can we really improve??

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Sachac1k
ThorMaximus wrote:
1edr1551 wrote:
ThorMaximus wrote:

Improving at Chess is no different than improving at anything else you do in life.
Books don't offer structured learning, they offer information.

There is no "magic bullet", or one size fits all approach.

If you really want to get good at anything, including chess, you will need to invest time and money into it. Set goals, measure yourself, hit milestones, keep disciplined.

It's actually quite clear how to do it, it's how hard you want to work at it.

fancy words but mixed points..

you generalized the subject, we need more spesific points since we already 'are' trying.. no one is asking for a magic bullet though, I'm already asking for 'a way'.. read the first post see I'm already trying but not making significant progress.. that's whole point

I once got to 1400 doing nothing but puzzles and tactics. Barely knew any openings. All Rapid though, terrible at Blitz, much less Bullet. Thing was, most of my tactics the engine thought were bad moves, a lot of sacrifices and all out attacks, but they worked based on the level I was at. I was solid with pawn endgames and traded queens often. Also, I think I took a long time so people would lose engagement (not intentionally) but it did hit a limit.

I stepped away for a while due to work and came back, forgot everything I learned. This time I bought Openings courses to set myself up better and learn some strategy behind what I was trying to do. I've gotten quite good at book moves in some variations up to 7-9 moves. But I have hit sticking point. Middle game tactics.

But to get good at openings I practiced them over and over and over. I took notes, starting keeping notations, did drills, dedicated time to recognizing best moves when they occurred.
I just began working on middle game again with a new course and more puzzles and tactics training.
I set a goal to get comfortable with openings 65% of the time. I exceeded that. But its hit a wall, and its the middle game. Now comes time to think about those tactics, sacrifices, and drills.

I spent time and money. I don't just do one game after another. I go back through mistakes and check against best outcomes.
I got to 900 Blitz last week with this, but on vacation on a cruise with a little too much of the drink package.... oops.
Back to dedicating hour of day to training.

This also doesnt look like healthy training to me grin.png

Sachac1k
ThorMaximus wrote:
1edr1551 wrote:

why no one can effectively improve their ratings to 2000s ? people say analyze your games, solve puzzles and study endgames..

alright how come i see a ten years old kids having 2000? when on earth did they do these, kiddo was peeing his pants last year

there is something wrong with these suggestions, it feels like people just fool you into something that isnt real at all..

and again.. can we really improve??

First off, remember that some people have a natural aptitude or ability (physical, mental, etc.) that others simply don't and can't.

Quite frankly, most of us have a limit as to how good we can really ever get. There's nothing to be ashamed of. If you could ever reach a point, for however short it is, that you reached 2000, you would be in a very small minority of players that have ever played period.

Make no mistake, no one is a "prodigy" who doesn't do the work. You'll never see the hard work that goes into making one great at anything, what you see are the outcomes.
I've learned to be "_________", (applies to any endeavor you pursue) you have to first be that when no one sees it. You could be a great golfer, or coder, or accountant, or husband/wife, it doesn't matter. But before you are recognized for it, you have developed the habits that make you that every day, and when the opportunities come for those skills to shine, only then do you see the extraordinary outcomes.

Do not believe that it comes easy for anyone. To be great at anything, you have to do the work to be great.

This again is quite true. Before I became decent chessplayer (although there is still far much to do and lot more to climb) I did read lots of books, seen lots of positions, analysed lots of games... The hours you put in will not be lost if you are looking to improve.

Same it took me to become better father. Lots of sweat, tears but you need to learn from past mistakes, examine each situation with little distance. I agree with everyone who posted advice in this direction here. There is already a lot of good advice in this topic. I like it!

Vertwitch
Get a coach -> best proven way to improve
Sachac1k
Vertwitch wrote:
Get a coach -> best proven way to improve

As a coach I would have interest to agree but to tell you the truth you can and should get to certain level on your own before seeking a coach. Unless you have no clue where to start then couple of hours with a coach can send you in the right direction.

Problem I see are streamers. People come to chess often because of them but streamers have no reason to teach you chess. For them the job is to keep you entertained. That is why they are teaching you first moves of Caro, London and another meme openings like Bongcloud for example. I bet I could post a topic, where unironically people will be defending Bongcloud to death.

maafernan

Salut!

I have written a post on how to improve, you might check it out:

https://www.chess.com/blog/maafernan/chess-skills-development

Good luck!

SoupSailor
Look at my rating graph… improvement is easy.
Dumbluck626

I didn't read through everything but yes you can improve. I really started around when I was 18 at about 1000 online. I'm now around ~1850-2000 12 years later. It's hard, there's a lot to learn but kids like that have a few things in their side.

1) The best age to start learning is 4-6.

2) Having a coach is key to learning the right things quickly

3) Having access to the right coach for that individual is paramount

4) Their whole life is designed to create an environment to excel at chess improvement.

5) There is a significantly smaller portion of their life dedicated to outside influence, i.e. relationships, emotional baggage, bills, etc. The hardest part outside of chess for them is often multiplication tables. I taught those to my brother in kindergarten. We underestimate how quickly blank canvases can process raw data.

6) at tournaments, little kids are often underestimated until it's too late so initially in their climb, they can get a small advantage by a small portion of their competitors going easy when they shouldn't. Of course by the time they reach 2000 that advantage has greatly dissipated.

Duck

I wish I had a coach 😔

Sachac1k
Duck wrote:

I wish I had a coach 😔

But you need like IM minimum or like FM partner kind of grin.png And not just titled player but also a strong player! Thesse guys usually don't want to coach and are expensive! So I get your sentiment! grin.png

Sachac1k
EviLOverMind wrote:
Dumbluck626 wrote:

I didn't read through everything but yes you can improve. I really started around when I was 18 at about 1000 online. I'm now around ~1850-2000 12 years later. It's hard, there's a lot to learn but kids like that have a few things in their side.

1) The best age to start learning is 4-6.

2) Having a coach is key to learning the right things quickly

3) Having access to the right coach for that individual is paramount

4) Their whole life is designed to create an environment to excel at chess improvement.

5) There is a significantly smaller portion of their life dedicated to outside influence, i.e. relationships, emotional baggage, bills, etc. The hardest part outside of chess for them is often multiplication tables. I taught those to my brother in kindergarten. We underestimate how quickly blank canvases can process raw data.

6) at tournaments, little kids are often underestimated until it's too late so initially in their climb, they can get a small advantage by a small portion of their competitors going easy when they shouldn't. Of course by the time they reach 2000 that advantage has greatly dissipated.

One of my students started playing chess 1 year ago and now his rapid rating on chess.com is about 1950. In just one year he has done more than you in 12 years. Good job!

That is not a nice thing to say my friend happy.png You need to get more students. I knew students who will be so difficult to coach, even you would not get them to 1950 in 10 years. But these are special kind, almost everyone has the ability to learn with the right guidance or attitude.

Who would want to be coached by someone who is right down disrespectful? There are better ways to offer your help and advertise yourself.

1edr1551

I can't afford hiring a coach, usual pricing is too high for me per hour, and i'm a slow learner happy.png it'd cost millions with my speed of learning.

After all these messages here (thanks) I've come to 2 conclusions;

  • I need a structured way of learning
  • I should stop wasting my time on youtube/twitch

For structured learning i will have to buy 1-2 books or I need to buy online courses. Both have some structures and to do lists. Online courses and books are very close in pricing, And I can afford for a few at the moment.

One problem still exists with online courses though, it's hard to choose.. advertisements look too promising and fancy but are they actually good? I dont wanna waste time and money sad.png

Any suggestions?

maafernan
1edr1551 wrote:

I can't afford hiring a coach, usual pricing is too high for me per hour, and i'm a slow learner it'd cost millions with my speed of learning.

After all these messages here (thanks) I've come to 2 conclusions;

  • I need a structured way of learning
  • I should stop wasting my time on youtube/twitch

For structured learning i will have to buy 1-2 books or I need to buy online courses. Both have some structures and to do lists. Online courses and books are very close in pricing, And I can afford for a few at the moment.

One problem still exists with online courses though, it's hard to choose.. advertisements look too promising and fancy but are they actually good? I dont wanna waste time and money

Any suggestions?

Hi! Please send me a friend request so we can talk by direct message on how you can improve.

Ashley_uk

Yes, I believe we CAN improve, but as adults we it will be a lot slower, for two reasons:

1/ Children have a lot more free time. As an adult we have so many calls on our time, that to actually find the required time to improve in chess is limited - and often you will be interrupted even while you are playing/learning, so you become distracted.

2/ Children's brains are basically sponges, they are always soaking up information, and if they like something then even better. But as adults, we find it harder to learn and retain information (especially also taking in point 1/).

I don't think you need to have a coach to reach a high level, you can do it on your own, but you need to be far more disciplined in your study. You need to set aside time every day, not just fitting it in when you can. Could you dedicate say an hour or preferably two hours to chess play and study every day without interruptions?

It will be a slow process and I think many people give up because they don't see quick improvements.

I also think you need to find the way that works for you.

I have been "playing" chess now for about 43 years, but never got further than the basic play, I would be terrible in a game. I've kept trying over the years, had a wide range of books and different chess computers, but never saw an improvement. In fact last year I decided I was going to give up playing chess. Although I still loved chess, I had fallen out of love with playing the game because I was so bad, I gave away all my chess books, etc. Then a month and a half ago I came across a chess teaching app that has been a revelation. I am back in love with playing the game, and I do try most nights to spend at least 30-60 minutes playing a game, learning from my mistakes, and so on. Yes, it may take me a long time to see any genuine improvement, but I know I am on the right path now.

AngryPuffer
EviLOverMind wrote:
Daddy_Chillimao wrote:

@EviLOverMind

u are only 1500s fide at 37 year old bro

yep.

But I can easily beat 2000 FIDE rated "experts" like @maafernan

i think that inflation is on chess.com for some people. not all

Sachac1k
AngryPuffer wrote:
EviLOverMind wrote:
Daddy_Chillimao wrote:

@EviLOverMind

u are only 1500s fide at 37 year old bro

yep.

But I can easily beat 2000 FIDE rated "experts" like @maafernan

i think that inflation is on chess.com for some people. not all

Quality of the games isn't great but the rating used by CC (Glicko I was told) is very slow compared to classic FIDE elo I used to know. With my current record I would be around 1800-1900+ with FIDE calcs

zayyd05

@zayyd05

Sachac1k

I'd still believe OP should spend some money at least on either very good book or someone who will give him the training plan and guidance he needs. Reading books is useful indeed but not all books are useful as to what you really need to be doing. Also not every chess course out there is for everyone.

Riddle-Me-Dis

Remember to hydrate

corisq

Three years ago, I didn't know how the pieces moved. I never had a coach. A year ago, my rating was 1300. It is extremely easy to do, even if you don't invest your full time.

You should absolutely waste your time on YouTube, though. Books, of course, bring a lot to the table, but are not nearly as practical as the insights of grandmasters. However, they are only useful if you can comprehend what they are talking about, so you need to calculate and analyze before comparing your results to the master's opinion and candidate moves. Just watching is not enough.

Sachac1k
[Removed - DB]

This young man deserves a medal! He figured it all out. You don't need anything at all in order to improve. Just go to Fiverr and hand him your money!