Enjoying Chess again after 35 years.

Yeah I know what you mean about the RAM -- I tend to really slow when calculating. I've found that playing more positional chess really seems to avoid that problem (d4 openings especially) but the only real way to get better is practice.

Agreed, once you work out how to counter most openings it's easier to plan ahead.

In both games there are a load of pieces being hung on both sides. In your thought process, first thing you always check is: did my opponent just hang a piece, and then, if I make this move will I be hanging a piece? That looks to me to be the next rung in your ladder of development.

(And look back at your first game...you played 13. Nh6+ but what about Nxf6)

Thanks for the tips, I definitely need to pause and think longer before making my next move.

I'm laying 6 to 5 and pick 'um Trump doesn't make it through his first term. The man doesn't have the good sense God gave a gopher.

I enjoyed this game against a higher ranking player....

It is not how far ahead you can look, it is what you are looking at that is important.  

 

I'm a 1220 now and on my progress I have noticed:

800-900 players generally swap pieces at every opportunity and try yo put you in check regardless of whether they are simply helping you develop your pieces to block them. They also castle quickly making it easier to set up the attack.

1200 players provide a decent challenge. 

I'm playing a few 1300 players - they seem to develop a strong "close knit" wall of protected pieces with very few "holes" to attack. They also don't castle unless necessary. I will have to develop my attack strategy further.

Welcome back to chess!

I also returned, after a 16 year layoff, in December and I'm just starting to get back to where I was.

I suggest looking at the tactics problems at the free chesstempo.com.  Tactics is what you should focus on initially.  There are also lots of videos at YouTube.

If elect to do the paid membership here, there are many hours of great instruction videos here as well.

Thanks, I will look that site up.

This should increase my chances....

 

Reminds me of this: 

In this particular game I thought I had lost my queen and was trying to work out all sorts of sacrifices I could make to get the most out of it - before realising it was checkmate in the next move.

 

After Fisher 1972 I decided to be an IM some day. Collected more than 200 chess books and studied German, Russian and French for translation exercises. Even subscribed to Informant and "64". THEN I fell in love, got married and went to medical school. Needless to say, chess went on the shelf. At the time I was rated ~ 1700-1800 OTB. Last tourney in 1990.

Now after 27 years and retirement I have looked at the game again. I find I have not lost my basic knowledge base but I am slower and (gratefully) less intense. It's never been more fun. It's Okay I wasn't destined to be great. About 1900 on chess.com and with a goldmine of books to dust off. With age tactics and blitz suffers but the joy does not.

Welcome back. Chess is a wonderful pastime worthy of anyone's spare time!

Thanks - I've found that my blitz scores are higher than my 7day games - when I try to process slower moves my brain runs out of RAM

Lol. What was the time control?

Most of my games are 7 days per move - living in New Zealand means not everyone is awake at the same time as me

hi

HI.

I went up to a 1300 at one stage while concentrating on each game [25 at a time] but my rating has dropped as I have been concentrating more on setting up my photography website recently https://www.springbokphotography.com