Hello friends,

I had a few questions on general chess improvment. It would be great if you could give some insight into them, as I feel that many players in this group probably have the same questions.

1. What are some good ways to improve one's tactical abilities? Are there any techniques/helpful tips/books/resources you would recomend? I know tactical puzzles are popular. Is it better to do these by setting them up on your own board, or simply looking at the diagrams?

2. Are there any helpful exercises, techniques, or books that can improve one's calculating speed/depth/accuracy? (By calculating, I mean "I move here, then if he moves there, I take here, and if he doesn't move there, I go here, then he goes there," and so forth. In other words, what goes on in your head through most of the game.)

3. I have recently started playing in competitive OTB tournaments, with VERY mixed results. What are some good ways to improve one's tournament results?

4. On average, I can usually squeeze out about 1 hour to spend on concentrated chess study. During this time, what should I be focusing my studies on in order to get the best results? Specifically, how much time should I be spending on tactics, positional play, studying master games, actual playing time, etc.?

Any help with any of these questions is very much appreciated. Thanks!

-hankm

Chess4All twitch fan club

Super Admins

Admins