Stuck at 300-400 help? - Chess Forums - Page 2

chattermate

Jul 12, 2023

0

#21

I'm just playing to learn right now. The rating will climb once I figure things out.

cohenn2

Sep 26, 2023

0

#22

KeSetoKaiba wrote:

Chess isn't actually connected to intelligence; chess is more about pattern recognition and chess experience than about IQ. It is a trope that chess is for "smart" people: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SmartPeoplePlayChess

Analysis of your own games is a crucial thing for learning. I realize that analysis with a computer is currently for premium accounts (not the default, free, one) but you need to do something to learn from your mistakes and make it less likely for you to repeat those and reinforce bad habits. I'd recommend even at least the chess.com Gold Membership if you can afford it, but even if you stay with the free account, there are still things you can do to improve which doesn't cost any money.

One of those things is learn the fundamentals well and I don't just mean how the pieces move. Basic checkmates (like King + Queen vs King checkmate, or King + Rook vs King checkmate), basic theoretical endgames (such as King + pawn vs King when won and when drawn) and even chess "opening principles" are useful for learning. I actually learned about opening principles (formally) embarrassingly late on my chess journey. I didn't actually learn them until I was already over 1500 chess.com rating. Most people internalize most of these fundamentals before 1000 rating and almost always before 1200 rating (even if they don't always follow them as closely as they should even after this rating).

Here is a Blog Post I wrote on opening principles years ago:

https://www.chess.com/blog/KeSetoKaiba/opening-principles-again

It might be a good place to start

chess is very connected to intelligence

gockgockgoc

Sep 26, 2023

0

#23

Also you need to practice and get better at the game

Jebediah181

Sep 29, 2023

0

#24

Puzzles are great, I was told by someone else on the forums to study the games of a specific Grandmaster, whether it be Mikhail Tal, Bobby Fischer, or a more modern player, like Magnus Carlsen or Hikaru Nakamura. You don't need to understand the point of every move, but even finding one can make a big difference. Chess books are also great. One of the most popular chess books is Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess, which has lots of puzzles inside, but also explains the puzzles. The book is aimed at beginner to intermediate players.

LiterallyPanda

4 days ago

0

#25

It doesn't matter what you do to try and get better at this rating level. Even if you improve, your rating won't. Set your match to the highest + you can or play tournaments instead of the pool. That's also starting to be a moot point / useless too, though, now.

Josh11live

4 days ago

0

#26

First things are opening which guide you through both the opening and the midgame because your plan from the opening goes in connection to the midgame. Next is the midgame where the game is mostly decided at where maybe endgames take 2nd place in where most games are decided at. In the midgame you need to learn about these things in order of most important to least important(this is my opinion on the order so share ideas if you think this could change or things I could add). Stop blundering pieces/tactics, positional play, attacking play, and defensive play. Stop making mistakes is the 1st one and a way to reliably stop making these mistakes are removing/trading off anything that can punish you for a mistake and 2nd is positional play with correct positioning of the pieces, choking your opponent of space, weak squares and controlling them, and putting pieces to the most forward squares available and 3rd is attacking with, pawn storms, bring the pieces into the attack, and sacrifices and 4th defensive play is where you trade off the attackers, counter attack, and keep a steady pawn structure around the king. Endgames are the finals where some games are decided and the games you should mostly study are Rook endgames and pawn endgames, but you should also spend some time into other endgames.

Garrett_Temple

3 days ago

0

#27

Practice I guess?

GuhanaP1007

3 days ago

0

#28

I am not able to get a higher score. Ugh. Someone help

delcai007

3 days ago

0

#29

TenshiChesu wrote:

Hello! My name is Ángel, and I'm a passionate chess coach from Spain.

As an Arena FIDE Master (AFM) with years of experience, I’ve helped players of all levels—from beginners to tournament competitors—unlock their potential. My students have achieved remarkable milestones, including winning local championships, boosting their ratings, and qualifying for national events.

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I specialize in:
✔ Calculation & Tactics – Sharpen your precision.
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As a rock-solid and reliable player (and coach!), I’m fluent in both English and Spanish, ensuring clear and effective communication. My teaching style is patient, structured, and adaptive—because every student’s journey is unique.

If you’re ready to take your chess to the next level, let’s work together! Message me to schedule a lesson or ask any questions.

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FM CoachFMbgabor

3 days ago

0

#30

YazanQch wrote:

I am stuck at 300-400 ELO, I always win and lose, win and lose and don't come forward. Any tips? I am doing a lot of puzzles and try to take my time in 10min games. I am 100% sure that I am not dumb, so any help?

Dear YazanQch,

My name is Gabor Balazs. I’m a Hungarian FIDE Master and 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 given way to learn and improve.

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. 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.

In my opinion, chess has 4 main areas (openings, strategies, tactics/combinations and endgames) and 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 enjoy the lessons because they cover multiple aspects of chess in an engaging and dynamic way, keeping the learning process both stimulating and efficient. Of course, there are always ups and downs but this is completely normal in everyone's career.

If you would like to learn more about chess, you can take private lessons from me (you find the details on my profile) or you can visit my Patreon channel (www.patreon.com/Bgabor91), where you can learn about every kind of topics (openings, strategies, tactics, endgames, game analysis). There are around 43 hours of educational videos uploaded already (some of them are available with a FREE subscription) and I'm planning to upload at least 4 new videos per week, so you can get 4-6 hours of educational contents every month. I also upload daily puzzles in 4 levels every day which are available with a FREE subscription.

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

Josh11live

3 days ago

0

#31

First things are opening which guide you through both the opening and the midgame because your plan from the opening goes in connection to the midgame. Next is the midgame where the game is mostly decided at where maybe endgames take 2nd place in where most games are decided at. In the midgame you need to learn about these things in order of most important to least important(this is my opinion on the order so share ideas if you think this could change or things I could add). Stop blundering pieces/tactics, positional play, attacking play, and defensive play. Stop making mistakes is the 1st one and a way to reliably stop making these mistakes are removing/trading off anything that can punish you for a mistake and 2nd is positional play with correct positioning of the pieces, choking your opponent of space, weak squares and controlling them, and putting pieces to the most forward squares available and 3rd is attacking with, pawn storms, bring the pieces into the attack, and sacrifices and 4th defensive play is where you trade off the attackers, counter attack, and keep a steady pawn structure around the king. Endgames are the finals where some games are decided and the games you should mostly study are Rook endgames and pawn endgames, but you should also spend some time into other endgames.