Structured learning - 1000 to 1800

Hi! My name is Lauren Goodkind and I’m a respected  chess coach and chess YouTuber based in California: 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP5SPSG_sWSYPjqJYMNwL_Q

I'm glad that you want to get better in chess.  In regards to improving, you need to find a system that works for you.  What works for somebody else might not work for you.  

Anyway, here are some ideas for you to get better: 

-If you are serious about chess, I highly recommend you hiring a chess coach to help you.  

-Also consider all checks and captures on your side and also your opponent’s side. Always as, “If I move here, where is my opponent going to move?”. Do this for every single move!  

-Play with a slow time control, such as G/30 so you have plenty of time to think before every move. 

I also offer 500 two-choice puzzles on my website: https://www.chessbylauren.com/two-choice-puzzles.php

I hope that this helps.  

Yes, there are structured learning approaches available to help chess players improve their rating from around 1000 to 1800. While signing up for a chess platform like Chess.com Diamond can provide access to a variety of materials and studying content, it is not the only option available.

One popular structured approach is to follow a curriculum or syllabus designed for chess improvement. These curricula often provide a systematic progression of topics to study and master at each level. They typically cover openings, middlegame concepts, endgames, tactics, and strategic ideas. Some examples of such curricula include:

"The Steps Method" by Rob Brunia and Cor van Wijgerden: This is a seven-step program used by many chess trainers. It covers a wide range of topics, starting from the basics and gradually progressing to more advanced concepts.
"The Yusupov Chess Series" by Artur Yusupov: This series is divided into multiple levels, with each level focusing on specific aspects of chess improvement. It provides a structured and comprehensive approach to learning.
"The Complete Chess Course" by Fred Reinfeld: This book provides a step-by-step course aimed at players of all levels. It covers various aspects of the game, including tactics, strategy, and endgames.
"The Amateur's Mind" by Jeremy Silman: While not structured as a curriculum, this book explores the thinking process and common mistakes made by amateur players. It provides valuable insights into positional play and decision-making.
In addition to following a structured curriculum or syllabus, it is beneficial to supplement your learning with tactics training, analyzing your own games, and playing regularly against stronger opponents. It's also helpful to have a coach or mentor who can guide you through the learning process, provide personalized feedback, and help you identify areas that need improvement.

Remember that improvement in chess takes time and effort. It's important to stay consistent, practice regularly, and review your progress periodically.

Hi

Dear Ender,

I am a certified, full-time chess coach, so I hope I can help you.  Everybody is different, so that's why there isn't only one general way to learn. First of all, you have to discover your biggest weaknesses in the game and start working on them. The most effective way for that is analyzing your own games. Of course, if you are a beginner, you can't do it efficiently because you don't know too much about the game yet. There is a built-in engine on chess.com which can show you if a move is good or bad but the only problem is that it can't explain to you the plans, ideas behind the moves, so you won't know why it is so good or bad.

You can learn from books or Youtube channels as well, and maybe you can find a lot of useful information there but these sources are mostly general things and not personalized at all. That's why you need a good coach sooner or later if you really want to be better at chess. A good coach can help you with identifying your biggest weaknesses and explain everything, so you can leave your mistakes behind you. Of course, you won't apply everything immediately, this is a learning process (like learning languages), but if you are persistent and enthusiastic, you will achieve your goals. 

In my opinion, chess has 4 main territories (openings, strategies, tactics/combinations and endgames). If you want to improve efficiently, you should improve all of these skills almost at the same time. That's what my training program is based on. My students really like it because the lessons are not boring (because we talk about more than one areas within one lesson) and they feel the improvement on the longer run. Of course, there are always ups and downs but this is completely normal in everyone's career.

I hope this is helpful for you. Good luck with your games!