best site to play standard game control? (15/10 or 30)
ask a professional chess player anything
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What is the best way to build strength? Or what worked best for you?
Burke wrote:
I recently read an article that implied Carlsen plays simple, straight-forward openings without trying to get too much of an advantage then, when he reaches a middle game where "book" no longer comes into it he will then try to outplay his opponent figuring he is the better player. Maybe Karpov did this too. Do you think this is a good approach especially for turn based internet chess when everyone can study opening books?
I think this is a very good practical approach but it is quite apparent Magnus is stronger than his opponents in normal positions. Us mortals are not in the same situation so try to play towards your strengths. Keep in mind Magnus used to play very theoretical openings when he was younger. You gotta learn some good openings at some point!
redchessman wrote:
Any advice that could help a noob master get to FM? Should I be changing openings more to get more experience with different positions?
If you've been doing the same thing for a while (over 5 years) I definitely suggest making a change. Just to get a breath of fresh air. Temporarily it might be uncomfortable but in the long run having that knowledge will be useful. Chess is patterns and by trying the different openings out you will be able to deal with almost any pawn structure.
When you were expert was it hard to get to master level. I believe for a lot experts this the hardest to attain master level. The coveted level for a lot players master level Very few players can reach grandmaster level but expert or master I think it is attainable. What did you do to go from expert to master?
May 1, 2015
0
#87
Apologies if this has been asked already but what books most influenced your play? What books do you recommend?
LateralGenius wrote:
What must you do to break the FIDE:2000+ barrier? I have been doing lots of tactics and lots of analysis but my rating seems to be increasing less and less.
It really depends because there is a lot of variance among players at the same ratings. Your ability to objectively look for and identify weaknesses is extremely important. Keep evolving. You must be missing somethin in your self-criticism. Tactics are mainly to keep sharp because at a certain point when you do enough of them you should have a substantial mental database of themes and patterns.
soooo many questions! I'm working on them though- please be patient :) glad to see the activity in here.
HilarioFJunior wrote:
Thanks for the initiative!
My question is: Do you have a well structured thinking process or the positions just "flow" in you mind? I'm not able to think objectively (checking everything like a list, calculating variations...) in my games and I don't know if I should work on that.
I am pretty erratic in my thinking process but I do rely heavily on my intuition(natural flow). My thinking has become less structured as I became a stronger player since I skip through many moves immediately because my understanding improved. For most people I do suggest a highly structured thinking process to get into the habit of blundering less and looking deeper.
In general this is a good question and I think it is something that almost never can be perfected- even our World Champions sometimes get lazy and blunder.
bb_gum234 wrote:
Ok, I thought of another one.
Most people seem to gain a few hundred rating points a year, and then level off. Some seem to level off after GM, some seem to level off before 2200.
I guess there's no way to answer this, but in your opinion in spite of this pattern, what is a rating you think most people should be able to reach? Even if they start as a middle aged adult?
Is there any "low" rating, e.g. a club player rated 1500 after 20 years of play, that you think "they must not have worked very much at improving, because I know they could do better."
Or maybe it's so individual you can't answer with a specific number?
I think anyone should be able to get expert level (2000+) and most people should be able to attain master or strong master level(22-2400) if they started at a reasonable age. After IM (international master) natural ability is a bigger factor.
It is usually a case of the person doing something wrong and doing them for so long that they can't break the bad habits not because they can't improve. Or I often hear people say they play for fun and don't want to improve or put time into it read books bla bla. But rarely it is because of potential.
May 1, 2015
0
#92
I find there is some value in submitting my wins and losses here for computer analysis, but that's only a 2500 computer. Should I purchase Komodo to get a better engine to analyze my games?
1. Is it possible to become a GM if you star playing chess at 17? I started one year ago and have not played a tournament so far but I like the game. I was reading that all GM start at a very young age. 2 is it worth all the work to became a GM? It seems like lots of study, time, etc
I just read the answer some post before. sorry
Can you please give me some feedback on my most recent game? I ended up screwing up at the start and losing a knight but I turned it around. I have been dying to look for someone to do an analysis
This is very low rated and I made a ton of early mistakes, but with that to the side how would you say I played that out
With what "all to the side"? It's all nonsense. You need some basic rules of thumb in what you're supposed to be trying to do.
When calculating, I struggle to acheive a mental image of the board position after a few moves. What study techniques do you recommend to improvr board visualisation?
achja wrote:
@Ninjafu
This topic is about asking a GM "anything", but in your case I'd say that a player, 300 rating points higher rated than you, can already help you to annotate this game pretty well.
Looking at your ratings in your profile page this was a "live standard" game (meaning that you probably had quite some time to think)
What was the time control ?
Apart from all the huge blunders in this game you seem to know how to activate your pieces, and make them work together. That's good.
And I do like the fact that in the end you gave back material to remove the last white piece, and simplify the win. Kudos for that !
It was a 30 minute game, about 15 on his side and 22 on mine. thanks for reviewing my game. :)
May 1, 2015
0
#99
erichansen wrote:
soooo many questions! I'm working on them though- please be patient :) glad to see the activity in here.
Now we know why titled players charge good money for their opinions. To just throw open the doors, invites a deluge.
1) What defines someone attaining the title "GM" ?
2) I hear "Gambit" used say for Queen , King etc...what does that term mean?
thanks
1) A rating over 2500, and 3 performances over 2600 in 3 international tournaments
2) the sacrifice of a pawn in exchange for activity/faster development or some other compensation.
to add on to number two it means to reach out and trip your opponent (at least originally)