How can I get better at Chess
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marysson wrote:
you could pick out two openings, study them a bit, and play them over and over until you learn how to play them a bit. of course this does not mean you can win many games or get better right away but it is a start. may i suggest the polish for white and the grob when playing black.
I wouldn't recommend these openings to a beginner/low rated player. They should learn more standard opening theory before experimenting with something like that.
I also don't think learning openings will improve your game very much.
@OP: When I play games against people around your rating level, the decisive mistake(s) is almost always hanging pieces early in the game. I think the best way for you to get better is to study tactics/basic checkmates outside of your games. During your games you should think about unprotected pieces, and if/how your opponent might be able to take advantage of them. Always realize that your opponents have threats (even if they don't know what they are), and learn to look for them and stop them.
Just imagine, If you stopped hanging pieces your rating could easily shoot up 300+ points!
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I don't think the Polish is a good idea for lower-rateds either.
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marysson wrote:
if you want to get better at chess you have to get very comfortable with the idea of losing. nothing wrong with losing alot of games with these two openings.
I wouldn't say you have to be comfortable with losing, you just have to be able accept that everybody loses and learn from your losses. Beginners would understand opening theory better by playing better openings.
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@ marysson
You obviously don't have very good advice because if you did you would not be 860 after 4 years of playing. Instead of trying to force your advice on others over the advice of much better players, why don't you just follow their advice as well?
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No, your rating does have something to do with the quality of your advice. You must know something before you can impart that knowledge.
Not ony that but the quality of your advice does have a lot to do with the quality of your advice, which is really what I have an issue with. I don't want someone learning poor openings in an attempt to get better.
Stick to basics, master them, move to more advanced, rinse wash repeat.
For White:
I agree with concentrating on one opening line. At your level I recommend Ruy Lopez as I believe it immediately gives White a slight edge with sharp play, and most non-Sicilian (read less-experienced) players will be blindly lead straight into it. Once you know some basic French and Sicilian lines and can play the Ruy with your eyes literally closed (i.e. can read and memorise Ruy opening theory 10-12 moves deep without looking at a chessboard) you can start to explore other opening, like QG or English, depending on your playing style. Avoid playing novelties and dubious gambits (KG included).
For Black:
Start with Najdorf Sicilian against 1.e4. It looks painstakingly complex at first, but you won't find many alternate moves (that don't transpose back to Najdorf) until White's 6th Move, other than Smith-Morra and Grand Prix Attack. Same as Ruy, learn the Najdorf 10-12 moves deep and then experiment with other Sicilian formations (Scheveningen, Dragon, Kan, etc.) to see what suits your playing style.
Keep it simple against 1.d4. It generally leads to more positional play for both sides. Learning the basics to KID will suffice, as lower-rated players generally play QP openings out of frustration or to try to keep you out of book.
If at any point White plays a novelty that you can't immediately take advantage of, try to follow the themes you would have learnt with the Sicilian or KID, depending on the situation.
Some general suggestions:
- Don't exhaust yourself - play between 10-20 online games at once or you won't absorb new tactics and ideas.
- Use Notes liberally - if you're analysing your games, you'll want to remember what conclusions you've reached.
- Find a free opening database (Online Games only) - you'll be surprised how much of an edge you can get by playing openings like a boss.
Well, i can only say i got 1456 games and i haven't really improved. I quite remained the same rating as i was.
But will this stop me from playing?
in definitely, chess played me answer some of the psyhological questions i had.
for example, chess can make you more confident and thats because you grab the emotion from pozitive visualisation.
can help you learn to put "pauses" before you speak; not throwing words randomly.
and most definitely, it helps you concentrate and to kill the internal dialogue in your head
1) Practice visualizing the chess board in your mind square colours and location every day important!
2) Study the game in reverse master the endgame and elements then study the middle game and openings in direct relation to the endgame if you do that you'll see chess as a harmonious whole with all of it's parts linked together.
3) Solve tactics and checkmate problems from chess books magazines online newspapers wherever you can find solve them in your head not on a chess board or on a computer screen in order master tactics and the art of making chess combinations you have to learn the art of calculation chess pieces in any game tell nothing to those who cannot see.
4) Stay in close touch with your intuition whenever you play and be self aware of every decision and move that you make on the board and question it.
5) Play super slow games online 60.0 minutes 45.5 2 or 3 times a week this kind of chess is what you need to become better unfortunately your going to have a very,very tough time finding opponents you can trust to play long games fairly who won't cheat my suggestion if you fail is to try your luck at an offline club.
6) Play in simultaneous exhbitions against strong players IM's GM's FM's whenever possible at a chess club or online you'll lose of course but you'll learn alot they are very instructive so I encourage you to play in them whenever you can.
7) Go over your lost games with stronger players soak up whatever they tell you like a sponge and listen to them don't take their advice bad even if it's critical
8) Play lots of correspondence chess but don't get too carried away like play 250-500 games keep it reasonable or you'll time most of them out.
9) When learning and studying tactics avoid using your computer to excess as it can dull your tactical ability sense and have a negative affect on your play when your alone with your opponent you have to think for yourself!
10) A great way to improve your chess is to go over the classic games of masters in books like 500 Master Games of Chess by J.Dumont or Logical Chess move by move by Irving Chernev.
Hope this was helpful good luck in your improvement!
Alvarezlvn86; here's the deal. Go buy some chess books. Record your games. Follow the guides that have been left by Grandmasters/Masters. Study The Botvinnik School/Soviet School of Chess. Use the PQRST Method. Preview your recorded games. Question where you went right/wrong on a move. Review your games as well as others to see whether or not you following the guides. Study Endgames, Middlegame Strategies, and Openings! Test yourself by playing in USCF Tournaments. Join the USCF and of course be a contributor to Chess.com...It's the Best in Chess!
Learn the elementary basic skills. The elements of Time, Space and Force. Also study the teachings of Grandmaster Lev Albert: Back to Basics in The Chess Life Magazine. Be well grounded in the basic elements of the game of chess. Also learn the significance of opposition. Study games of Grandmasters/Masters. Record over your own games to see if you are following the guides and directions left by our Legends of the game. Never resign, always have the fighting spirit, because after all chess is "War on Board." So say's Bobby! Always learn from your games whether win, lose or draw. Study chess respectfully! You must know your board/ground/territory and the line of demarcation.
Wanted to make a comment, but after reading some of the great comments
Will say that Brittney had some encouraging reasons to stay with chess, that I have found as she has! Try playing people at your lever or slightly below to see how your wins and loses develop themselves. I see your a diamond member so am I but I also use chessmagnet school check them out!
alvarezlvn86 wrote:
I have been playing chess for about a year and a half. I have been stuck between 1100 and 1200. How can I get better.
Well, I basically have the same question as if anything I am going in reverse, or so it seems at times. The more you learn the more you realize you don't know. In any event, good suggestions up top. I notice you are a Diamond member, and personally, I have gotten a lot out of the chess.com videos and chess mentor. Both have helped me "see" things that I didn't see before. You might look into those if you have not done so already.
Suggestions above about keeping notes are good, and as a Diamond member after a game you can obtain a game analysis, which I have found to be very helpful as well. Only all of this takes time, something we probably don't have enough.
The number one thing a lower level player can do to improve is to study tactics. Most low rating games (and quite a bit of the mid rating games) are won and lost either in a tactical mistake or by finding a nice tactical motif or a combination. Tactics, tactics, tactics. There are books, there are websites, there are computer programs, study tactics.
Do NOT spend a bunch of time trying to learn openings. You need to understand opening prinicples, such as control the center, develop rapidly, king safety, etc. Good tactical skills will keep you from being blown off the board in the opening. Otherwise get your pieces out there, get a fair share of the center of the board, and get castled. If you can do that without stepping in it consider the opening "mission accomplished."
Try to play longer time control games, and look over your losses. Try to figure out what happened and why. If the other guy won with a strong attack observe how he did it and look for ways that your own play may have made things worse.
Study the basic of the endgame. Many people ignore this but endgame skills should come way before any attempt at deep opening study.
I have been playing chess for about a year and a half. I have been stuck between 1100 and 1200. How can I get better.