My suggestion is to read several books that present master games along with their thought process. A few weeks with those will be more helpful than trying to learn in your own by playing other beginners.
But when I read annotated games by masters or games from books I always fall asleep!... like its hard to read more than 1-2 pages before feeling my brain is overheating...
and struggle to understand the variations also, lol
tips?
keep it fun. focus on principles vs tactics/openings...then learn tactics and openings in somewhat that order.
Ah, well, for me, chess.com has five puzzles + daily puzzle and may be 1 or 2 puzzle rush or battle I guess. I don't have premium. I don't really know what aimchess free provides. And @mikewier Sir, I can't really apply anything from Master games in my games. Plus, what @TheSonics said, it's a bit boring also. Could you suggest me some books that surey would help me? And openings. What I can do is just memorizing them. Yes I know the opening principles. Attack tge center, develop your pieces, try not to move twice, knights before bishops, castle early, all those. Still I don't really know what's wrong. But I am always in trouble when my opponent's response is unfamiliar. I just don't see a way out of my rating. Even I started April with 700+. Now it came down around 650, May be even less than that.
I have answer for that. And that answer is frustrating. I can't recognize patterns, can't think a move ahead, and my board vision is very poor. The thing is, none of it seems to improve over the course of time.
Honestly, relatable. I blunder minor pieces all the time, but with some tactics and sacrifices, i can sometimes bring the position back. So my advice is to try playing puzzles to recognise patterns, and do lessons to improve your overall strength
Well, I was stuck in the mid-900s for about a year. I realized that just playing, watching videos and solving some puzzles was not working anymore and decided to focus on how I think. I purchased a course on chessable on basic calculation skills (very basic, just 3 moves). I worked on the course when I had time, and I actually began to think more simply, yet logically about my moves. After a while my rating started trending upward again. You don't have to buy a course, just google 3-ply calculation. The key for me was to settle my "monkey mind" and think in a more focused manner.
If you are strapped for time, you might want to consider playing the Daily game format. It gives you the ability to use your 15 minutes to just think about one move. Its a great way to turn logical thinking into a habit. You might even consider joining a club on chess.com and playing in its matches, which are usually 3-day format. There are clubs for every state and country, clubs that play only one opening, etc
To beat 1000-rated players regularly, you should: 1. Know basic tactics: forks, pins, skewers, and simple mates. 2. Understand opening principles: control the center, develop pieces, and castle early. 3. Avoid hanging pieces and punish your opponent when they do. 4. Recognize simple endgames like king and pawn vs king. 5. Have a basic plan in quiet positions instead of just reacting.
^ I mean I bet he would know...that's cool a NM responded here