Is anybody able to coach me to pass 1300 in blitz

I don't think it is possible, but want to stay open minded. I feel like I know how to play, but can't apply anything under time pressure. I don't think that is feasible to improve someone's speed. If someone really thinks that it is possible and can help me improve my game, please contact me. I would prefer for free or really cheap or pay money after I see real results (like if I ever pass 1300).

I am really curious about:

• how much can a coach or chess teacher help?
• is it coaching much better than reading and training on your own?
• can a coach help someone who can already think properly and logically? I mean, surely can help someone who is too lazy to think, but what can he/she teach to someone who can think for himself.

Would also appreciate feedback for my games and what I am doing wrong. I know that I am doing blunders, like most of us and I know I take too much time. Therefore, pointing these 2 won't be of any help. On the other hand, pointing an applicable way for minimizing blunders, while playing faster, could be helpful.

thanks

I don't know what's magic about 1300 in blitz.

At any rate, it's not a very realistic short term goal. You are rated below 1000 in blitz and you haven't played any blitz games since last May.

Why not just try to get past 1000 first?

If you look at the graph of your blitz rating, you can see that you were progressing nicely until you stopped playing.

You were doing lots of tactics problems and had taken a number of lessons. Then you just stopped.

No one is going to give you hundreds of hours of private lessons for free.

You may have to go back to reading books, playing exercises, watching videos like the rest of us. It seems like you were making progress.

You played several 15 10 games recently. Those may be better for you than straight blitz.

notmtwain thanks very much for you replies and for caring to check my profile. You are right that I suddenly stopped and didn't actually had fully realized that until you pointed out (as weird as it may sound). I remember stopping for learning another game, but had also vowed to stay in touch with chess, since even though it was frustrating me, was giving me also a great amount of fun. But I didn't stayed in touch for months and forgot about it until recently where started to play few daily games and now rapid ones.

The "progress" you show, was with lot of work and pain and it felt like 1000 was my upper limit, which I never actually reached. I stopped doing tactics, because at that time they changed the way they were calculating the rating, turning it into celebration of pure speed, instead of accurate tactics solving. Tactics training was until then, like rapid is to actual play and they changed it to bullet. Didn't liked it and stopped. The good thing is that I kept all notes, diagrams, openings, patterns, traps, strategies and everything, so that in case of a break, I could come back pretty easily.

To get and idea, I will actually share some of my work. The rules of Blitz for me, or anyone like me (none):

Primary

1) Avoid blunders

Blunders are what it decides a game and additionally a game lost because of a blunder, will translate in tilt mode and many more will come (usually 3-5).

2) Play fast.

Do not lose time over positional thinking. You don't need to play the best moves. Try to not have more that 1 min difference over the opponents time.

3) Check ur opponents moves (u r not playing alone)

Always check checks, captures and threats, as also the reason behind an opponents move.

Secondary

4) Do not try to push for the win (extending 2)

Do not try to finish of fast with few moves. In order to find the moves required, you will go in time trouble and lose on time. Instead, try to win with many simple moves, played quickly. If you have created an early advantage, settle back, instead of searching for a checkmate. Play simple moves and win in endgame by promoting a pawn to queen.

Do not over attack, or push for a tactic, trap, or m8 that is just not there (at least not in 5 mins).

5) When a game is lost for your opponent, pay extra attention for unsound cheap shots (extending 3).

Your opponent has nothing to lose and you are focused on finding the final blows, feeling confident that the game is over. He will try anything, for a quick turning of the game, no matter how unsound it is and the worst part is that some times you will fall for it.

6) Before the endgame, no matter how little time you have, take a good amount of time to think of a plan.

if you have already blocked a pawn by your King, think before you capture it, because it might cost you a game winning tempo, which you could had used to promote a pawn to queen. It is already blocked, why waste a tempo, if you can win the race to promotion. If you can't win the race to promotion, then better take it before the opponent defends it.

7) In endgame always look for blunders, to avoid and take advantage of (extending 1).

If your opponent hasn't done any blunders so far, he will certainly do in endgame. Especially, if he tries to flag you.

Pregame

8) Solve simple tactics (900-1300 for 15-45 mins)

9) Become focused and alert. You need to be on the edge. You can't win playing relaxed, like you do for example when watching a movie.

That's a nice list.  Curious.  Why is your blitz rating important to you?  

Do you play rated OTB chess?

thanks,

I haven’t played rated OTB games. It is one of the things that I want to do, but I feel that my level of play (not knowledge) is super low for that. I have played OTB only vs friends, but they aren’t really good in chess. I am sure, I would had been in time trouble even in classical games.

Blitz rating isn’t that important, but blitz is very challenging for me and I am attracted to challenges. Also, kind of pisses me of that I play so differently in different time limits (if it is true, I am not 100% sure). Also, I like that you can play a lot of games in blitz. Actually, I started playing blitz in order to feel more comfortable in rapid games, but got stack there for a while, trying to pass the 1000 rating. My initial target was to reach 1100 and then, start playing rapid. In retrospect 1100 was too much.

update, after playing for a month:

number 4 seems to be the most important rule for me so far. Not following it indirectly results in breaking the other rules:

- breaks 2 since it takes too much time, if you are trying to force or even create something

- breaks 3 & 5 since you are too focused on creating something that it leaves you no time for thinking about your opponent's moves

- breaks 1 since, it gets you in time trouble and that results in blunders

Glad to hear you are interested in approving!

I am a National Master with 10+ years of teaching experience and owner of Premier Chess: www.premierchess.com. For daily chess news, puzzles, photos and more, like www.facebook.com/premierchess.

Send an email to premierchess64@gmail.com with your availability over the next few days for a quick 5 minute call about your goals.

You want free coaching? You want to be over 1300?

Ok.

Buy this book:

https://www.amazon.com/Sharpen-Your-Tactics-Sacrifices-Combinations/dp/1880673134

Set up a chess board with the puzzle position.

Spend at least 3 minutes on the puzzle, even if you're sure you solved it. Spend extra time double checking everything.

Don't spend more than 10 minutes on a single puzzle.

Do this for every puzzle in the book,

Write down every puzzle number you fail on the first try. Also write the date.

After failing a puzzle, don't try to solve it again for 72 hours.

Only getting the first move doesn't count as a pass. Get at least the first few moves and the main idea.

Do at least 2 hours of this every day.

Do not play any games for the 1st month.

Now begin each session by solving puzzles you've failed. If you fail a puzzle again, it stays in your "fail" list until you solve it correctly at least once.

Do the whole book this way.

After the first month you can play games again. Time management is important. I see you like 5|5 games. Aim to have 2:30 left on your clock at move 25-30. If you need to speed up, listen to music you like, or get drunk, or something like this. If you need to slow down, remember to double check. Treat positions like the puzzles you're doing and really calculate.

Some puzzles in that book are very difficult and you'll fail them multiples times. You'll have to memorize the solution before you can mark them as passed. That's fine. By the time you're done with the whole book and you'll be above 1300.

If not, then it was impossible for you anyway.

I managed to pass 1200 (without a coach), which at the time that I started this thread seemed impossible. Now, 1300 seems possible too.

I am really glad, wish I could buy drinks to some of you

When I was pretty new to chess (played less than a year), I wanted to get to 1300... but I didn't know if it was possible because those players were so much better than me.

My plan was that if I could get a rating of 1300 I would stop trying to improve (maybe even stop playing chess) because that was good enough.

But then, like you said, as you get closer you realize there's still tons of stuff you don't know, and you're still making mistakes every game, and instead of being nearly impossible, your goal rating starts to seem a lot more reasonable.

Anyway, hope you keep having success

Thanks, wish you the best for 2019.

Continuous improvement is what I probably like the most about chess. There is always something new to learn and improve.

To be honest, I don't think a coach could help me for several reasons. Probably, wouldn't had improved almost 250 points with a coach. Will just highlight a couple, without going deep:

- they treat you, just like another student, even though your needs might be very different from all other students. For example, I want to improve my speed. Nobody, from the teachers replied seemed to understand that or had a plan of how to do it. I actually made my own plans.

- they can't explain complex moves, since for them are just natural (from intuition and calculation). I bet if you ask them for a hard move, you will get several explanations from different GMs, sometimes even contradictory, but at the end of day is just intuition. Find me a teacher that can clearly explain pawn moves.

The OP is looking for free advice.

Here it is. 

Chess is a Hobby.

A board game that may/may not bring you pleasure depending on...

WHY you are playing. 

I predict doing puzzle rush for 20 minutes 5 times a week will make you reach 1300 blitz in only one year.

an honest estimate and a suggestion that might actually work, since it addresses speed

Hey! I'm a coach, and I can help you to develop foundational understanding of chess. I believe knowledge comes first, and then the rating is just a matter of time. You know blitz relies on opening theory, tactics and basic knowledge of endgames. We can cover everything in 6 months, and you'll reach 1600 in blitz. I give lessons for 10$/hr so it's quite affordable.

Very good... now if you can just remember those few dozen paragraphs you can make GM?!