Thanks for the tips !
16 Tips from a 2300-Rated Player
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Thanks for taking the time to give your perspective & advice!
Great tips!
Very good advice.
ChessIsLikeFire wrote:
Thank you for the tips, but is there any way to improve faster at the higher level?
Do you have any opinion of your own on just what is holding you back?
Difficulty assessing positions? Difficulty forming an appropriate plan? No idea what to do once you are out of your prep?
@OP: Great advice!
ChessIsLikeFire wrote:
Sure, those are sometimes difficulties I struggle with
If you can spare fifteen or twenty minutes some time, you might read my posts in the following thread:
GM Larry Evans' method of static analysis - Chess Forums - Chess.com
Read the six posts numbered 4, 7 to 10, and especially 12... and then play over the three sample games on the first few pages.
This is a distillation of Grandmaster Evans' method for breaking a position down into basic concepts and then selecting (in a very general way) a plan that suits the position.
Thanks
Yo
Those are excellent tips! The only thing I would add is: Don't "protect" your rating!" Don't be afraid of losing rating points. You improve by playing stronger opponents, and sometimes you will lose. A year from now, neither you or anyone else will care what your rating was on December 14, 2023!
Any tips from this game? https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/95889208499?tab=details-tab I did win though it was an incredibly messy game. I also got lucky that he missed the relatively simple move Ne6 (Move 45). I yielded an incredibly good position out of the opening and even a mating attack but gave it up into a poor endgame and got incredibly lucky not to draw or even lose this game!
thank you for these tips 
Thank you very much. All excellent advice. One of the most valuable is n° 11: it is very rare that someone expresses that concept, which is very important to practice this wonderful game in the right way. Especially we beginners should adopt it and make it our own from the beginning of our path. Great choice to have it included in the list.
A bit of background info about myself:
This last point leads me into the first tip:
1) Be prepared to lose.
Losing isn't a bad thing. Losing is necessary. It's part of the process. You must make mistakes and lose, in order to learn from them.
2) Winning should not be your goal; learning should be your goal.
If all you're trying to do is win, you'll inevitably get frustrated or demoralized when that doesn't happen. Instead, make learning your goal. Every game has something to teach you.
3) Review every game, after you play it. Every single one.
Even your won games. Especially your lost games. Don't play another game until you have reviewed the game you just played. What other moves could you have tried? What might your opponent have played, if you had moved this way, instead? Take the time to move pieces around, and to try to learn what you can.
4) Review with your mind first. Check with the engine later.
Don't just jump into asking the engine what you should have done - try to figure out these answers on your own, first. Use that brain of yours. Think things over. If you try hard enough, you might be able to spot things that you didn't, while you were playing. Only after you've looked through the game to the best of your own ability, should you then consult the engine, to see what you've missed.
5) The chess engine isn't "God".
You don't always have to play the moves that the chess engine suggests. This is especially true if the engine's moves are too complicated for you to understand. Try to play in a way that makes sense to you - not in a way that you think you're "supposed" to.
6) Don't let "fear" become part of your playing.
This isn't life or death. This is a board game. Don't be afraid to try new things. If you lose, so what? A loss is a learning opportunity. Review the game, just like you do with every game you play. Perhaps you'll discover a new way to do something.
7) Don't try to learn everything at once.
Learning is a continual process, and it builds upon itself over time. Your job is not to learn everything you can at once. Instead, try to learn at least one thing at a time. Little by little, these small bits of knowledge will accumulate, and will add up to a wealth of experience, in the long run.
8) Ask stronger players for advice.
Chess players love to talk chess. Especially the experienced ones. Don't be afraid to show chess positions and ask for advice. As long as you ask in a respectful way, you'll probably get some decent feedback.
9) Not everyone's advice is good.
Though advice can be helpful, sometimes it can be harmful, too. Think critically about the advice you receive, and consider who the advice is coming from.
10) Be gracious when other players offer you help.
Nobody owes you advice or feedback - so show gratitude when anyone does.
11) Your opponents are not your enemies.
Even though it might feel like you're in combat, your opponent is simply another lover of the game. If they didn't exist, you would have nobody to play with. Try your best, but don't take it personal if you lose. Be thankful that your opponent has now given you another game to review and learn from.
12) Choose a basic opening repertoire.
This doesn't have to be extensive and thorough - but it does help to have a basic idea of the kinds of opening moves and defenses that you'll want to play. Establishing an opening repertoire is about consistency and familiarity - which will give you a foundation to build upon.
This could be something as simple as, "I want to play the French Defense against 1.e4, but all I know is 1...e6 and 2...d5!"
Well, that's great! That's a start. Work with that, and build from there.
13) Your repertoire is not set in stone.
Don't fret too much about what's "best" - just choose what you like at the moment. Your repertoire (and your chess ideas) will likely change over the years, so it's not terribly important where you begin.
14) Become a student of the game.
Pick up a chess book. Or watch a YouTube video lesson. Or read an internet article. Try to learn what you can, in whatever manner you find most enjoyable. There are nuggets of chess wisdom sprinkled nearly everywhere you look - you just need to seek these things out. The more you study the game, the more it will offer you, in return.
15) Purhase a physical board, if you don't already have one.
Before the internet came along, chess was played in smokey, dimly-lit rooms, with actual humans bent over a table, heads in their hands, a wooden chess board placed between them. Honor the tradition, and get yourself a decent chess set. Marvel at the carved pieces between your fingers. Move them along the board. Enjoy in the subtle magic of the experience - it's the way all the World Champions have played the game before you.
16) Tactical puzzles are your new best friends.
As a chess player, tactics are your new bread and butter. They can turn a static position into a whirlwind combination. They can snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Purchase a book of chess tactics. Or solve the puzzles right here on this website. Embrace the art of the tactical puzzle - it's like weight-lifting for your mind.
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Finally: remember that this is a journey.
Chess isn't a short-term game. It's a lifelong passion, if you choose to embrace it. And those 64 squares will continue to enlighten you, as long as you continue to explore them.
Best of luck!