Wow there is a lot of really great advice on all these posts. This definitely exceeded all my expectations in getting some tips on how to keep going. A very special shout out to @kesetokaiba for analyzing the entire game that was definitely going really above and beyond. To add to my own mental checklist, I have to work on calculating to see future positions and whether they are beneficial, understand basic positional concepts (maybe seirawan's winning chess strategies book?) and focus most of my non playing time on tactics training
The Paradox of improving - Please Help
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Apr 1, 2021
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#23
Hi! My name is Lauren Goodkind and I’m a chess coach based and chess book author based in California.
If you are having trouble analyzing your games, then I suggest hiring a coach or a much stronger player to analyze the games with you. In the past, much stronger players analyzed games with me and this is a great way to get better. I'm sure this would help you too!
Regardless, I have tips to help you improve your chess skills so you can win more games.
I recommend playing with a slow time control, such as game in 30 minutes. You need time to think. Beginners tend to make a lot of silly moves with very little time. This makes sense since there’s a lot of pieces on the board.
I also offer a free beginner’s free eBook on my website, www.ChessByLauren.com in case you are interested. The book is about asking questions before each move.
Before each move, I highly encourage you ask questions before every move such as, “If I move here, is it safe?”, “Can I safely capture a piece?”, and more.
Also consider all checks and captures on your side and also your opponent’s side. If you are past this stage, then find a forcing winning line.
Learn basic tactics such as the fork, discovered attack, pin, and more. I offer interactive puzzles on my website: https://www.chessbylauren.com/two-choice-puzzles.php
I recommend two books for you:
- 50 Poison Pieces and
-Queen For A Day: The Girl’s Guide To Chess Mastery. Both books are available on Amazon.com and endorsed by chess masters.
If you are serious about chess, I highly recommend you hiring a chess coach to help you.
I hope that this helps.
I would just work on your calculation ability. If you can calculate 3-4 moves per side deep and evaluate the resulting position you will shoot up to >1200 easily. Combine calculation training with some reading up on basic positional concepts like holes/weak squares, bad pieces versus good pieces, weak pawns, outposts, space. Even a general conceptual understanding of these will improve your play and up your rating. (And make the decision making process easier in-game.)