I can't advise you on choosing a coach but I just want to say that I was stuck in the 700 range for a long long time, so I know how you feel. Eventually I got better. I chose a different opening and I did some endgame study and some tactics. Chess is a difficult game and requires lots of patience. When you feel like it has stopped being fun try to focus on improvement and discovering new techniques instead of on rating points and wins.
Advice on choosing an online coach?
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markaaronky wrote:
I've been playing online as much as as possible, ...
Slow games?
"... chess is a thinking game, and if you don’t learn how to think correctly, then you will never be a good player. ... To think 'correctly' ..., like anything else, requires theory and practice: you learn what to do, and then practice it every move you ever play. The point is that thinking correctly in most positions takes time. Playing almost exclusively fast games obviously precludes practicing correctly, and so you will never get very good! Sure, fast games are fine for practicing openings (not the most important part of the game for most players) and possibly developing decent board vision and tactical 'shots', but the kind of thinking it takes to plan, evaluate, play long endgames, and find deep combinations is just not possible in quick chess. ..." - NM Dan Heisman (2002)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627052239/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman16.pdf
markaaronky wrote:
... studying via books ...
"... If it’s instruction, you look for an author that addresses players at your level (buying something that’s too advanced won’t help you at all). This means that a classic book that is revered by many people might not be useful for you. ..." - IM Jeremy Silman (2015)
https://www.chess.com/article/view/the-best-chess-books-ever
markaaronky wrote:
… I'd appreciate suggestions on how to choose a good coach. ...
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627082829/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman21.pdf
Apr 21, 2019
0
#6
@markaaronky, feel free to check out my blog post on qualities of a good coach! 
I would personally advise the more information the coach provides on his profile, the more dedicated he is... though that's just my personal opinion.
Feel free to try out a few coaches before committing long-term. It's about what you are willing to pay, how often you want to meet with them, and (most importantly) that there is chemistry between you two. If you commit to the wrong coach, that can be hours and a fortune wasted.
Hope this was helpful!
Really know what the student's need, and will create program specifically for that student.
Apr 22, 2019
0
#8
people say.... analyze your own games blah blah blah.
well if you are coaching yourself, like i did, you might not get far beyond 2100 fide.
learn in your match lose
Hey friend,
While a coach would certainly help explain to you what you need to do to improve, he/she will almost certainly tell you to improve at tactics.
At any rating <1000, working on tactics is the quickest way to improvement (and in fact, quite necessary to improvement). I notice that you tend to solve puzzles somewhat sporadically here on chess.com. I'd advise you to do some manageable number of puzzles each day. Maybe try 3 a day for a while, and see if you can maintain that for a month before increasing/decreasing.
Think about it like this: There are many, many, many things to consider in golf. What club do I use? Do I go high or low? Draw or Fade? Play it left or right? Etc. And yet, none of those things matter at all if you cannot execute a golf swing.
Chess tactics are like the golf swing, chess strategy is like the rest. You can know all you want about the game itself, but if you cannot execute those ideas with sound tactics, then they are worthless to you.
At an elo of 800, nobody you're playing knows how to swing just yet. If you want to see fast results, study tactics more seriously. You'll improve extremely quickly.
It might be of interest to look at the table of contents of A COMPLETE CHESS COURSE by Antonio Gude.
http://www.gambitbooks.com/pdfs/A_Complete_Chess_Course.pdf
jfiquett wrote:
very well said, sometimes we are looking far on how to improve. We are thinking advance, we are looking to study calculus but the basic mathematical operations like addition, substraction etc.. we neglect to master. Pins, forks, skewer tactics should be automatic, just like asking you what is 3 x 3, you don't calculate your brain just know that it is 9.
Hey friend,
While a coach would certainly help explain to you what you need to do to improve, he/she was almost certainly tell you to improve at tactics.
At any rating <1000, working on tactics is the quickest way to improvement (and in fact, quite necessary to improvement). I notice that you tend to solve puzzles somewhat sporadically here on chess.com. I'd advise you to do some manageable number of puzzles each day. Maybe try 3 a day for a while, and see if you can maintain that for a month before increasing/decreasing.
Think about it like this: There are many, many, many things to consider in golf. What club do I use? Do I go high or low? Draw or Fade? Play it left or right? Etc. And yet, none of those things matter at all if you cannot execute a golf swing.
Chess tactics are like the golf swing, chess strategy is like the rest. You can know all you want about the game itself, but if you cannot execute those ideas with sound tactics, then they are worthless to you.
At an elo of 800, nobody you're playing knows how to swing just yet. If you want to see fast results, study tactics more seriously. You'll improve extremely quickly.
jfiquett wrote:
just practice not to drop piece, or don't missed hang piece by your opponent will greatly increase your play. next study basic tactics and basic endgames.
Hey friend,
While a coach would certainly help explain to you what you need to do to improve, he/she was almost certainly tell you to improve at tactics.
At any rating <1000, working on tactics is the quickest way to improvement (and in fact, quite necessary to improvement). I notice that you tend to solve puzzles somewhat sporadically here on chess.com. I'd advise you to do some manageable number of puzzles each day. Maybe try 3 a day for a while, and see if you can maintain that for a month before increasing/decreasing.
Think about it like this: There are many, many, many things to consider in golf. What club do I use? Do I go high or low? Draw or Fade? Play it left or right? Etc. And yet, none of those things matter at all if you cannot execute a golf swing.
Chess tactics are like the golf swing, chess strategy is like the rest. You can know all you want about the game itself, but if you cannot execute those ideas with sound tactics, then they are worthless to you.
At an elo of 800, nobody you're playing knows how to swing just yet. If you want to see fast results, study tactics more seriously. You'll improve extremely quickly.
I've been playing online as much as as possible, studying via books and videos and doing puzzles; going back over my games and looking at blunders and trying to learn from them.
None of this seems to be helping. I can't rise beyond the 830 level and usually stay stuck in the 700s with constant losses against 850-900 level players. In short, the game isn't really any fun anymore. Maybe the game just isn't for me, but before I give up...
I'm thinking a coach might be the last best option to help me get out of the doldrums. I see many, many (too many?) coaches listed online on this web site. I'd appreciate suggestions on how to choose a good coach. I may be missing something, but the listings on chess.com don't seem to really include a lot of info like student testimonials, ratings of coaches, that type of thing.
TIA,