chess advice

Hello,

    I am interested in playing chess ranked. I would like to get good and compete in tournaments at some point. What advice might you have to get really good at chess and get a decent ranking?

Opening Principles:

1. Control the center squares – d4-e4-d5-e5

2. Develop your minor pieces toward the center – piece activity is the key

3. Castle

4. Connect your rooks

Tactics...tactics...tactics...

 

Pre Move Checklist:

1. Make sure all your pieces are safe. 

2. Look for forcing move: Checks, captures, threats. You want to look at ALL forcing moves (even the bad ones) this will force you look at, and see the entire board. 

3. If there are no forcing moves, you then want to remove any of your opponent’s pieces from your side of the board. 

4. If your opponent doesn’t have any of his pieces on your side of the board, then you want to improve the position of your least active piece. 

5. After each move by your opponent, ask yourself: "What is my opponent trying to do?"

 

"... In order to maximize the benefits of [theory and practice], these two should be approached in a balanced manner. ... Play as many slow games (60 5 or preferably slower) as possible, ... The other side of improvement is theory. ... This can be reading books, taking lessons, watching videos, doing problems on software, etc. ..." - NM Dan Heisman (2002)https://web.archive.org/web/20140627084053/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman19.pdf

Possibly of interest:
Simple Attacking Plans by Fred Wilson (2012)https://web.archive.org/web/20140708090402/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review874.pdf
http://dev.jeremysilman.com/shop/pc/Simple-Attacking-Plans-77p3731.htm
Logical Chess: Move by Move by Irving Chernev (1957)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708104437/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/logichess.pdf
The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played by Irving Chernev (1965)
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/most-instructive-games-of-chess-ever-played/
Winning Chess by Irving Chernev and Fred Reinfeld (1948)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708093415/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review919.pdf
Back to Basics: Tactics by Dan Heisman (2007)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708233537/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review585.pdf
https://www.chess.com/article/view/book-review-back-to-basics-tactics
Discovering Chess Openings by GM John Emms (2006)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627114655/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen91.pdf
Openings for Amateurs by Pete Tamburro (2014)
http://kenilworthian.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-of-pete-tamburros-openings-for.html
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/openings-for-amateurs/
https://www.mongoosepress.com/catalog/excerpts/openings_amateurs.pdf
Chess Endgames for Kids by Karsten Müller (2015)
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/chess-endgames-for-kids/
http://www.gambitbooks.com/pdfs/Chess_Endgames_for_Kids.pdf
A Guide to Chess Improvement by Dan Heisman (2010)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708105628/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review781.pdf
Studying Chess Made Easy by Andrew Soltis (2009)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708090448/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review750.pdf
Seirawan stuff:
http://seagaard.dk/review/eng/bo_beginner/ev_winning_chess.asp?KATID=BO&ID=BO-Beginner
http://www.nystar.com/tamarkin/review1.htm
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627132508/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen173.pdf
https://www.chess.com/article/view/book-review-winning-chess-endings
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708092617/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review560.pdf

Thank you very much for the replies and especially to the IM who responded on here. Some very good information. 

 IM is simply part of the username while the "IM" for an actual international master would have the "IM" in red. Nevertheless, IMBacon is still highly rated and is offering great advice here.  Eliminating major blunders will probably get you to around 1400 or so - and really even titled players "mess up", for they are human too. The key to chess is capitalizing on the opponent's mistakes. At 1000 rating or so these are actual "mistakes" or "blunders" while higher levels (like GM strength) merely "inaccuracies" are enough to be called mistakes for them as the opponent is likely to capitalize on it. 

In short, eliminating "mistakes" is a life-long task that never goes away for a chess player. It is just that "mistakes" as not as self-destructive at higher levels and are renamed "inaccuracies" or "not the best move" and so forth. Have fun, try to avoid "messing up", and the rating will follow in due time

[COMMENT DELETED]

Basically to the op in whatever thread you click you'll find those same msgs copy paste. oh still missing otb otb and play long time control. k I filled in the dots so we can move on...

Youre very welcome.  As for the "IM" im my name.  Its there for 2 reasons:

1. I was told one time at a tournament that my analysis was that of an IM.  So i always have that going for me :-)

2. IM = "I Am" Bacon.  For my love, and fondness of bacon.

In regards to post #8 IMBacon, 

a lot of people often have some story, or significance in their username. However, I especially like your punny name ("punny name" is a trope writers often use) influence with "IM" equivalent to "I am"  

Let me give you an honest answer.  I am 55, and have NEVER even tried "bakin"

i com here for chess advice and i get half baked cheesy advice - it was kraft ... 

You have to first understand that learning chess will take years out of you. You will gain memory skills on and off the board no doubt, but, if you want to get good, your going to first get good at the big three, piece activity, safety, and Time Management. You should also get better at your thought process and the implementation and application of general chess principles. First learn to stop hanging pieces, and learn to spot when your opponent is hanging pieces and take advantage of it, that is basically the first part of the big five that all chess players need to get good at before they can ever hope to get near or at a rating of 2000.

How does one learn this? Part of it is drilling tactics. Another part of it is getting ideas from annotated master games. Another part of it is studying theory. Another part of it is playing as many games with long time controls as possible. Preferably 45|45, or 90|30. Before every move you have to consider more than one viable candidate for your next move. Never make a rushed move, or simply make the first move that comes to your head. Always check to see your opponent responses to each of your candidate moves, and do not calculate deep until you are sure you haven’t missed your opponents best try. The second you make a hasty move, and miss your opponents best reply, is the second you will often lose to an unstoppable threat. Getting “good” at chess is first the art of taking your time to learn the discipline of not just blitzing out your moves, but to consider more than one candidate to your next move, and catching your opponents best reply, and any other reply that can give your opponent some kind of advantage, whether static, or dynamic.

I come from a history of playing only blitz. It will take me some time to unlearn the bad habits I picked up. You will probably reach expert a lot faster than I if you adhere to what all of us are telling you.

Work a lot of tactics problems. I see you've only worked 5 here. They are also available elsewhere like chess.com.  Learn the patterns by which tactics are used. Here are two good online sites:

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

Study opening and endgame principles, either with online texts, YouTube or books.

Study middlegame strategies the same ways.

Good luck.

 

Study chess fundamentals....

Good Chess Books for Beginners and Beyond.....

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