How can I improve my chess technique? - Chess Forums

Khump1

Sep 18, 2017

0

#1

Hey guys, i've really gotten serious about improving my chess in the past couple months and i've made a lot of improvements to my play. I'm still only a 900 rated player but i've learned a ton and am hoping that I can keep climbing the rating ladder!

I feel like my opening knowledge is pretty good for my rating level and my middle game is the strongest part of my play however I have a HUGE problem, with closing out games when i'm ahead and just with my endgame technique in general. My most frustrating losses come from positions where I am clearly winning but miraculously find a way to screw it up. I know any player only a few hundred points higher than me would have no problem winning in these positions. So how can I get to that point? Do you have any tips for bettering one's positional awareness and endgame technique?

ESP-918

Sep 18, 2017

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#2

Practice makes it perfect

Thund3rSt0rm225

Sep 19, 2017

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#3

I think you will need to read books on endgame such as Silman's course on endgame. I think you will need to solve tactics daily as well.

JessieMillano2015

Sep 19, 2017

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#4

Study annotated games. You'll get good insights and words of wisdom - the do's and dont's, etc. And of course, the free lessons or study plan. I'm using an Android app, there's a day by day lesson. If you are a premium member, it's unlimited. If you still have an old OS or desktop computer: Chessmaster 4000 Turbo. I love it so much that I wanna acquire an old operating system and/or computer again and finish the programme of study and play.

Daybreak57

Sep 19, 2017

0

#5

I'm not sure if it's the endgame that is your biggest problem. You have a problem with flopping the game up due to tactics and not converting to a win when you can simply because you do not see the tactics. What you need to work on is, you guessed it, tactics. Picking up Silmans endgame Manuel will help to especially for later but I think you will just learn not to run your king into a phanlax of pawns for no good reason without the aid of any chess book later in the future after hitting yourself upside the head every time you do it! You need to work on the big five. See Dan Heisman's website to know more. He also talks about going through as many master games as you can. Get logical chess move by move btw. It will help you with your game a lot. You need to improve on your chess principles . To do that, you need to see a lot of master games. Logical chess move by move is a start in that direction. A lot of people like to give a long list of things to think about when they are making a move. A premove checklist per say. At the beginner level all you need to do is determine if the position is a dynamic or static position. Meaning, do you have an advantage that will go away if you let your opponent catch up? If so, what are the forcing moves, checks captures and threats. For a static position where you have a static advantage you would need to acquaint yourself with the theory of imbalances which is taught in Silmans the Amateurs Mind. Actually at the beginner level that is not possible because you cannot recognize if you have a static or dynamic advantage half the time. I tried telling a beginner that he needs to look for forcing moves, checks captures and threats, and gave him a position to solve and told him to go over all the forcing moves he could think of and you know what? He could not find the winning sequence. Best thing to do as a beginner is to not worry about all that crap, and just focus on trying to determine a "candidate move" but before picking one try and think up of 4 or 5 of them, and try and dig deeper by trying to guess what your opponent will do in response to it, however many moves deep you have to. Rule of thumb, do not go 20 moves deep into a variation before you went through all your opponents best replies just one move deep. ;)... I wasted money on a book that told me this after I found this out on my own!! I gather you will make bad guesses at first, but eventually if you play enough you will learn to make better guesses.

JesusChristislove

Sep 19, 2017

0

#6

I've just looked at you two most recent loses and you most recent win. You need to focus on the very basics of chess. Forget master games, if you are playing at this level then you will not even understand what makes the master games so great.

Stop hanging your pieces! That means make sure your pieces are always protected by someone else! You are playing against people who won't fully exploit your mistakes so it's actually worse than you think.

You've learned some openings, it seem they aren't so bad, true, but until you stop letting your guys die for no reason then you will always lose. Study tactics trainer here on chess.com.

Actually, everything you need is here.

When I decided to get serious I was at 1200 and stuck.
I payed for a membership and started doing tactics and lessons everyday.

You've made the first smart move on the road to improvement!
That's to decision to study. So get a membership and take it from there.

I can work with you if you'd like, just send a message.

kindaspongey

Sep 19, 2017

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#7

kindaspongey

Sep 19, 2017

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#8

Thund3rSt0rm225 wrote:

I think you will need to read books on endgame such as Silman's course on endgame. ...

https://web.archive.org/web/20140708103149/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review594.pdf
http://theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/theres-an-end-to-it-all

Daybreak57

Sep 19, 2017

0

#9

Logical chess move by move will help him because it explains each move. That's why they call it logical chess move by move ;)

arthull

Sep 19, 2017

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#10

kindaspongey wrote:

Thund3rSt0rm225 wrote:

I think you will need to read books on endgame such as Silman's course on endgame. ...

I agree. Understanding the end will teach how the pieces interact. Sometimes it gives me a plan for winning in the middle game. The best book that i've found is Endgame Basics by Reuben Fine.

kindaspongey

Sep 19, 2017

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#11

"... The only real problems with [Basic Chess Endings] are the errors and the fact that it is now very dated. ... the book is now in algebraic notation and the layout has in some ways been improved. ... Perhaps the greatest disappointment ... lay in the failure to correct many of the errors in Fine's book. ... I don't think it is acceptable in the 21st century to produce an endgame book without computer- and database-checking. ... the book can be recommended for Fine's groundbreaking general explanations. Just don't expect complete accuracy or up-to-date endgame theory." - GM John Nunn (2006)

DominantLight

Sep 19, 2017

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#12

I find the ideal way is to keep a balance between learning THEORY (i.e. Reading books, articles, opening/middle game/endgame principles) and PRACTICE (i.e. Playing slow games). You can keep the pace which suits you.

oregonpatzer

Sep 19, 2017

0

#13

Chess is a mental game, and if you change your outlook just a little, it might change your results. What I'm about to suggest doesn't work for everyone, but it doesn't hurt, and you need to do something. For an entire week, try playing chess while wearing a sword on your belt.

StephenCorelli

Sep 19, 2017

0

#14

STOP PLAYING BLITZ AND BULLET

you need to learn first.

"I am always losing endgames"

if you don't know he theoretical positions by heart, the time control prohibits you from thinking about the positions, so, in essence, you are just making random moves, trying to get lucky...

I would recommend you get a basic endgame course just to memorize those positions, and then you can go back, and put it in practice.

in addition, you need to work on tactics, and just focus on developing

"all you need t do is work on development and initiative, and then tactics will come " -GM Damian Lemos, in talking about a game. You need to be very "tactically aware", but, since a lot of those positions for tactics won't actually occur "at least at 1500+" then you just need to play strategically, and then you can find the tactics

Ashvapathi

Sep 19, 2017

0

#15

<1300, endgame doesnt matter... not even king and pawn endgame. The only endgame you need to know is how to checkmate wuth a queen and king. Concentrate on middle game. I'll give you an advice that you can try. Dont play any chess game that is more that 10 min per side(though i would advice you to avoid bullet). Play lots of gambits. Try to sac pieces and win by checkmate. Once you reach 1400, then and only then you can think about endgames.

Ashvapathi

Sep 19, 2017

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#16

DeidreSkye,

I was about to say the same thing to you. You have not even played 20 games on the site and thus your rating is inflated. I think you should play more games and get to your correct rating before giving advises. I think you are at the same level as the op in terms of chess(the difference is that OP is trying to improve by asking advice from better players while you are trying to argue with better players even though you have no understanding about the subject). So, you will also benefit from my advice above. Consider it a gift from higher rated player.

Ashvapathi

Sep 19, 2017

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#17

If OP listens to me, then he will be a better chess player than you within a year(unless, of course, you also take my advise and improve). Anyway, no point arguing with you. Ignorance is bliss...

StephenCorelli

Sep 20, 2017

0

#18

Ashvapathi wrote:

<1300, endgame doesnt matter... not even king and pawn endgame. The only endgame you need to know is how to checkmate wuth a queen and king. Concentrate on middle game. I'll give you an advice that you can try. Dont play any chess game that is more that 10 min per side(though i would advice you to avoid bullet). Play lots of gambits. Try to sac pieces and win by checkmate. Once you reach 1400, then and only then you can think about endgames.

Nooooooo, you can't do that, if you are serious about improving, at least.

let me fuess, this guy will never be any better than 1800...