Forums

Chess advice: How to improve

Sort:
Elubas
Elubas
May 31, 2011
0
#61
chessmaster102 wrote:
Elubas wrote:

@chessmaster: I gave you a few PMs and it says you replied but there was nothing in the messages, not sure what that's about. Perhaps you could tell me here?

 uhhh I hate my darn computer but i'm not on my computer now but I need you to answer these questions before we continue.

were you playing fritz at it's full stregth ? what version of fritz was this ? was it a theametic game were the opening is something you get your best results from even if not did it end upthis way ? have you ever benn above the 2000 rating mark OTB ? I need you to send me the game to get more info ?

Yes, I played Fritz 10 at full strength, classical time controls. There was one adjournment early on, I think around move 7

The only tampering was the start position: I started the game from a dry opening, with white (me) moving d4, Nf3, and g3, black with ...d5, ...Nf6, and ...g6; the first official move was 4 Bg2.

4 Bg2 Bg7 5 0-0 c6 6 c3 Bf5 7 Qb3 Qb6 8 Bf4 Nbd7 9 Nbd2 h6 10 Ne5 g5 11 Nxd7 Nxd7 12 Be3 0-0 13 h3 Rfe8 14 Nf3 Qxb3 15 axb3 a6 16 Rac1 Rad8 17 Rfd1 Be4 18 Nd2 Bxg2 19 Kxg2 f5 20 Nf3 Kf7 21 h4 g4 22 Ne1 e5 23 dxe5 Nxe5 24 Nd3 Nxd3 25 Rxd3 h5 26 Kf1 Be5 27 Rcd1 Ke6 28 Bg5 Ra8 29 e3 a5 30 Ke2 b5 31 Kd2 Ra8 32 Kc2 a4 33 bxa4 Rxa4 34 R3d2 c5 35 Bh6 b4 36 cxb4 Rxb4 37 Kc1 Ra7 38 Rc2 c4 39 Kd2 Rxb2 40 Rxb2 c3+ 41 Kc2 cxb2 42 Bf8 Ra1 43 Rb1 Rxb1 44 Kxb1 d4, 0-1

I was very happy with this effort of mine; I kind of felt like I was in a Karpov game and I was just some anonymous grandmaster that was getting crushed by him -- that's not so bad! I am so used to getting horribly destroyed tactically by the computer, but in the last two games I played against Fritz, especially this one, I'm putting up quite a solid fight! In fact, according to Fritz, black's advantage increased extremely slowly.

I have never been at 2000 OTB. However I have beaten a National Master before. Of course, that's me at my best; at my worst I could still fail to beat 1600 players -- I even lost one a few months ago. Again, I can be inconsistent: capable of a great game, then perhaps making an elementary blunder.

Elubas
Elubas
May 31, 2011
0
#62
LordNazgul wrote:
Elubas wrote:

There is nothing so deep about being good at tactics and all the things about practical chess that I mentioned; it just takes lots and lots of practice. The certain things about chess I know very deeply do not win me a lot of games at my level but they do tell me that my potential greatly outweighs where I am right now, I just have to buckle down and study a lot of tactics and endgames. Again, nothing special at all, just lots of hard, disciplined work.

Hm... do you think that Morphy or Tal had Tactics Trainers available ?

No, they didn't.

No, but is it so inconceivable that they could up with their own methods? Tactics Trainer just makes it a bit easier for us, but certainly if one wanted to they could try to set up positions and try to see if they can find tactical moves and positions, or go over their games.

It was a talent. For those who are short on talent in this particular area, it takes a lot of hard, disciplined work.

I agree for the most part; most of what I was saying was meant for the average person like me. However, I think talent is overrated: I think everyone had to work at this, some more than others. I remember when I used to think that certain ideas were simply beyond me; absolutely, intrinsically impossible for me to ever consistently figure out; I really did! And now, for those respective ideas, I don't! In other words, I thought my mind was too uncreative to find really good ideas in this game, that I was inherently limited to such at some level, but lately they have been coming so much more naturally to me, because of hard work. The mind is capable of so much when you put it to use! 

But it's not just work; it's working on the right stuff! I would never work on my weaknesses, but now that I have been, I have been improving by so much more. This necessity could explain why some people play thousands of games yet stay exactly where they are; they don't analyze what they're doing wrong so they continue to make the same mistakes, and the thousands of games just means thousands more of those same mistakes.

Elubas
Elubas
May 31, 2011
0
#63
LordNazgul wrote:

Honestly I think that good tactics flows from a good understanding of the positions. In positions that I understand well, I see tactics well, in positions that I understand poorly, I tend to overlook simple tactics. There are many people on this site who practice tactics daily and they don't improve much because they don't know how to bring about these tactical patterns in their games.

Hehe... this is, in fact, how, when I won games, I would win! Laughing

I could get away with not doing tons of tactics work with logical play. And that can work to an extent. However, when I was in time pressure, against strong opposition, forced to find good moves to finish them, I wouldn't be able to find them in time. I was able to totally outplay an expert but ended up, in time pressure dropping mate in 2 to touch move. It's not enough to just know tactics; you literally need to feel and smell them; you want to be able to see them coming from a mile, with seconds ticking on your clock! Good tactics gives you consistency: instead of blundering 2% of the time (i.e., one, possibly game losing, blunder in a 50 move game), you can better hope to do so 0% of the time in more of your games; that 2 percent can make a big difference in the result!

To those that don't improve with tactical problems: May I controversially suggest that maybe they are... "not doing them right?" It's extremely important to understand the logic of each and every tactic you solve, why it works. I think it is quite possible to, without doing this, do thousands of tactics and get very little out of it. In fact, that's what I used to do: Get one wrong? Get to the next one as quickly as possible. Yet, the ones you got wrong are precisely the ones you need to study to see why the position didn't give you an idea, as any tactic is possible due only to a tactical flaw in the position. You want to try to store thousands of patterns, but any pattern you don't understand won't really count: you'll either forget or remember to vaguely and get something mixed up.

I learned to memorize pi for 30 some digits for now particular reason in the 5th grade; I got bored of it and stopped rather quickly, yet even without looking at it for years I still remember them quite vividly. I must have learned it well. Clearly, quality comes before quantity, although ideally you want both Smile.

chessmaster102
chessmaster102
May 31, 2011
0
#64
Elubas wrote:
chessmaster102 wrote:
Elubas wrote:

@chessmaster: I gave you a few PMs and it says you replied but there was nothing in the messages, not sure what that's about. Perhaps you could tell me here?

uhhh I hate my darn computer but i'm not on my computer now but I need you to answer these questions before we continue.

were you playing fritz at it's full stregth ? what version of fritz was this ? was it a theametic game were the opening is something you get your best results from even if not did it end upthis way ? have you ever benn above the 2000 rating mark OTB ? I need you to send me the game to get more info ?

Yes, I played Fritz 10 at full strength, classical time controls. There was one adjournment early on, I think around move 7

The only tampering was the start position: I started the game from a dry opening, with white (me) moving d4, Nf3, and g3, black with ...d5, ...Nf6, and ...g6; the first official move was 4 Bg2.

4 Bg2 Bg7 5 0-0 c6 6 c3 Bf5 7 Qb3 Qb6 8 Bf4 Nbd7 9 Nbd2 h6 10 Ne5 g5 11 Nxd7 Nxd7 12 Be3 0-0 13 h3 Rfe8 14 Nf3 Qxb3 15 axb3 a6 16 Rac1 Rad8 17 Rfd1 Be4 18 Nd2 Bxg2 19 Kxg2 f5 20 Nf3 Kf7 21 h4 g4 22 Ne1 e5 23 dxe5 Nxe5 24 Nd3 Nxd3 25 Rxd3 h5 26 Kf1 Be5 27 Rcd1 Ke6 28 Bg5 Ra8 29 e3 a5 30 Ke2 b5 31 Kd2 Ra8 32 Kc2 a4 33 bxa4 Rxa4 34 R3d2 c5 35 Bh6 b4 36 cxb4 Rxb4 37 Kc1 Ra7 38 Rc2 c4 39 Kd2 Rxb2 40 Rxb2 c3+ 41 Kc2 cxb2 42 Bf8 Ra1 43 Rb1 Rxb1 44 Kxb1 d4, 0-1

I was very happy with this effort of mine; I kind of felt like I was in a Karpov game and I was just some anonymous grandmaster that was getting crushed by him -- that's not so bad! I am so used to getting horribly destroyed tactically by the computer, but in the last two games I played against Fritz, especially this one, I'm putting up quite a solid fight! In fact, according to Fritz, black's advantage increased extremely slowly.

I have never been at 2000 OTB. However I have beaten a National Master before. Of course, that's me at my best; at my worst I could still fail to beat 1600 players -- I even lost one a few months ago. Again, I can be inconsistent: capable of a great game, then perhaps making an elementary blunder.

great just let me look thru the game and afterwords we can set-up the match. You qualify for the spot almost completely accepte for the fact that the starting position was set up but since you said it was dry and I can telll your a tactical person I thinkthis to be fine.

Elubas
Elubas
May 31, 2011
0
#65

I'm actually a positional player in style; I just really recognize the need for good tactics.

chessmaster102
chessmaster102
May 31, 2011
0
#66
Elubas wrote:

I'm actually a positional player in style; I just really recognize the need for good tactics.

That's fine but well just have to adjust a little what do you say to a 3 game match aganinst a RM (2100-2199) and then 2 games with alternate colors against a 2755 (opening handicap). Now mind you the whole experiment is to see if you can win against both

Elubas
Elubas
May 31, 2011
0
#67

Ok, how will this work? What time control?

chessmaster102
chessmaster102
Jun 1, 2011
0
#68
Elubas wrote:

Ok, how will this work? What time control?

 all games are at a time control of 120min (2hrs) no incremnent bu of cusre the engines will move way faster than it's to just give you the best time possible to think. the 2games where you play the 2755 (TKing) will be a theametic were the opening (yet to be decided) should give you a advantage in material but not exactly a handicap game more like a gambit being played against you but you will be givin 3-4 day before each of the 2 games to study the opening butt not for the RM were it will just be a game a day. 

bigyugi9
bigyugi9
Jun 1, 2011
0
#69
Godspawn wrote:
bigyugi9 wrote:

exactly how do i figure out my biggest weakness? Identifying it seems to be difficult in itself.

 Do you lose most of your games in the:

Opening?

Middle?

End?

Do you hang pieces?

Do you fall for tactics alot?

 One Thing I realized was after the opening phase I lacked middle game plans.  For example, from the white side against a classical nc6 kings indian defense in the ne1 variation after the first 15 moves black is left with a weak d pawn, but for me its unclear how I should attack this d pawn.  Stuff like this is where i struggle with.  Finding Plans in general after the opening are the tough part for me.

Also FM Charly mentioned that sometimes players lack knowledge of the weakness(how, where, when why) you need to group study games or get  a coach.  I think this is an excellent idea, but finding a coach is hard for me because i dont have a car, money, etc.  Also group study is hard because i can never find people to study chess with!

CharlyAZ
FM CharlyAZ
Show your flair!
Jun 1, 2011
0
#70
bigyugi9 wrote:
Godspawn wrote:
bigyugi9 wrote:

exactly how do i figure out my biggest weakness? Identifying it seems to be difficult in itself.

 Do you lose most of your games in the:

Opening?

Middle?

End?

Do you hang pieces?

Do you fall for tactics alot?

 One Thing I realized was after the opening phase I lacked middle game plans.  For example, from the white side against a classical nc6 kings indian defense in the ne1 variation after the first 15 moves black is left with a weak d pawn, but for me its unclear how I should attack this d pawn.  Stuff like this is where i struggle with.  Finding Plans in general after the opening are the tough part for me.

Also FM Charly mentioned that sometimes players lack knowledge of the weakness(how, where, when why) you need to group study games or get  a coach.  I think this is an excellent idea, but finding a coach is hard for me because i dont have a car, money, etc.  Also group study is hard because i can never find people to study chess with!

 You can do the group study online, for example, with skype... there is 3 million people in chess.com. Find 4 or more it should not be difficult. Good luck

chessmaster102
chessmaster102
Jun 1, 2011
0
#71
bigyugi9 wrote:
Godspawn wrote:
bigyugi9 wrote:

exactly how do i figure out my biggest weakness? Identifying it seems to be difficult in itself.

Do you lose most of your games in the:

Opening?

Middle?

End?

Do you hang pieces?

Do you fall for tactics alot?

One Thing I realized was after the opening phase I lacked middle game plans. For example, from the white side against a classical nc6 kings indian defense in the ne1 variation after the first 15 moves black is left with a weak d pawn, but for me its unclear how I should attack this d pawn. Stuff like this is where i struggle with. Finding Plans in general after the opening are the tough part for me.

Also FM Charly mentioned that sometimes players lack knowledge of the weakness(how, where, when why) you need to group study games or get a coach. I think this is an excellent idea, but finding a coach is hard for me because i dont have a car, money, etc. Also group study is hard because i can never find people to study chess with!

I'd study with you I feel the same way it seems like everyone I meet is either not dedicated or only want to play eveen when they say they will just cause they lose a game.

Elubas
Elubas
Jun 1, 2011
0
#72
chessmaster102 wrote:
Elubas wrote:

Ok, how will this work? What time control?

 all games are at a time control of 120min (2hrs) no incremnent bu of cusre the engines will move way faster than it's to just give you the best time possible to think. the 2games where you play the 2755 (TKing) will be a theametic were the opening (yet to be decided) should give you a advantage in material but not exactly a handicap game more like a gambit being played against you but you will be givin 3-4 day before each of the 2 games to study the opening butt not for the RM were it will just be a game a day. 

Sounds good. Hopefully I would be able to fit this into my schedule.

bigyugi9
bigyugi9
Jun 3, 2011
0
#73
Godspawn wrote:
bigyugi9 wrote:
Godspawn wrote:
bigyugi9 wrote:

exactly how do i figure out my biggest weakness? Identifying it seems to be difficult in itself.

 Do you lose most of your games in the:

Opening?

Middle?

End?

Do you hang pieces?

Do you fall for tactics alot?

 One Thing I realized was after the opening phase I lacked middle game plans.  For example, from the white side against a classical nc6 kings indian defense in the ne1 variation after the first 15 moves black is left with a weak d pawn, but for me its unclear how I should attack this d pawn.  Stuff like this is where i struggle with.  Finding Plans in general after the opening are the tough part for me.

Also FM Charly mentioned that sometimes players lack knowledge of the weakness(how, where, when why) you need to group study games or get  a coach.  I think this is an excellent idea, but finding a coach is hard for me because i dont have a car, money, etc.  Also group study is hard because i can never find people to study chess with!

 Success already bigguy!,

You know one of the things you need to work on.  But if i may make 1 more suggestion, sont get so caught up in the multitudes of variations, to the different defeces, and openings.  Keep it simple.   Until you reach GM status, consuming yourself with things like: "Im having trouble with the smith variation to the jones gambit out of the johnson opening, especially in the little played kamikaze line" 

Play over your games with a chess engine and keep a record of where you go wrong.  Fritz has a great bar graph after it does an anlysis of a game.  Its very helpful to use this graph, as it will show you trends where you lose the advantage, and or where the game turns on you. 

 This Bar graph function/histogram its with fritz? Now is that fritz gui or the engine itself.  Also where can I download it?  Also if i'm not looking at different variations, how do i go about approaching my "planning" problem?

bhavdeeparya
bhavdeeparya
Sep 16, 2011
0
#74

Sir, I've a question for you -

Is it a true statement - "The more you play the more you learn"

I spend more time in wathcing games than playing.

Trutharrow
Trutharrow
Sep 16, 2011
0
#75

Is it a true statement - "The more you play the more you learn"

Not necessarily. Some folks go through life repeating the same behaviors and never change. Hence, they never learn. "If you don't stop beating your head against the wall your headache is unlikely to go away".

Ben_Dubuque
Ben_Dubuque
Show your flair!
Nov 24, 2011
0
#76

Mi Beegeest probblem Dueds eez not like getteeng mi king to da oter side maan

doublebruce
doublebruce
Aug 5, 2014
0
#77

If you are playing Blitz  ( 10 min. games )

Have a move in mind and make it quick, keep the clock running for the other guy .   Control the center of the board. tuck in that king .

Think less and do the right things , fast.  Double the rooks ,smart

look at the clock ; Keep him in check , look for the mate , play lots of games.  Thx to all the players for the good times.  Doublebruce