Cannot Seem to Improve - Chess Forums

Staunton_wantabe

Dec 22, 2017

0

#1

I do the tactical training, I play games, and I have been going through the lessons. I just don't seem to be improving. I started studying openings, but that seemed to be a waste of my time at this point. Can someone recommend a study plan? I haven't found the ones listed on this site particularly helpful.

I am also open to hiring a chess coach that can work remotely. Thank you.

Best regards,

David

CheesyPuns

Dec 22, 2017

0

#2

Do you go to tournaments? if so try to do so as it is different than playing online

Analyze your games and try to learn something form everygame, write 3 things you learned after each game

definetly hire a coach, it will help you improve ALOT!

Best of luck

MickinMD

Dec 22, 2017

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#3

Doing tactics training alone is valuable, but you can make it more valuable by looking at every puzzle after you're finished with it - whether you got it right or not - and decide which tactics are involved and what the pattern was that might make you see the solution faster then next time the same tactics occurs.

Knowing the tactics by name makes it easier to retrieve their motifs from your mind when you're trying to solve a problem. You should know all of the dozens of tactics on these pages:

https://www.chess.com/article/view/chess-tactics--definitions-and-examples

https://chesstempo.com/tactical-motifs.html

Besides tactics, one of my problems has been not being aggressive enough with Black, wrongly thinking I can set up a strong defense and that's enough to provide a good enough position to plan from. The book that improved my play the most is Fred Wilson's Simple Attacking Plans. I states four straightforward principles and then illustrates them with 36 games. It's well worth the read!

kindaspongey

Dec 22, 2017

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#4

mgx9600

Dec 22, 2017

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#5

In chess, like most activities, improvement comes slowly. But I'd bet if you compare your games today vs those you played even 6 months ago, you'll see clear improvements. So, in other words, just play and have fun; study a little, no need to rush. <-- my advice.

The book Chess for Dummies is actually a pretty good book. I didn't know it when I bought it to learn chess last year and never finished reading it until just recently. Now, having read all of it, I think it is a very good beginner's book. It took me to about 1400 here when I was actively finishing it (maybe I need to re-read it : )

Another thing that help me was a chess video game called Majestic Chess. It is very engaging (I bought it along with the Dummy book). The good thing about the game is that you just need to finish the game and you feel like you've learned something because after learning each topic you are tested on it vs reading the book where you must seek out some opponents to try it out on.

To give you some idea. Majestic chess has 8 chapters; I recently summarized its chapters 1-4. Ch 1 deals with game rules (rook moves this way, en passant, castling); Ch 2 deals checkmate patterns (2 rooks, rook/king, queen/king, king and pawns); Ch 3 deals with simple tactics (forks, skewers, pins); Ch 4 deals with basic strategy (development, centralization). Other topics include pawn structure, discovered attacks, opposition, etc. It is a pretty through game.

BeatrizL

Dec 22, 2017

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#6

The same happened to me, Staunton wantabe. I came across this study plan directory on the site https://www.chess.com/article/view/study-plan-directory which I found helpful. Around the same time I hired a coach, so I strongly recommmend that if you can. One of the things he said about chess improvement is that (he feels) you never seem to feel you've improved but rather you feel opponents are playing worse. I can't say if it's true or not, but like someone said in another comment, maybe if you review your past games you'll find an improvement.

As for videos and articles, John Bartholomew has some nice videos for beginners on Youtube, and there's also a series called Beginner to Master (can't remember the channel right now but can find out) I find interesting. There's also a series of blog posts here on chess.com by Fang Bo https://www.chess.com/blog/FangBo/how-to-improve-as-a-beginner-1 I think there are 5 posts in all. I'm a complete beginner and I feel all that has been helping me.

BeatrizL

Dec 22, 2017

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#7

Also, if you have access to the site's videos, there's a nice series for beginners in the strategy section. Look up Danny Rensch's "Chess vocabulary: pawn(s) structure" if you think that can be a useful topic for you. It says it functions as a sort of prequel to his Pawn Structure 101 video series.

jonnin

Dec 22, 2017

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#8

all your recent games are game in 10. Fast time controls don't give you time to really think and apply lessons.

Also a bunch of those recent games are wins.

Looking at vs Nede47 to check out a loss, you let him trap your knight, then on move 15 you take a pawn, hang your bishop, and follow that by hanging a rook. The first thing to do is focus on not losing pieces to immediate captures. Combos/tactics come next, but first and foremost is to not lose stuff for nothing.

Im_Horrible_at_Chess

Dec 22, 2017

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#9

Some peoples brains cannot be good at chess.

RussBell

Dec 22, 2017

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#10

Study fundamentals and principles - for understanding concepts (not for memorization)....and play mostly longer time controls so that you have time to think about how you might be able to apply the principles and concepts that you are learning...

There is much that could be helpful here...

Good Chess Books for Beginners and Beyond...

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

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell

santiagomagno15

Dec 22, 2017

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#11

I am giving a free lesson for you to have a guidance and if you like how I teach you can hire me as your coach, if you want that just message me, you wont regret

_Number_6

Dec 22, 2017

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#12

Staunton_wantabe wrote:

I do the tactical training, I play games, and I have been going through the lessons. I just don't seem to be improving.

Your stats show you as having played four games in total. You should double that at least and then see where you are at.

Take a look at the Chess Mentor lessons. Knowing things won't make you worse.

Ericussius

Dec 23, 2017

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#13

Try to read "My System" by Aron Nimzowitsch. It was so amazing that even in just the first chapter of that book, your game will totally improve a lot.

kindaspongey

Dec 23, 2017

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#14

One can get some idea of the lasting scope of the respect for My System by looking at:
https://www.chess.com/article/view/the-best-chess-books-ever
Still, it might be noted that My System apparently did not occur to GM Yasser Seirawan as something to include in his list of personal favorites, and Aaron Nimzowitsch was not identified by the GM as a very worthy author.
Also, My System has accumulated some direct negative commentary over the years.
"... I found [the books of Aaron Nimzowitsch to be] very difficult to read or understand. ... [Nimzowitsch: A Reappraisal by Raymond Keene explains his] thinking and influence on the modern game in a far more lucid and accessible way. ... The books that are most highly thought of are not necessarily the most useful. Go with those that you find to be readable; ..." - GM Nigel Davies (2010)
In 2016, IM pfren wrote:
"My System is an iconoclastic book. A lot of things in there is sheer provocation, and it does need an expereienced player to know what exactly must be taken at its face value.
I love 'My System', and I have read it cover to cover one dozen times, but suggesting it to a class player is an entirely different matter."
"[Some things] ARE wrong, and it's not easy for a non-advanced player to discover those wrong claims.
Nigel Short has claimed that 'My System' should be banned. Stratos Grivas says that the book is very bad. I don't share their opinion, but I am pretty sure that there are more useful reads for class players out there."
Although he is a fan of My System, IM John Watson similarly acknowledged (2013) that:
"... Not everything in it has stood the test of time, ..."
http://theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/john-watson-book-review-108-of-eplus-books-part-2-nimzowitsch-classics
One last point to keep in mind is that, even if My System would eventually help a player, it might not necessarily be helpful to a player now.
"... Just because a book contains lots of information that you don’t know, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be extremely helpful in making you better at this point in your chess development. ..." - Dan Heisman (2001)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140626180930/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman06.pdf
A My System sample can be seen at:
https://www.qualitychess.co.uk/ebooks/MySystem-excerpt.pdf

machtoodis

Dec 23, 2017

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#15

I am playing so poorly lately i am offering up early Christmas presents to anyone willing to play me and kick my keester..

Ericussius

Dec 23, 2017

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#16

I agree to kindaspongey though. Before reading the book "My System", I knew that there are negativities in it. Some of the contents are not already in coherence with modern chess. But I guess, the book being effective for me is not a total indication of its credibility. Still depends on the person whom will use it I guess.

Goram

Dec 23, 2017

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#17

[COMMENT DELETED]

Staunton_wantabe

Dec 24, 2017

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#18

Thank you everyone for taking the time to respond. Best regards,

David