Another Beginner Seeking Advice - Chess Forums

DanMarinara

Oct 2, 2017

0

#1

Hi chess.com community,

To make a long story short - I want to bridge that gap between beginner and intermediate chess prowess, so any advice would be much appreciated. I'll share some brief, personal info about myself in the hopes that it will help you guys understand where within the beginner spectrum I fall into.

-Played my first game of chess OTB with a roommate 3 years ago (he kicked my ass)

-Began consistently playing chess on the mobile chess.com app ~1.5 - 2 years ago under 3|0 time control. I would play during lunch, in between classes, IN classes, whenever possible - I was hooked

-I still exclusively play 3|0 since it has, in my opinion, been optimal - it maximizes my ability to think during the game while taking into account the constraint of time in a day that I can devote to chess

-I worked my way up from an initial 600-700 blitz rating to my current ~1200 position - a feat I'm very proud of

-I do not have the luxury of affording a chess coach/mentor, MasterClass, etc.

If I had to guess on areas I need to improve, it would be my theoretical approach to games (I believe players call that strategy?) and openings. Not that my tactics are at a competitive level, I'm just more concerned about strategy because I think it's important to focus on the macro before diving into the micro stuff. As for the openings, I sometimes end up in lost positions by move 5 because I'm mainly comfortable with 1. e4, e5 and nothing else. With all that said, I'm a beginner so I'm open to hearing any advice on how to advance my chess ability.

Thanks in advance,

Dan

kindaspongey

Oct 2, 2017

0

#2

"..., you have to make a decision: have tons of fun playing blitz (without learning much), or be serious and play with longer time controls so you can actually think.
One isn’t better than another. Having fun playing bullet is great stuff, while 3-0 and 5-0 are also ways to get your pulse pounding and blood pressure leaping off the charts. But will you become a good player? Most likely not.
Of course, you can do both (long and fast games), ..." - IM Jeremy Silman (June 9, 2016)
https://www.chess.com/article/view/longer-time-controls-are-more-instructive

BeepBeepImA747

Oct 2, 2017

0

#3

I tried playing a 45/45 game but I couldn't help but move fast. It felt like a blitz game with lots of extra time.

isabela14

Oct 2, 2017

0

#4

I was strictly playing 30 plus minutes time control for years and until recently I've been playing 10 minutes blitzes. It took me awhile to get used to it and started to win more games and not lose on time. Here's my problem....I am now losing on longer time controls since I play like a blitz.

jambyvedar

Oct 2, 2017

0

#5

@op

Try playing some games at 15(the more the better) minutes. Playing many games at 3 minutes won't help you improve your calculating ability and can lead to superficial thinking. If you want you can still play 3 minutes, but mix it up with many games at longer time control.

There are good online youtube videos by John Bartholomew. Start with his Fundamental Chess series. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess is a good and not expensive book. Try that as it will open you to what things you need to improve. That book will also improve your game. There are also many good chess tactics puzzle app. Try Chess Tactics Pro.

Candidate35

Oct 2, 2017

0

#6

If I was a beginner again I'd do these 5 things;

1) play correspondence chess without using any opening databases/books or analysis board but instead use my own mind to visualize and attempt to calculate as best as possible each position.

2) solve chess puzzles for at least 10 minutes or more a day.

3) get an endgame book and study it cover to cover repeatedly until I could cite chapter and verse from memory anything in that book. Then move on to another book.

4) pick an opening complex as white (e4,d4 or other) and two openings as black (one against e4, d4/other), and review master games in those openings by the thousands.

5) make sure all losses get analyzed first by myself, secondly by a computer/stronger player and then categorized by error (tactical oversight, poor opening play, endgame mishap, errant middle game strategy, ect) and trends get special focus to correct.

After awhile once good improvement was had I would add occasional Live games into my routine, 15|10 initially then add a few 5|0 in for pattern recognition practice. If I could find longer Live games like 30|0 or more I'd jump on that whenever possible too.

RussBell

Oct 2, 2017

0

#7

https://www.ichess.net/2011/05/28/confessions-of-a-blitzaholic-wills-opinion-on-chess/

https://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/how-blitz-and-bullet-rotted-my-brain-don-t-let-it-rot-yours

Study FUNDAMENTALS - opening principles, tactics, endgame, posItional chess concepts, instructive games...

Instructive books covering all these topics for beginner-intermediate players here...

Good Chess Books for Beginners and Beyond...

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

Chess.com Study Plan...

https://www.chess.com/article/view/study-plan-directory