You should learn openings if you want to reach any close to 1200.
Improving Your Chess - Resources for Beginners and Beyond...
https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/improving-your-chess-resources-for-beginners-and-beyond
Hi. I've been playing chess for a week or two (~1200 on lichess.com) and I have a few questions not answered in the (great) FAQ https://vshare.onl/
At what point is it necessary to learn openings? Mostly I just try to develop pieces and control the center without a specific plan - is this OK?
What are the endgames I should know? I currently know K+Q, K+R and R+R. What are the most common, and where's the best place to learn them?
What is a good Elo goal to aim for if I'm playing and doing tactics for 1/2 - 1 hour per day?
Thanks.
I got this,...
#1
"At what point is it necessary to learn openings?" ++ Not before grandmaster
"Mostly I just try to develop pieces and control the center" ++ Yes, that is OK
"What are the endgames I should know?"
++ The 5 basic checkmates: KQ vs. K, KR vs. K, KBB vs. K, KBN vs. K, KNN vs. KP
Then KP vs. K, KQ vs. KR, KR vs. KN etc.
"What are the most common" ++ Rook endings, like KRP vs. KR etc.
"where's the best place to learn them?" ++ The Syzygy 7-men endgame table base
"What is a good Elo goal to aim for if I'm playing and doing tactics for 1/2 - 1 hour per day?"
++ Aim for 2000 in 1 year. Key is to analyse your lost games so as to learn from your mistakes.
This site has a lot of good beginner videos. YouTube also. Don't study openings, just basic principles like getting ur pieces off the back row fast (that's development), controlling the center (that's the most valuable real estate, ur pieces r more powerful there). Do 5 tactics puzzles every day. Learn king and pawn endings. Rook and pawn endings, knight and pawn endings, bishop and pawn endings. Queen and pawn endings. Watch a bunch of videos on opening PRINCIPLES, not openings. And a bunch of videos on middle game strategy. Don't play any blitz or bullet, just rapid and slower.
About endgames. Learn about opposition, it is very important for beginners. It will get you a lot of draws instead of losses or wins instead of draws.
50% of your time goes to tactics/middlegame plans, 30% endgames 20% openings. This is what a titled player instructed me to do a little while ago. Openings percentage can increase between the 1300-1600 level. Assuming by then your pattern recognition for tactics and basic endgames have become sufficient. If you do study some openings read through the thought process of the author, understand the IDEAS, such as what pawn breaks your playing for. People say " dont study openings" sure your dont need to know 30 moves of theory but you should learn what squares your pieces belong on in such openings to give yourself opportunities for tactics. Tactics are useless if you cant coordinate your pieces. Therefore the 50-30-20 study plan allows you to learn a bit of all parts of the game and develop your skill level somewhat even.
( that same titled player told me when i was 1200 rapid i should learn the Taimonov Sicilian since i already played the English, which i bet a bunch of people in the forums would say " dont learn the Sicilian until your 4,000 elo, i never got around to it yet though i still like my caro kann )
50% of your time goes to tactics/middlegame plans, 30% endgames 20% openings. This is what a titled player instructed me to do a little while ago. Openings percentage can increase between the 1300-1600 level. Assuming by then your pattern reconition for tactics and basic endgames have become sufficent. If you do study some openings read through the thought proccess of the author, understand the IDEAS, such as what pawn breaks your playing for. People say " dont study openings" sure your dont need to know 30 moves of theory but you should learn what squares your peices belong on in such openings to give yourself opportunities for tactics. Tactics are useless if you cant cordinate your peices. Therfore the 50-30-20 study plan allows you to learn a bit of all parts of the game and develop your skill level somewhat even.
My last coach who was titled echo the same thing. The ratio can vary depending where your strengths and weaknesses are at.
I dont remember who said it but:
A mistake in the opening you can recover from.
A mistake in the middle game will hurt you.
A mistake in the endgame will kill you.
Also, what I have noticed with my beginner skills and beginner game experience, tactics become more available and obvious in the late middle game / early endgame, when there are still powerful pieces on the board, but lines are open. Skewers, pins and forks are everywhere.
Early in the game, when all the pawns are there and it is all cramped, it is way harder to find tactics.
I think this may be the reason why E4 is recommended for new players, because it causes more open games, but that is just my own thinking, so take it with a grain of salt.
So if you are good with tactics, develop, exchange some minor pieces, open it up, win the game with a tactic.
Also, what I have noticed with my beginner skills and beginner game experience, tactics become more available and obvious in the late middle game / early endgame, when there are still powerful pieces on the board, but lines are open. Skewers, pins and forks are everywhere.
Early in the game, when all the pawns are there and it is all cramped, it is way harder to find tactics.
I think this may be the reason why E4 is recommended for new players, because it causes more open games, but that is just my own thinking, so take it with a grain of salt.
So if you are good with tactics, develop, exchange some minor pieces, open it up, win the game with a tactic.
Just think of the saying: "Tactics flow from a superior position."
How do you get a superior position? By knowing strategy.
Also, what I have noticed with my beginner skills and beginner game experience, tactics become more available and obvious in the late middle game / early endgame, when there are still powerful pieces on the board, but lines are open. Skewers, pins and forks are everywhere.
Early in the game, when all the pawns are there and it is all cramped, it is way harder to find tactics.
I think this may be the reason why E4 is recommended for new players, because it causes more open games, but that is just my own thinking, so take it with a grain of salt.
So if you are good with tactics, develop, exchange some minor pieces, open it up, win the game with a tactic.
Just think of the saying: "Tactics flow from a superior position."
How do you get a superior position? By knowing strategy.
Good advice, but when your opponent is of similiar strength it is hard to get a superior position. That is why I pointed out that you only need an equal, open position, where tactics are abundant, if you are good with tactics.
The point was: Look at what are your strengths and try to take the game that way.
Now if one is a positional player, maybe go with closed d4 games and less tactics.
Sometimes it is preference. A gambit for example. Some would take the extra pawn, some like the lead in development. Now both are correct, or wrong.
What are you good at? What do you like? Go that way.
Also, what I have noticed with my beginner skills and beginner game experience, tactics become more available and obvious in the late middle game / early endgame, when there are still powerful pieces on the board, but lines are open. Skewers, pins and forks are everywhere.
Early in the game, when all the pawns are there and it is all cramped, it is way harder to find tactics.
I think this may be the reason why E4 is recommended for new players, because it causes more open games, but that is just my own thinking, so take it with a grain of salt.
So if you are good with tactics, develop, exchange some minor pieces, open it up, win the game with a tactic.
Just think of the saying: "Tactics flow from a superior position."
How do you get a superior position? By knowing strategy.
Good advice, but when your opponent is of similiar strength it is hard to get a superior position. That is why I pointed out that you only need an equal, open position, where tactics are abundant, if you are good with tactics.
The point was: Look at what are your strengths and try to take the game that way.
Now if one is a positional player, maybe go with closed d4 games and less tactics.
Sometimes it is preference. A gambit for example. Some would take the extra pawn, some like the lead in development. Now both are correct, or wrong.
What are you good at? What do you like? Go that way.
At your level games are won and lost by mistakes, blunders, and missed tactics. Heck at my level games are won and lost for the same reason. This is why it is so important at your level to double check your moves. The whole e4 vs. d4 debate is way overblown and very misguided. Unless you're a titled player its not going to matter what you play. Like i said. You want to get good at tactics? Get good at strategy. But in the end. Do what makes the game fun for you.
Also, what I have noticed with my beginner skills and beginner game experience, tactics become more available and obvious in the late middle game / early endgame, when there are still powerful pieces on the board, but lines are open. Skewers, pins and forks are everywhere.
Early in the game, when all the pawns are there and it is all cramped, it is way harder to find tactics.
I think this may be the reason why E4 is recommended for new players, because it causes more open games, but that is just my own thinking, so take it with a grain of salt.
So if you are good with tactics, develop, exchange some minor pieces, open it up, win the game with a tactic.
Just think of the saying: "Tactics flow from a superior position."
How do you get a superior position? By knowing strategy.
Good advice, but when your opponent is of similiar strength it is hard to get a superior position. That is why I pointed out that you only need an equal, open position, where tactics are abundant, if you are good with tactics.
The point was: Look at what are your strengths and try to take the game that way.
Now if one is a positional player, maybe go with closed d4 games and less tactics.
Sometimes it is preference. A gambit for example. Some would take the extra pawn, some like the lead in development. Now both are correct, or wrong.
What are you good at? What do you like? Go that way.
At your level games are won and lost by mistakes, blunders, and missed tactics. Heck at my level games are won and lost for the same reason. This is why it is so important at your level to double check your moves. The whole e4 vs. d4 debate is way overblown and very misguided. Unless you're a titled player its not going to matter what you play. Like i said. You want to get good at tactics? Get good at strategy. But in the end. Do what makes the game fun for you.
What are you responding to? Not what I wrote at least.
Yes, at my level, and yours, games are decided by mistakses. That is actually the case for all levels of chess.
Tactics are short term things that present themself. Strategy is a long term plan. Even I know this, but then again I have read books.
And just to make it clear, I did not come here asking for advice, but to give some. My progress is quite good and both rapid and daily ratings seem to be lagging behind. See, I have been studying, not just playlng.
#17
"I did not come here asking for advice, but to give some." rated 1153
#17
"I did not come here asking for advice, but to give some." rated 1153
I could argue I am rated 1296. It depends on the rating you look at. Also, if you look at my win rate for the last 30 days or 90 days, you will see I am making progress.
Anyway, it is irrelevant. Was my advice not good?
Are you making any prorgess yourself? This question was rhetorical. You have not made any prorgess in a year, based on your rating. So maybe you are the one, whose advice should not be listened to.
Hi. I've been playing chess for a week or two (~1200 on lichess.com) and I have a few questions not answered in the (great) FAQ.
At what point is it necessary to learn openings? Mostly I just try to develop pieces and control the center without a specific plan - is this OK?
What are the endgames I should know? I currently know K+Q, K+R and R+R. What are the most common, and where's the best place to learn them?
What is a good Elo goal to aim for if I'm playing and doing tactics for 1/2 - 1 hour per day?
Thanks.
YOU SHOULD LEARN OPENINGS AS SOON AS YOU CROSS 1000
If opponents plays queens gambit or Blackburne shilling gambit etc, its hard to play without knowing the theory even at low elo range, unless you have like 1 hour per game so you can burn time thinking from the opening itself, but its easy if you learn the opening so you can play openings quickly and start thinking in middle game and endgame..
Hi. I've been playing chess for a week or two (~1200 on lichess.com) and I have a few questions not answered in the (great) FAQ.
At what point is it necessary to learn openings? Mostly I just try to develop pieces and control the center without a specific plan - is this OK?
What are the endgames I should know? I currently know K+Q, K+R and R+R. What are the most common, and where's the best place to learn them?
What is a good Elo goal to aim for if I'm playing and doing tactics for 1/2 - 1 hour per day?
Thanks.