating is low, and it’s not a lot of fun to get get beat all the time. So my initial goal is to get to 500, then to 800 from there, then hopefully keep going. We’ll see where this all leads. Rating aside, I truly just enjoy playing chess and just want to get better at the game.
My Starting Ratings:
Rapid: 280
Puzzles: 1252