Going from 100 to 1400 by just playing is not possible for all people.

I have been playing off and on for a few years. Started at literally at 100 after losing my starter rating when I first joined and went to the bottom. Took me a year to become 300 just from playing and no study. Hit a wall and could not get better by just playing games. Even after watching countless youtube videos.

Last year I just started grinding tactics. Not just a few hundred but thousands in total. Gaining a rating of 2000 in tactics at my highest. This exploded my game but was limited. I soon became a 830 before crashing back down to 600 but recently got back above 700. Tactics no longer work. I have gotten a few coaches on here but they mainly just showed me things I already knew and gave me puzzles.

Now I'm on Chessable and doing courses there. Even though I suck I grew to actually love playing and learning. Chessable seems to be the best thing ever and I'm actually learning NEW THINGS. Right now I'm trying to study end games. I'm hoping this gets me above 1000.

My main point is if you are stuck, you need to study. Regardless of what anyone says. You can't just randomly move chess pieces in game and learn if you have no clue what you're doing.

Most of the people who say, "I got to 2000 just by play" are probably being somewhat dishonest. I'm sure they have some kind of supplemental learning. I will also let you know you will plateau if you only do tactics. If you do, I would shift to working on specific tactics in areas where you are week in regards to coordinating pieces.

Sounds like you are doing some good things.

What kind of analysis are you doing after your games?

Like this game:

It happens when I'm not paying attention. I just try to look at my blunder as something not to do again and move on to the next games. There are games where I will keep fighting. Sometimes I just get to mad and don't feel like it. Recently I turned off the option to have the engine show me the best move. So I will try to go over my blunder and makes moves tell I don't get a question mark. Trying to find a alternative best move. The only thing that sucks is that specific position never comes up again hardly. So over time I will forget what I should have done.

Tactics alone aren’t enough. They help a lot, but without strategy, endgames and opening knowledge, growth is limited.

Yes, it's just strange I need to develop all this at a beginner level. Even more so when I'm trying to do these things already.

That's unnecessary. You're also talking to someone who memorized all the lines within the Traxler counter attack.

This was complete nonsense even the first time you posted it, and somehow it didn't become good advice since.

Good on you! Hope the rest of your chess journey goes smoothly now that you seem to have found what works for you.

You shouldn't Honchcrow's advice. Traps might get you some immediate rating gain but they fall off fast. I suggest you take a look at Remote Chess Academy as much of their content have assisted me in my journey so far. If you have the funds I also recommend a subscription to @Bgabor91's patreon as it's also very nice for improvement. Other than that I recommend playing 5 rapid games a day and recording your strengths and weaknesses for each game, as well as tactics found and missed in a notebook. On top of that also study grandmaster games. Maybe get a few books as well.

Sobrukai is right. Remote Chess Academy is really good. Maybe the Building Habits series by GM Aman is also something you should look at.

There are also many lessons available on chess.com with the purchase of your membership so be sure to check out those as well.

Why not read the classic instruction books?

Reinfeld’s Complete Chess Course, Chernev’s Logical Chess Move by Move, The Most Instructive Games of Chess ever Played, and Practical Chess Endings are great.

A couple months with these will be better than 6 months of rapid or blitz play against other newcomers.

It's not possible to do that, unless you are a prodigy OP.

I got to 800 by myself in a few months by just playing though.

It is possible, I went from mid 200s to 2000 elo just from playing, and a tiny bit of study here and there, but it isn’t for everyone.

Yha, I made it past 800 at one point. I lost all of it though. I did beat several 900-1000 rated players. Now I'm struggling vs 600's again. Never ending cycle.

I will check out the books. Thank you.

Yha, I saw him give the same advice in another thread. It's quite stupid.

Man I tried building hobbits, did exactly as what he said and kept losing. The play was so passive my opponent would steam roll me. I can't win unless I calculate some kind of plan and formulate tactics around it while still maintain solid play.

I agree. The only thing in my chess tool box is tactics, counter attacks to traps like the Traxler ect. Develop, control the center. Try to have a plan. Protect my pieces. All the basic fundamentals one would know. I did blunder a lot though today. I think I'm doing something but I end up not fully calculating my move.

> Going from 100 to 1400 by just playing is not possible for all people.

Agree