A Call for a Real Beginner Roadmap on Chess.com

I pay less than 10 cents a day, the price for each member of a Friends and Family plan. I pay around a dollar for a can of cat food.

delcai007

Da-da, workin' in a coal mine

Goin' down, down, down

Workin' in a coal mine

Oops, about to slip down

I am a big opponent of AI in general but most of all when it involves deception or pretense, as with AI generated text, or these bots that fake having personalities, including Coach... pet peeves of mine. But I do use Practice vs the Computer.

That's more or less where I am. And you are likely ready to take extra steps to improve your play, like studying openings, a major interest, for good reason, among intermediate players.

I'm a big fan of Igor Smirnov and the Remote Chess Academy, in that regard.

Nothing replaces personal one on one coaching. Online is fine but its also convenient and easy. Basically you get what you pay for. Personal one on coaching is interactive, you have a rapport and connection, and you have someone that you can ask: "Why?".

I'd love a coach but besides the expense, there's the problem of not knowing which to choose. I don't think I'm likely to make a great student. LOL

Thanks for your comment Journeyman2025! As a beginner, I have to say the premium subscription has been a bit disappointing. Honestly I’ve found it easier as some previous subscribers have mentioned to just start with tactics exercises, theory, games, or even a coach.
The site really isn’t that beginner friendly at the moment. Also I don’t think we should underestimate AI or the new methods it might bring for teaching in the future even though as you pointed out it can’t always assist or explain things properly

And I'm up around 130 in about 3 weeks just by studying openings, a first for me. Then, tellingly, a high rated friend who had been advising me here, gave me advice, about my openings, that I didn't understand and was noticeably peeved when I didn't take it.

Good luck with that. Nothing can replace a good coach... runner-up is players you meet here. I've got a lot of great advice in the last few weeks, from players like @MaetsNori and @blueemu,,, and even a kid named @DeepSeekPlaysChess... mostly about openings.

delcai007: Black time out • White is victorious

I never thought you were sincere, just wanting advice about how beginners can improve their play.,, my BS meter works just fine. And you didn't help your credibility when you lied about what happened when you tried to contact Support.

My comments are for the possible benefit of any (beginners) who drop by, seeing the thread title, just offering a commonsense alternative to your confused ideas about beginners and about chess.com.

"To improve as a beginner on Chess.com, focus on learning basic principles, playing regularly, analyzing your games, and solving puzzles. Don't be afraid to lose, learn from your mistakes, and most importantly, don't forget to have fun."
-chess.com

If you want a coach and can afford one, perfect. Otherwise, take advantage of all the experienced players who hang out here, many of them happy to give advice. If you have a specific question, you can always create a thread. I've done that more than once and have yet to be disappointed, even if, yes, I may have sometimes argued a bit too much (go figure)... "Oh the chutzpah of that noob!"

Oh no delcai007 please don't feel like that. have you watched o read a streetcar named desire?

They don't expect "total" beginners to understand all the features and content available at a glance. Most things of this nature have a learning curve. That should not even need to be said. Be patient with yourself. Feel free to ask questions and to explore.

The problem with all these "Why cant I improve?" and "I have been playing for....and im still not improving." and "Im looking for advice on how to improve. Can someone help me?" Posts is the following:

1.99.99% of the people asking how to improve have no real desire to improve.

2. 99.99% of the people asking for improvement play speed chess and will not change.

3. They want tip, tricks, and the easy path to success. It doesnt exist.

I like Igor Smirnov these days... very helpful and I like his sense of humor: "Believe it or not, at this point White has already lost. I don't even understand it myself.", or "If he moves his Knight there, tell him you're a vegetarian or something, I don't know, you don't eat horses."

I do like Levy. He's very entertaining, as you say, and a great face for chess and for chess.com, but if you asked me to name something I learned from him, I'd draw a blank. Anna Cramling is cuter and perfect, I think, for noobs. I found her videos very useful when I first started.

I completely agree but I'd put it more like 50%, not to argue.

Speaking for myself, I'm not exactly obsessed with ratings, but I like the challenge and definitely want to improve and have improved. It's interesting. It's fun.

I've yet to play a single game of Speed chess, as an adult. We played a bit when I was a kid but no one took it seriously. I think it's chess with an asterisk. But your mileage may vary. It's not a moral question. C'est la vie. But it seems obvious, yes, that you aren't really going to improve much if you don't have more than a couple of seconds to analyze each position.

I most definitely agree with #3... you see this all the time and I did this myself early on (when I took up chess again as an adult). There is no substitute for experience and no shortcut, no trick, no learning method, no knowledge to get around that.