If you want to get really good at chess might I suggest beginner YouTube content. Try learning the value of pieces and basic opening strategy. Try to do a few puzzles like forks, pins, etc. You should also be ready to lose a LOT. If you don't make mistakes, you don't learn anything.
Looking for some friends and maybe a few tips.
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Lordpotato999 wrote:
If you want to get really good at chess might I suggest beginner YouTube content. Try learning the value of pieces and basic opening strategy. Try to do a few puzzles like forks, pins, etc. You should also be ready to lose a LOT. If you don't make mistakes, you don't learn anything.
Thanks for the advice, am on it.
Feb 3, 2024
0
#4
Sign up for premium content . Work lots of puzzles. Play lots of games. Review your games after and it will tell you what you did wrong... And you can learn from that. I'm pretty slow to have new things stick...... But I will offer that thousands of puzzles and hundreds of games begins to have an effect.
Git_er_done wrote:
Sign up for premium content . Work lots of puzzles. Play lots of games. Review your games after and it will tell you what you did wrong... And you can learn from that. I'm pretty slow to have new things stick...... But I will offer that thousands of puzzles and hundreds of games begins to have an effect.
Great advice, thanks. My memory is shocking, but hopefully will retain some of the stuff I am learning.
@1
"once I could beat him we rarely played" ++ Typical...
"played bots" ++ Do not play artificially weakened bots. They err, but in a non-human way.
"games of 10min"
++ Better play 15|10. It is the official time control like for the rapid world championship etc. Thanks to the increment you always have time to win a won position or draw a drawn position.
"I am making a huge amount of mistakes"
++ Always check your intended move is no blunder before you play it.
Imagine your intended move played on the board.
Check it does not lose any piece or pawn or run into checkmate. Only then play it.
"doing lots of puzzles"
++ Puzzles are overrated. In a real game nobody tells you there is a tactic, or for whom.
"started working on improving"
++ Key is to analyse your lost games to learn from your mistakes, so as to avoid similar mistakes in the future and exploit similar mistakes by your future opponents.
@6
Steep learning curve, not much info on how this site works so just fumbling along. Started with bots to get my confidence up a bit.
10 min games were the first to pop up so played them, but find it very rushed with little time to think, so will experiment with longer games.
I probably need to be sure about the rules, have not won a game yet. Was up material in one game but ran out of time. Next game played super quick but made more mistakes and was down material, when my competitor ran out, he got an extra 15 minutes! He had 2 queens and a rook chasing my bishop and a couple of pawns around the board until he ran out of time again and it was a draw. I just can`t get my head around it.
Feb 4, 2024
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#8
"++Puzzles are overrated. In a real game nobody tells you there is a tactic, or for whom." Solving puzzles doesn't either. Unless you are looking at a particular type of puzzle. If you're just solving they may be winning material, they may be avoiding a material loss, or they may be a mate in several moves. You are just supposed to figure out the best move.....
Feb 4, 2024
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#9
At your puzzle solving level..... You're not trying to figure out grandmaster solutions as a beginner
Feb 4, 2024
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#10
Hey Mark.
I'm a little ahead of you in learning, but following the same trajectory. I'm no expert, or even intermediate - in fact very much a beginner. But happy to connect up and play through / talk through a few games.
Cheers
Derek
Hello. My name Alexander, I'll be glad for friendship :raised_hands
Feb 4, 2024
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#14
Hi mark! (im also mark)
It's nice to see that after 50 years you wanted to play again 
. But of course, it's not easy to start playing chess again!
If you started to play with bots, try the intermediate ones first (~1200) and if they are hard try doing adaptive intermediate and if THEY are challenging do some easy ones.
So about puzzles: since you have a platimum membership, you can do infinte puzzles! Do some, and if they feel hard, do the custom ones. Or even just anytime if you wanna practice a certain tactic use the custom ones! Then, once you get some friends, puzzle battle against them and get better! Puzzle rush I recommend doing 5 minutes but actually survival is better since there's no time pressure.
Playing: AVOID BULLET, at least for your level. Bullet is just:
"Oh! I see a move that doesn't lose a piece"
...
"I'll move it."
So under time pressure it isn't that good. Start off with 15|10 and if it feels too slow (it shouldn't) do 10|0. But if you're in a mood for something livley, do 5|5, 5|0, or 3|2 blitz. As @LordPotato999 says, you'll lose a lot but you will still learn from your mistakes. Enter tourneys when you feel like it.
I'll accept any friend requests.
Oh and, you're welcome! (for the tides, the grass, and the sky)
delb0y wrote:
Hey Mark.
I'm a little ahead of you in learning, but following the same trajectory. I'm no expert, or even intermediate - in fact very much a beginner. But happy to connect up and play through / talk through a few games.
Cheers
Derek
That will be great, will be in touch.
Thanks.
chesstimetravaling wrote:
Playing: AVOID BULLET, at least for your level. Bullet is just:
"Oh! I see a move that doesn't lose a piece"
...
"I'll move it."
Thanks for the tips, dont think I could cope with anything under 10 min at the moment. Will give the 15 and 30 min a go.
Feb 4, 2024
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#17
markie404 wrote:
New here, joined a week ago and just getting used to everything.
My Father taught me to play when I was 10 or 11, but once I could beat him we rarely played.
50 years later, get a sudden urge to play again, and found this site. First few days played bots, then had a few games of 10min. I am making a huge amount of mistakes, so doing lots of puzzles and started working on improving.
Would be great to find a few friendly people to play with regularly, and maybe get a few tips along the way, unlikely to beat anyone for a while but am keen to play and learn.
Our stories are much the same. I recently found a local chess club in the Clubs section here that meet regularly. You might find the similar in your town.
Stockfishdot1 wrote:
Our stories are much the same. I recently found a local chess club in the Clubs section here that meet regularly. You might find the similar in your town.
Actually I think there is one in my village, meet up weekly at a pub within walking distance. Will have to check it out......Chess and beer, is that a good idea?
Feb 4, 2024
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#20
markie404 wrote:
Stockfishdot1 wrote:
Our stories are much the same. I recently found a local chess club in the Clubs section here that meet regularly. You might find the similar in your town.
Actually I think there is one in my village, meet up weekly at a pub within walking distance. Will have to check it out......Chess and beer, is that a good idea?
Never let sobriety get in the way of chess. In moderation, of course.
New here, joined a week ago and just getting used to everything.
My Father taught me to play when I was 10 or 11, but once I could beat him we rarely played.
50 years later, get a sudden urge to play again, and found this site. First few days played bots, then had a few games of 10min. I am making a huge amount of mistakes, so doing lots of puzzles and started working on improving.
Would be great to find a few friendly people to play with regularly, and maybe get a few tips along the way, unlikely to beat anyone for a while but am keen to play and learn.