Good luck and let me know if the experience in Chessable was positive or not.
Getting a 2nd grader from 1300 to 1500
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Jan 29, 2018
0
#2
Lessons and tactics are good. For endgame and opening your son can go to the website Chessable, register for free and have a look in the books available there. The funny thing about Chessable is that your son will learn by spaced repetition, so every bit of chess knowledge will be memorised. He should take a book on basic endgame, and an opening system for white and black.
Good luck and let me know if the experience in Chessable was positive or not.
Good luck and let me know if the experience in Chessable was positive or not.
Jan 29, 2018
0
#4
I myself am only about 1600 USCF rating. I have noticed that the difference between 1300s and 1600s is that many 1600s play with a plan in mind and greater positional understanding. Yes, tactics are paramount in chess, but it is necessary for one to understand them in context to be successful. Strictly on this site, I would recommend doing tactics and lessons; that's how I improved form 1300-1600 in a few months.
1300 USCF for a 2nd grader is outstanding!! What great parents and a great coach! Do what coach says.
I'd be interested in hearing about the journey from unrated to 1300.
ndb2010 wrote:
This is my son's account. He has hit 1300 USCF now, and coach feels like 1500 is do-able in a few months. Question for the chess.com community: what resources on chess.com would be most useful? Presumably tactics for sure, but if you could pick some of the Lessons or Drills, how would you spend your time? For example, someone said to the Silman strategy modules. Others have said just do Tactics and endgame drills. Given his age it can't be too wordy / intense - must be quite interactive or he just won't do it (usually he has his Ipad on the bus, so has some time each week). Thanks.
Yes, tactics and endgames definitely. Most fun and interesting parts of the game
And the most complicated and important to winning the end of the game, which is easy to mess up
Jan 30, 2018
0
#8
1. Thanks for the suggestions - will look at chessable.
2. I wish chess.com would deploy some "AI" on played games and recommend targeted tactics, lessons and videos based on weaknesses. All the data are there, but unused.
3. SeniorPatzer - thanks for the compliment, but I will tell you, there are so many solid young kids these days. Take a look at the top lists by age on USCF. You will be stunned at the levels. As for my son's "journey," he did his first unrated kids tourney June 2016 (end of K), did a lot of chesskid (games, lessons, puzzles), got a coach, and did atferschool chess 1x per week all of 1st grade. He switched to chess.com when he hit 1000 on chesskid. One thing different from many kids is that his coach encourages blitz tourneys, so he plays about 1 blitz tourney each month. This has been great fun for him, and he gets some nice wins against better slow players - but it shows him what is possible, that these better players are not untouchable - has been critical for his confidence.
This is my son's account. He has hit 1300 USCF now, and coach feels like 1500 is do-able in a few months. Question for the chess.com community: what resources on chess.com would be most useful? Presumably tactics for sure, but if you could pick some of the Lessons or Drills, how would you spend your time? For example, someone said to the Silman strategy modules. Others have said just do Tactics and endgame drills. Given his age it can't be too wordy / intense - must be quite interactive or he just won't do it (usually he has his Ipad on the bus, so has some time each week). Thanks.