To Higher Rated Players: How do you find the best moves and plans in games

I am 1100 elo and I want to know how high rated players find the best moves and plans so I can use that process in my games. Thank you in Advance.

Do tactics puzzles. They help with calculation and can improve your overall play. We don't always find the best moves but we are usually pretty close. Blunders happen at all levels so don't get discouraged when you do it, it's part of the game. As far as improvement goes, learning endgames is very important for improvement. They are kinda a pain to learn though.

Dont commit your king too early. I am an aggressive player and attack the king after 10 moves. If you have a similar playstyle, castle your king on the opposite side of the board. Learn Greek Gift sacrifices and attack the king with your rooks and queen. Defend on the opposite side of the board with your minor pieces. This overall works for me over-the-board and might help you in online games as well. I am 2391 right now in over-the-board chess (locally rated), so you are getting good advice. Don't play bullet and grind rapid. Don't resign every game. That same mindset when I was not good at chess made me lose rating fast. Keep your rating and be consistent in your games. Don't make 1 movers either. Although on chess.com I am in the 3 digits, that was because I wasn't good when I joined but now I am very high level (although my elo is still low because I am in school and have no time for rapid so I grind bullet, hypocritical I know. I play chess for fun.) and almost always play aggresively. Adapt to how your opponent plays in the middlegame. Another piece of advice, your goal for the middlegame is to transfer the position into a winning endgame. Don't blunder. Inaccuracies are okay but don't give away free material. Try to use tactics and gain at least 3 points of material and then simplify the position, as in trading queens, knights, bishops, rooks etc. Just dont try to sacrifice the GAME!!!!1!!!!!!1!1!1!!!!!!!11!!

OK--I'm only a USCF expert so take what I say with a grain of salt. I'll start with a few things.

BTW-Computers show us we dont find the best moves. Only sometimes 'good enough' moves.

Generally:

we recognize when a position needs calculation. Low rated players usually dont and start captures without knowing at the end if they are up or down material.

We try to think schematically/general principle analysis when it is our opponents move and calculate when it is our move. We've studied chess strategy so have ideas/'sign posts' of what to consider when thinking schematically.

When an opponent moves, it controls new squares and gives up control of others. We ask if we can take advantage of what it gives up.

We know most of the thematic tactics of the MGs that come from openings we play a lot. So we automatically check for many standard tactics. This comes from analyzing our losses intensely and studying GM games in the openings.

We know standard MG plans for many positions so in quiet positions we know the setup we aim for then only decide how to get there efficiently. [Because we've played over hundreds of GM games in our openings- whole games- not just memorizing the first 10 moves]

We have ideas about what EGs are clear wins so late game exchanges are done on automatic many times.

We look for moves that improve our piece activity and that restrict opponents piece activity.

That is a start at least. Bill

Bro is not 2391

To reduce the frequency at which you miss tactics, at the beginning of every move take an inventory of all checks, captures, discovered attacks, forks, and skewers available to either side in the position.

Learn endgames enough to have an idea of what is good. I made it to 2100+ USCF by learning openings well enough to avoid getting blown away and then aiming toward an equal (preferably better) ending. That allowed me to choose the trades and pawn pushes that would work out well in an endgame. Once I had a round one pairing against somebody who was 600 points lower rated and he said he felt good about the game because he was even in material through 30 moves. I told that was accurate but he lost the game on move six when I was able to give him doubled/isolated h pawns and then trade into a winning ending.

PS I always feel that knowing endings are a key to winning games but you also need to know tactics enough to avoid errors that lose the game before it reaches the ending.

If he is 2391 then I am 6000

Although some of chess is calculating tactics and planning, a lot of chess is simply pattern recognition. In fact, chess to me, seems to be mostly done by my subconscious mind, I only calculate 5-6 times a game, yet I naturally make better moves than people lower rated than me. In conclusion, the only good way to get better at chess is putting the work in, playing thousands, even tens of thousands of chess games will train you mind playing a better game. Lol, that's how I got to 2150 rapid, I simply played, So far, I have watched no master games, read only 1 chess book, and I have received no coaching. Almost all i did was play.

Over the board bozo

Over the board

I agree; however, while that's important, watching master games and reading good chess books can cut the load down of playing tens of thousands of games, and can lead to more wins as well imao.

U cant just be 700 online and 2391 like I am 1480 otb and 1700ish online

I have a current rating of 2022 now in rapid. I think you can always win if you think more before you pay actions

RPD did say 2391 locally rated, not USCF-rated. That could mean anything.

I checked his account and it said he's lost more rapid games than he's won.

I resigned due to me being bad

I've looked at some of your games and the quality of your moves both in your daily and bullet games and your 2391 rating locally (if even true) is no where near 2391 USCF or FIDE based on your moves. I do take into consideration the bullet time controls. But your moves should still be high quality in the opening if you were at 2300 playing strength USCF. Plus to tell someone not to castle early as a blanket statement goes against general opening theory. Take what this person says with a grain of salt.

bro is literally rated 800 bullet, lol, and claims to be 2391 overboard?!?! a player rated 2391 over board would smoke any 800 bullet 100 out of 100 games, I'm only rated 1020 USCF and can smoke 1600's in online bullet

I play OTB without time controls