Relatively new player

Hi all,

I am returning to chess after a long time of not playing and want to make a concerted effort to improve.

I have played a few dozen game and watched countless YouTube videos and started to get better slightly. My issue seems to be blundering a lot, which I assume will become less the more I play and more puzzles I do.

Does anyone have any 'must-read' books that I should pick up to help me improve my game or any other advice?

I have a lot of time to improve my game as I am travelling until the end of July so want to take the time to practice as much as possible.

Also if anyone wants to have a game - let me know!

Thanks for the advice - I am now playing 15|10 time control.

Is this slow enough or should i be playing longer games?

Very fair comment. 

I need to slow down and properly analyze all moves, not acting on instinct yet, as it is clearly too early in my development.

I won my last game (the one you quoted was my second to last) but I completely agree with what you said.

If anyone has any other comments or advice, it is very much appreciated.

Lava is right. As for playing longer games, I find it difficult when playing online, but over the board I'm used to 90/30 and time flies. I think joining a club in real life and playing otb as much as possible is a great step to improvement, but I suppose it is not possible while you are travelling.

I've found that correspondence (daily) games are very useful too.

Sounds great thanks - accepted and look forward to the game.

Good Chess Books for Beginners and Beyond...

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/good-chess-books-for-beginners-and-beyond

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell

"... for those that want to be as good as they can be, they'll have to work hard.
Play opponents who are better than you … Learn basic endgames. Create a simple opening repertoire (understanding the moves are far more important than memorizing them). Study tactics. And pick up tons of patterns. That’s the drumbeat of success. ..." - IM Jeremy Silman (December 27, 2018)
https://www.chess.com/article/view/little-things-that-help-your-game
https://www.chess.com/article/view/how-to-start-out-in-chess

https://www.chess.com/blog/michechess89/8-tips-to-increase-your-online-rating

https://www.chess.com/news/view/rapid-chess-improvement
https://www.chess.com/news/view/a-new-years-resolution-improve-your-chess-with-new-lessons

https://www.chess.com/article/view/mastery-chess-lessons-are-here
"... In order to maximize the benefits of [theory and practice], these two should be approached in a balanced manner. ... Play as many slow games (60 5 or preferably slower) as possible, ... The other side of improvement is theory. ... This can be reading books, taking lessons, watching videos, doing problems on software, etc. ..." - NM Dan Heisman (2002)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627084053/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman19.pdf
"... If it’s instruction, you look for an author that addresses players at your level (buying something that’s too advanced won’t help you at all). This means that a classic book that is revered by many people might not be useful for you. ..." - IM Jeremy Silman (2015)
https://www.chess.com/article/view/the-best-chess-books-ever
Here are some reading possibilities that I often mention:
Simple Attacking Plans by Fred Wilson (2012)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708090402/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review874.pdf
http://dev.jeremysilman.com/shop/pc/Simple-Attacking-Plans-77p3731.htm
Logical Chess: Move by Move by Irving Chernev (1957)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708104437/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/logichess.pdf
The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played by Irving Chernev (1965)
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/most-instructive-games-of-chess-ever-played/
Winning Chess by Irving Chernev and Fred Reinfeld (1948)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708093415/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review919.pdf
Back to Basics: Tactics by Dan Heisman (2007)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708233537/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review585.pdf
https://www.chess.com/article/view/book-review-back-to-basics-tactics
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5856bd64ff7c50433c3803db/t/5895fc0ca5790af7895297e4/1486224396755/btbtactics2excerpt.pdf
Discovering Chess Openings by GM John Emms (2006)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627114655/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen91.pdf
Openings for Amateurs by Pete Tamburro (2014)
http://kenilworthian.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-of-pete-tamburros-openings-for.html
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/openings-for-amateurs/

https://www.chess.com/blog/ForwardChess/book-of-the-week-openings-for-amateurs
https://www.mongoosepress.com/catalog/excerpts/openings_amateurs.pdf
Chess Endgames for Kids by Karsten Müller (2015)
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/chess-endgames-for-kids/
http://www.gambitbooks.com/pdfs/Chess_Endgames_for_Kids.pdf
A Guide to Chess Improvement by Dan Heisman (2010)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708105628/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review781.pdf
Studying Chess Made Easy by Andrew Soltis (2009)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708090448/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review750.pdf
Seirawan stuff:
http://seagaard.dk/review/eng/bo_beginner/ev_winning_chess.asp?KATID=BO&ID=BO-Beginner

https://web.archive.org/web/20140708090229/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review492.pdf
http://www.nystar.com/tamarkin/review1.htm
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627132508/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen173.pdf

https://www.chess.com/article/view/book-review-winning-chess-openings

https://www.chess.com/article/view/book-review-winning-chess-endings
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708092617/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review560.pdf

why not? lmk when ur free and we can play some

Hi Shaun, It's great to hear that you're returning to chess and want to improve your game. Blunders are a problem at all levels and even the best players need to be constantly alert for them. To eliminate blunders, you should focus on improving your "tactical vision" so that simple tactical patterns "jump out" at you vs. you having to think and find them out. Drilling basic tactical repititively is the way to build this pattern recognition. Some resources I would recommend to start out are - Bain's Chess Tactics for Students chess Chesstactics.org (Totally free site explaining all basic tactical in great detail) Self-learning is great but in my experience you can speed up your learning curve a lot and avoid a lot of frustration if you have a coach who can point out your mistakes and blind spots. This would help avoid making the same mistakes over and over and make real strides in your chess improvement. If you're interested, I specialize in coaching beginners and helping them improve fast. I am rated 1873 USCF and have taught over 80 students who were all beginners and helped several of them win medals in tournaments. Also, compared to a titled player, I can relate much more to the common problems faced by beginners and I know how to help them fix their mistakes. Also, my rates are way cheaper than that of the typical chess master coach. If you're interested in signing up for lessons, send me a message. Even if not, use the resources mentioned above and you should see improvement in your tactical vision and reduction in blunders. Good luck and keep playing!