HELP PLEASE!!!

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scuttlebutt94
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chawil

Right, first thing is to procure a board and pieces. Now either print out your pgn files or bring them up on the computer and play through the moves on the actual board, moving the actual pieces. Once you have had a quick look go through the game again until you come to a move you don't understand and then stop and try analysing all the possible alternatives, writing your analysis on paper. Then run the position using a good, strong chess engine and see where your analysis differs. Then go on the next position, etc. etc. ad infinitum. A good book for advice is "Think Like a Grandmaster" by Kotov, they should have a copy at your library. It recommends using analysed games and trying to analyse positions which have lots of annotations, after covering them up so you can't see them, then comparing your analysis with what's given. Good system to improve.

Take care and best of luck and remember looking at games on the computer is fun and can be informative but you have to pause and try to understand the logic of the moves to improve your play. Watching videos and playing through games won't do it.

I would also recommend using a tactics trainer and the excellent "Chess Position Trainer" which is available free. Just go to "Resources/Downloads" and search for "Chess Position Trainer". And play as much as possible.

scuttlebutt94

Yep will try THANKS.

aadaam

It is true that just playing through the moves of famous games won't achieve great things but it will do something.

goldendog

Reviewing lots of games quickly can indeed help you get better, but your mind has to be engaged in chess-thinking while doing so. Try to figure out what the players are going after. Pick up a few lessons from these games. Then go play someone stronger and see your errors punished. Try to understand why. Go back to reviewing those pgn games with an improved understanding of chess and learn even more from them. Rinse repeat.

Many experts and masters, at least before the advent of computers and the flood of chess books, cut their teeth on that method. It works for the determined chess student.

As always, do tactics exercises. While it's not a chess knowledge per se that is being increased with these exercises, more of a mechanical chess skill, this skill will win you many games. That will keep you enthusiastic about the game--as opposed to losing all the time. Eventually you will learn the more profound parts of chess and be quite a good player.

scuttlebutt94
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