Chess Improvment

Some questions about improving: 

1. How much time do I need to commit to studying each day to improve?

2. How long will it take me to get from 900 strength to 1200?

3. What should I study?

4. What is the difference between chess problems and tactics?

 My suggestion would be to get a chess 'coach' if possible as they can analyze your games and quickly see areas to help you improve. If you plan on improving on your own. I would suggest the following:

1. Learn 'opening principles'. They are simple, few and easy to remember and will usually get to at least a 'playable' middle game. There are always exceptions to the basics for certain openings, but at your level that isn't important to memorize openings.

2. Study 'basic' checkmates. They are easy to miss if you aren't familiar with them.

3. Study endgames. Not the most exciting thing, but crucial. (An example would be to understand how to utilize a rook in a rook and pawn endgame by placing it behind a passed pawn.)

4. Use Tactic Trainer. It's the quickest way to improve your chess prowess. This site has a great TT.

5. When you lose a game, go back over it and see where you went wrong and try to find an improvement. You will learn more from games you lose than the one's you win!

6. I left openings last intentionally as beginners place too much importance on it. When you do start to learn an opening, learn and understand the IDEAS behind it. Memorizing opening moves without understanding the ideas can get you in trouble because your opponent will likely not be making 'book moves' or know theory at your level so you won't know what to do if they make an unfamiliar move. If you understand the ideas, you won't feel 'lost' when something unexpected happens early in the game. Also, when you're ready to start studying openings, just pick a couple for each color and play them over and over again until you get very familiar w/ them. It's not realistic to learn ALL of the openings.

Lastly, as far as how much time...that is really up to you. Most of us have jobs, lives, etc. and are limited, but I would suggest starting with something reasonable. Chess is supposed to be fun and each person learns at their own pace. Don't be in a hurry....enjoy the journey! 

Good luck and have fun!

Thank you!

The basics of each phase of the game

Opening:

Follow the Opening principles:

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

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

Ø  Complete your development before moving a piece twice or starting an attack.

Ø  Move pieces not pawns.

3.      Castle

4.      Connect your rooks

Ø    By move 12, you should have connected your Rooks, or be about to do so.

Middle game:

When you have completed the Opening Principles, you are now at the middle game.  Now you need to formulate a middle game plan.  The middle game is a very complicated part of a chess game.  A simple way to develop a middle game plan is to perform the following steps.

1.      Scan your opponents 5^th, and 6^th ranks (3^rd, and 4^th if your black)

2.      Look for weak pawns, and or weak squares.

Ø  Weak pawns and squares are Pawns, and squares that cannot be defended by another Pawn.

Ø  Knights are excellent pieces on weak squares.

Ø  When deciding on weak squares, and weak Pawns to attack, the closer to the center the better

End game:

Start with the basics:

1.      Learn basic mates – KQ vs. K, KR vs. K, KRR vs. K

2.      Learn Opposition, and Key Squares

3.      Learn basic King and Pawn endings

900 to 1200 should be a piece of cake.Just solve tactics everyday.Maybe learn some basic opening theory and Philidor,lucena position.All this is easy to do and should get you to 1500 without much trouble.Maybe after that you need to do more stuff.

DivineDestruction, how long do you think it will take?

Depends.I assume you're talking about OTB chess.So you also need to play tournaments as much as possible and ofcourse need to work on your chess diligently.I highly reccomend you not to half-ass it.Do it when you have the time but do it properly.If you really are passionate then it shouldn't take long.Passion is the most important thing imo.I don't know what your k-factor is but I assume it's high since you're now.So I'd say around 5 tournaments?Don't worry about the time.it will eventually happen.

1. The focus of your study will be tactics. When it comes to solving, it is more with quality and understanding more than quantity. So solving tactics problems for 30 minutes everyday is enought. You can add studying tactical games by great masters like Morphy or Alekhine.

2. It depends on talent and dedication. If you are dedicated at solving tactics problems and studying, it won't take you that long. A book like Idiot's Guide to Chess and solving some problems is enought to get your there.

3. Focus your study on tactics. But study basic endgames and strategy as well. A good book for you is Idiot's Guide to Chess or Chess Strategt for Kids by Coackley. The Coackley book also includes tactics, endgames and basic opening principles. If is better to study if you have visual examples. Books/videos provides you visual examples. If you can, join a club and otb tournaments as they will help you improve.

4. If you said chess problems, it could be tactics,endgames or strategy puzzles.

Possibly helpful:

Simple Attacking Plans by Fred Wilson (2012)

https://web.archive.org/web/20140708090402/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review874.pdf

https://www.newinchess.com/Shop/Images/Pdfs/7192.pdf

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 (1949)

https://web.archive.org/web/20140708093415/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review919.pdf

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://www.mongoosepress.com/excerpts/OpeningsForAmateurs%20sample.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

6 months 

As a beginner, one of the most important things you can do is play over master level games, specifically ones with lots of verbal commentaries.  This helps you understand the basic flow of a chess game.  There are several possibilities, but my favourite is John Walker's 'Winning in the Opening,' which contains several games specifically annotated for the improving beginner.

https://www.amazon.com/Winning-Opening-Everyman-Chess/dp/1857442008

As a bonus, it also covers opening principles very well.  It's probably the best opening primer for the complete novice.  It's only $3 used, that may be the best $3 you ever spend on chess.

Thanks guys!

you seem to time out quite a lot in daily games?that way yes...it can take decades☺ if you want to play better...tactics should do the trick at the moment

I don't play on here that often. But I study and go to tournaments.

in that case...hit those tactics☺ it will do you the world of good...also,learn to develop your pieces in a way that fights for the central squares...castle early but dont castle into danger☺ and dont make the same mistake i did (still do sometimes) and move a lot of pawns in the opening☺

i hit 1400 otb by just doing the following - memorize opening lines of chosen openings (never went for main lines as they are too well known) and a book of 1001 tactics puzzles by John Emms...tactics did me a world of good back then☺

1)  there is set number, but it seems that quality>quantity

2) wow.  now THAT is a really tough question.  we don't know your age- how much you study- how often you play tournament and on/on.

my blind uneducated guess is that for a kid 2 years.  for an adult more.  some adults never make it.

3) Everything. most people claim Endgames and tactics, are a good place to start.

4)  Tactics Puzzles are usually positions where one side will be able to gain substancial material or checkmate.  Often these positions are extraordinary; looking very hopeless for the winning side or where a very startling move is used.

more general exercises, can be more mundane positions and may demonstrate many ideas;  defense, positional improvement, or improvements in mobility.  they too may have sequences of forced moves that dictate why certain moves can or cannot be made... but this isn't usually the idea of the puzzle.