rating keeps going down

I've heard the fewer games argument, but the first 10 or so games I play are truly terrible, Martin could beat me. I have trouble identifying the correct squares where pieces go. It takes 20 or 30 games against the bots until I feel warmed up, and even then I constantly blunder.

You need to play slower.

You say you play slow games, but you claim you play 20 or 30 games for warm-up...

20 or 30 slow games do not even fit into 24 hours.

Even 20 rapid games with 15|10 time control (which is not really slow, it is still rapid after all) will take about 10 hours. See one 15|10 game should take around half an hour if both players use their time. A 40 move 15|10 game could take more than 40 minutes actually.

So you can not possibly play 20 warm up games and then a dozen 15|10 games within 24 hours and still have time to sleep, unless you just play the games way too fast, in which case, you are not actually playing slow games because you are not using the time you have on your clock.

Also after 20 or 30 games, you will definitely be too tired to play well. I recommend warming up with a couple puzzles, then playing a game or a couple of games SLOWLY. Then spend the rest of the time you have studying.

The bots do not take more than a second to play their next move. Also, when I'm playing humans I use the opponent's time to think. By the time they make a move I usually know what to do already. And I have run out of time on plenty of occasions.

The bots are a rubbish method of rating actual elo score, they make predetermined blunders based on whoever coded them thinks players of that elo level play, when in actual play even 400 elo players won't make the same simple blunders.

The 700 elo bot is more closer to a 200-250 elo player, meanwhile the 1300 elo bot is how most 400-500 elo players play.

I still can't beat the 1500 elo bot, but I can beat the 1400 streamer category bot I found.

Thanks for sharing this - just signed up

I strongly recommend you also use your own time to think.

You can not possibly calculate and see all tactics etc. that will be available after your opponent makes their move before your opponent has made that move because there are so many possible moves. At beginner level there are even more possible moves than at master level, because your opponent might very well blunder or make a mistake and it is likely their move will be inaccurate a lot of times, so you can not narrow down the options very much before you see the move on the board.

If you make up your mind on a move you are going to play and then just play it regardless of what your opponent plays, that may very well explain why you are losing rating...

Also playing against the bots, you should still take more than a second or a couple seconds to think. Slow games take hours per game. I mean classical games are the ones that are really slow games and in those, both players have something like 90 minutes + increment, so the game often lasts for 3 hours or more.

To make your rating in high you should think about why your opponent give this move and where the piece can go in a game. after knowing that, you should give your move.

Is it possible the number of new players and/or games played by new players has decreased recently causing tougher games for the same rating at the low end? I recently went from about 900 peak rating to 700, while increasing my puzzle rating several hundred points. It is possible I just play worse on average, but my feeling is that 700-800 rated players don't fall for the same old tricks and don't give away as many free pieces as they used to just a few months ago (I was ~900 in July, ~800 in August and ~700 in September). Would be interesting to see a graph of games played and unique player count over those months.

I am also very surprised how hard 500+ Elo players are, based on watching chess channel videos on youtube, we shouldn't be able to do what we do at that level.

Some 1300+ elo guy was nice enough to give me a few 'training' rounds, I got to try defend against Carro Kann fanstasy version and nope, still a long way way from learning that, but I'm studying and trying to at least memorize a video on how to beat it. In his opinion if it wasn't for my blunders, I'd also be elo 1000+ which is what the bot analysis thinks on my games without blunders too.

And yes, I've had at least 3 games in the elo 500-600 range already where the opponent knew the fantasy variation counter as white. I think its more likely due to channels like Gotham Chess teaching these things to new players.

@Greaseflake

Buddy, the fried liver works up to 1200 in my experience. I went for a fried liver last night against someone and he played the correct move after exd5 which is Na5. But I knew more about the continuation and was able to use that to my advantage because I played it A LOT at your level. It's great for your level. Just remember if they play Na5 after exd5 check on b5 with the bishop, trade the pawns when he goes c6 and then move the bishop back to d3 and play from there.

It's worth it and is a good attack at your level. Good luck, friend. Best vibes. 🙏

It is Fried Liver only after 5… Nxd5 and and 6. Nxf7. 6. d4 would make it the Lolli Attack.

You are talking about the main line of the Two Kinghts Defense Knight Attack, which is not the same thing at all.

@Habanababananero

That's not what i'm talking about at all. i'm posting a pgn of what i'm talking about. Maybe I don't visualize things well in my head while trying to type them out, but here you go.

I was SAYING after 4. Ng5 - d5 then 5. exd5 Na5 with Na5 being the main point i'm trying to make. A lot of people will make the mistake of taking with 5. exd5 - Nxd5 and then obviously the fried liver unfolds after that. I was talking about the continuation into the polerio, bishop check line. 
I wasn't saying that 4. 5. exd5 - Na5 was the fried liver, it's actually called the polerio defense and I was saying simply it's the best way ( in my experience ) to refute the fried liver. I don't even know of the lolli attack. lmao So at least that gives me something to look at and learn about tonight.

You did say the fried liver works until 1200 and the example you gave was of an opponent who did not allow the fried liver. You played better after move 6 but at move 6 black has managed to equalize. It's also only 6 moves of theory and a very, very common strategy so I would expect a lot of players to be able to play those first 6 moves correct and equalise. You outplayed your opponent after the opening but gained no advantage from the opening.

There are better strategies than going for a fried liver. But to be fair it is low risk high reward attack, so if you find enough success with it then good for you. I do wonder how succesful it is and at what level it starts failing and working against you more often than it works for you. For the wayward queen I think it is as early as 900-1000 that it starts working against you, probably. Even if lower rated players than that can defend against the scholar's mate attempt they might not be able to play in such a way as to punish it and so the game becomes equal and the attempt is essentially risk-free.

@Kippus

To be fair, I did say that it worked well in MY experience. After 1200 it works maybe half the time but you definitely need to know more of the theory and some of blacks counter threats like the traxler counter attack. I got beat with that a couple months back after attempting a fried liver attack and i'll say, that was definitely one to learn from. But you'd be suprised how often a move is misplayed in that attack. For some reason, some people have gotten to the higher levels without really knowing too much about it. When I first learned it I figured it was something everyone above say 1000 would know how to defend against. But I still run into a good amount of people who just misplay against it a few moves in. So I think it's a reasonable thing for beginners to learn and utilize until it does become ultimately ineffective once a higher rating level has been achieved. Either way I had good experiences with it and it made for some fun games.

Also the example I gave was just the first 6 moves, you're right but i didn't intend post the entire lines of theory pertaining to this particular opening. At my level people don't stay with theory for too long, book usually goes out the window before move 10. xD

Chess hard

Hi!

Have you tried with the help of a teacher or coach? This will require a little investment that pays back with best use of your time- and hopefully with better results! I wrote on the subject, you could check out my post if interested:

https://www.chess.com/blog/maafernan/chess-skills-development

Good luck!

Yes play only 2 or 3 games a day and use all your reflection time. For the rest of your time go through your games and a good book with a physical board.

Every time it is your move ask these questions

Why did he do that move?

Are there any threats against my pieces?

Have I completed my development? If not do it.

Make small two moves plans like exchanging Queens Exchange a knight for a bishop...

And finally while you are improving always keep your pieces and pawns protester.

Well you are the one who actually plays it, I'm surprised it was working out so well for you but I can believe it, people can know shockingly little theory at this ELO (around 1200) , some players know some but serious lack of theory happens frequently, depending on the player and the opening. I get a lot of wins thanks to playing less common but solid openings , which is why I'm surprised the fried liver of all things still works out, because everytime I played against the Italian and played Nf6 they would go for the fried liver, everybody who knows the Italian knows the fried liver. In the lower levels the Italian was incredibly common when I played 1...e5