How can I improve my chess in general? - Chess Forums

pdve

Jan 25, 2018

0

#1

Please give me some advice on how I can improve my chess? I am already doing the following things:-

Do puzzles on tactics and calculation
Go over master games and try and figure out the what and why of the moves.
Reading books on strategy and positional play

What am I doing wrong?

Destroyer942

Jan 25, 2018

0

#2

Nothing, just do it for like 10 more years

coolchess_guy

Jan 25, 2018

0

#3

pdve wrote:

Please give me some advice on how I can improve my chess? I am already doing the following things:-

Do puzzles on tactics and calculation
Go over master games and try and figure out the what and why of the moves.
Reading books on strategy and positional play

What am I doing wrong?

you are solving puzzle but you are not able to apply them . because you won't able to create those positions/patterns regularly . ie. the wrong thing we all are doing from the beginning. lol

JessieMillano2015

Jan 25, 2018

0

#4

Iodized salt. Just my two cents.

Bishop_g5

Jan 25, 2018

0

#5

pdve wrote:

Please give me some advice on how I can improve my chess? I am already doing the following things:-

Do puzzles on tactics and calculation
Go over master games and try and figure out the what and why of the moves.
Reading books on strategy and positional play

What am I doing wrong?

All the above mentioned you are doing to exercise your chess has to do with the part of getting knowledge around chess that will improve your technique, but knowing chess and playing chess is not the same.

The ability to play chess requires a sharp thinking boosted with strong memory and physical stamina.

Ask your self what you do to train your ability play chess?

How many Blindfold and memory exercises doing per day?

Can you visualise the board long enough?

How long you push your brain in every puzzle or tactic session?

Hows your stamina regarding concentration and constant thinking? and what you do to improve that?

Imagine chess as a sport like football or basketball where two parts take place. The improvement of the athlete on the technical part and the physical. In order to be a complete athlete, you have to work constantly on both.

pdve

Jan 25, 2018

0

#6

Bishop_g5 wrote:

pdve wrote:

Please give me some advice on how I can improve my chess? I am already doing the following things:-

Do puzzles on tactics and calculation
Go over master games and try and figure out the what and why of the moves.
Reading books on strategy and positional play

What am I doing wrong?

All the above mentioned you are doing to exercise your chess has to do with the part of getting knowledge around chess that will improve your technique, but knowing chess and playing chess is not the same.

The ability to play chess requires a sharp thinking boosted with strong memory and physical stamina.

Ask your self what you do to train your ability play chess?

How many Blindfold and memory exercises doing per day?

Can you visualise the board long enough?

How long you push your brain in every puzzle or tactic session?

Hows your stamina regarding concentration and constant thinking? and what you do to improve that?

Imagine chess as a sport like football or basketball where two parts take place. The improvement of the athlete on the technical part and the physical. In order to be a complete athlete, you have to work constantly on both.

I want to become a better tournament player. I just am not able to play tournaments any more for financial reasons. The only way I can find to replicate tournament conditions is by setting up a puzzle from Aagaard or Yusupov's books.

What kind of blindfold and memory exercises should I be doing?

I push my brain quite hard during the puzzle session approx. 15-20mins.

I'm also taking Brahmi(Bacopa monnieri) to help with concentration and it is quite helpful.

Should I stay away from Blitz. I feel like I become way worse as soon as I start playing blitz?

pdve

Jan 25, 2018

0

#7

Ask your self what you do to train your ability play chess?

Well, that is a rather good question. My reflexes have been developed by playing blitz and unfortunately, that is also a handicap since that is all I use to play chess, i.e. reflexes. I do not sit down and think and analyze. That does not come naturally to me. Somehow I have to overcome this problem and I am trying to habituate myself to thinking by playing slower time controls and also pondering over puzzles. I have also obtained a real tournament board and tournament pieces and that has helped my visualization a great deal. I am looking at grandmaster games these days and trying to annotate them myself.

LouStule

Jan 25, 2018

0

#8

Your archive shows that you have no concept of how to win. Your last few games reveal you are very weak on tactics and leave basic pieces hanging. A quick review shows that you are lacking in beginner principles and elemental positions. People would say you need to study opening arrangements and basic chess. Learn standard openings and concentrate on concentration do tactics 86% of your time and lessons 48% of the rest. Hold on to your pawn and dominate the rest.

Daryljan

Jan 25, 2018

0

#9

could someone please tell me what is the average blitz rating.

pdve

Jan 26, 2018

0

#10

LouStule wrote:

Your archive shows that you have no concept of how to win. Your last few games reveal you are very weak on tactics and leave basic pieces hanging. A quick review shows that you are lacking in beginner principles and elemental positions. People would say you need to study opening arrangements and basic chess. Learn standard openings and concentrate on concentration do tactics 86% of your time and lessons 48% of the rest. Hold on to your pawn and dominate the rest.

Even though I agree that I am somewhat weak but your description is rather an exaggeration.

Bishop_g5

Jan 26, 2018

0

#11

What kind of blindfold and memory exercises should I be doing?

I push my brain quite hard during the puzzle session approx. 15-20mins.

I'm also taking Brahmi(Bacopa monnieri) to help with concentration and it is quite helpful.

Should I stay away from Blitz? I feel like I become way worse as soon as I start playing blitz?

First, try to work your memory in separate concepts. Take those books you are reading with annotated games and try to memorise the whole miniature games from 25-30 moves in the beginning and afterwards more strategical games with 35-40+ moves each.

At the same time try to solve quick tactics, , two-three combos by memorising first the position. Take a package of puzzles that have basic tactics that can be solved with two or three moves maximum. Memorise first the position...where the pieces and pawns are and afterwards find the solution without watch the board. Try this process and at the same time challenge your self to memorise faster and faster. Use a clock as motivation.

Playing Blitz is fine as far it not become an addiction and you do it with a measure. Let's say strickly two-three maximum Blitz games per two days with increment. Moving your mouse quickly without thinking it's not chess.

Don't forget to find half an hour per day to study endgame positions.

Good luck.

torrubirubi

Jan 26, 2018

0

#12

Try in the next months to play only daily chess, one game as white and one with black. After the known opening moves spend a lot of time to play a move, something like 40 minutes to three hours. Doing so you will learn to change the way how you play chess.

Be efficient in your training. If you learn something that you really want to remember in the future (like openings or endgames) you should only learn by spaced repetition. And train every single day. The best thing is to register in Chessable.com (for free) and learn the book available there on basic endgames (for free). You have there also a number of great opening books for white and black (the best books are not for free, but they are not expensive).

Really, forget blitz for a while, or only play blitz if you are testing a new opening to get a feeling about the kind of positions you get in the middlegame.

pdve

Jan 26, 2018

0

#13

torrubirubi wrote:

Try in the next months to play only daily chess, one game as white and one with black. After the known opening moves spend a lot of time to play a move, something like 40 minutes to three hours. Doing so you will learn to change the way how you play chess.

Be efficient in your training. If you learn something that you really want to remember in the future (like openings or endgames) you should only learn by spaced repetition. And train every single day. The best thing is to register in Chessable.com (for free) and learn the book available there on basic endgames (for free). You have there also a number of great opening books for white and black (the best books are not for free, but they are not expensive).

Really, forget blitz for a while, or only play blitz if you are testing a new opening to get a feeling about the kind of positions you get in the middlegame.

Chessable has good opening videos. I'm just wondering if it is relevant for my level.

Wolf183

Jan 26, 2018

0

#14

[COMMENT DELETED]

Fromper

Jan 26, 2018

0

#15

pdve wrote:

Please give me some advice on how I can improve my chess? I am already doing the following things:-

Do puzzles on tactics and calculation
Go over master games and try and figure out the what and why of the moves.
Reading books on strategy and positional play

What am I doing wrong?

This is pretty much exactly the study plan that a low level player should be doing to improve (though endgames should also be included in part 3, and part 2 should mostly be reading books of master games with good annotation, in words not just variations).

But I'm not seeing playing as part of your study plan. At low levels, at least half of your chess time needs to be spent on actual play time in order to improve. And I'm not talking blitz. Blitz is a test of your instinctive ability. Slow play will help you improve that ability. You need enough time in each game to sit and think. Play the slowest games you have time for on any given day. Just play the occasional blitz game once in a while to mix it up, and hone your skills for when you get into time trouble in your slow games.

kindaspongey

Jan 26, 2018

0

#16

pdve wrote:

... I am already doing the following things:-

...
...
Reading books on strategy and positional play

What am I doing wrong?

Possibly of interest:

kindaspongey

Jan 26, 2018

0

#17

pdve wrote:

... Should I stay away from Blitz. ...

"..., you have to make a decision: have tons of fun playing blitz (without learning much), or be serious and play with longer time controls so you can actually think.
One isn’t better than another. Having fun playing bullet is great stuff, while 3-0 and 5-0 are also ways to get your pulse pounding and blood pressure leaping off the charts. But will you become a good player? Most likely not.
Of course, you can do both (long and fast games), ..." - IM Jeremy Silman (June 9, 2016)
https://www.chess.com/article/view/longer-time-controls-are-more-instructive

torrubirubi

Feb 2, 2018

0

#18

pdve wrote:

torrubirubi wrote:

Try in the next months to play only daily chess, one game as white and one with black. After the known opening moves spend a lot of time to play a move, something like 40 minutes to three hours. Doing so you will learn to change the way how you play chess.

Be efficient in your training. If you learn something that you really want to remember in the future (like openings or endgames) you should only learn by spaced repetition. And train every single day. The best thing is to register in Chessable.com (for free) and learn the book available there on basic endgames (for free). You have there also a number of great opening books for white and black (the best books are not for free, but they are not expensive).

Really, forget blitz for a while, or only play blitz if you are testing a new opening to get a feeling about the kind of positions you get in the middlegame.

Chessable has good opening videos. I'm just wondering if it is relevant for my level.

I think you would profit from the books available there. You can use a book which is primarily written for 1700+ players. You just have to invest some time to understand some moves. In Chessable you can also ask stronger players. Even the author will often answer you.

Daryljan

Feb 2, 2018

0

#19

Thankyou from me that makes a lot of sense in blitz we make a lot of mistakes it is so quick

Heather_Stephens

Feb 2, 2018

0

#20

The one thing that you do not appear to be doing is to play someone "face to face". That is easy to do where I live (UK) but I realise that it can be difficult in other countries. However it is the best way to improve when combined with chess.com. Are there any chess clubs or chess cafes near to you?