How do I get higher?

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Avatar of Nicholas166

In USCF I’m stuck at 1200-1400. I practice 30min or more everyday (unless special occasion), and I’m still at 1200-1400. I even take lessons with a GM every Friday and Tuesday. How am I supposed to get higher by this rate?

Avatar of drmrboss

You played Qf5 in this position. It mean you need some improvement in "positional understanding"

1. You have powerful centre , "f" semi open file, with space advantage. You are not supposed to exchange Queens. As a general rule, the player with "space advantage or king side attcking must save pieces as much as nullpossible" 

Avatar of gingerninja2003

Do some tactics. Look through your longer games and see where you went wrong and remember it in future.

Avatar of Nicholas166
drmrboss wrote:

You played Qf5 in this position. It mean you need some improvement in "positional understanding"

1. You have powerful centre , "f" semi open file, with space advantage. You are not supposed to exchange Queens. As a general rule, the player with "space advantage or king side attcking must save pieces as much as possible" 

Ok

Avatar of Nicholas166
gingerninja2003 wrote:

Do some tactics. Look through your longer games and see where you went wrong and remember it in future.

Gotcha

Avatar of drmrboss

 

Accessing weakneess,

Nf6 is the main weakness in your position, two options you can do

1. Be7

2.or Bb4 and exchange his kt but instead you played e6 and your opponent played Nd5. . ( It is not a good idea to play symmetical opening for black nullon semi open centre , or open centre,)  The higher the mobility of pieces, the higher the relative value of one turn advantage for white . 

Avatar of santiagomagno15

You said you practice 30 min a day but do you play slower games?, maybe its because you play a lot of blitz, you cant improve if you dont give your brain time to think more than usual, it doesnt matter if you coach its a GM or even Kasparov, playing slow its really important, I think that even if you play slow games you play those really fast and never give yourself the chance to think more than usual

Avatar of Jasob_Hendrix
Aizen89 wrote:

More weed. 

LOL lOL LOL LOL LOL

Avatar of Jasob_Hendrix

stand on a ladder

Avatar of SnowyTheWolf
gingerninja2003 wrote:

Do some tactics. Look through your longer games and see where you went wrong and remember it in future.

I agree.

Avatar of GM_chess_player

Do tactics and lessons. Will help you in the future wink.png

Avatar of Nicholas166
santiagomagno15 wrote:

You said you practice 30 min a day but do you play slower games?, maybe its because you play a lot of blitz, you cant improve if you dont give your brain time to think more than usual, it doesnt matter if you coach its a GM or even Kasparov, playing slow its really important, I think that even if you play slow games you play those really fast and never give yourself the chance to think more than usual

Ok

Avatar of Nicholas166
GMchess_player wrote:

Do tactics and lessons. Will help you in the future

I do. I guess I should do more.

Avatar of Shock_Me
You are taking lessons regularly from a GM. I would suggest that if you are not improving and the GM cannot help you do so, that you get a new coach. Surely a good coach would already have given you all the advice seen above.
Avatar of mikhail_bortsov

You seem to do more than enough to improve. My advice is to have patience here. The incoming improvement may make a large step after long walking in circles. 

Avatar of Nicholas166
Shock_Me wrote:
You are taking lessons regularly from a GM. I would suggest that if you are not improving and the GM cannot help you do so, that you get a new coach. Surely a good coach would already have given you all the advice seen above.

Ok

Avatar of Nicholas166
mikhail_bortsov wrote:

You seem to do more than enough to improve. My advice is to have patience here. The incoming improvement may make a large step after long walking in circles. 

Oh that’s good tongue.png

Avatar of kindaspongey

"..., 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
Possibly of interest:
Simple Attacking Plans by Fred Wilson (2012)https://web.archive.org/web/20140708090402/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review874.pdf
http://dev.jeremysilman.com/shop/pc/Simple-Attacking-Plans-77p3731.htm
Logical Chess: Move by Move by Irving Chernev (1957)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708104437/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/logichess.pdf
The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played by Irving Chernev (1965)
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/most-instructive-games-of-chess-ever-played/
Winning Chess by Irving Chernev and Fred Reinfeld (1948)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708093415/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review919.pdf
Back to Basics: Tactics by Dan Heisman (2007)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708233537/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review585.pdf
https://www.chess.com/article/view/book-review-back-to-basics-tactics
Discovering Chess Openings by GM John Emms (2006)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627114655/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen91.pdf
Openings for Amateurs by Pete Tamburro (2014)
http://kenilworthian.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-of-pete-tamburros-openings-for.html
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/openings-for-amateurs/
https://www.mongoosepress.com/catalog/excerpts/openings_amateurs.pdf
Chess Endgames for Kids by Karsten Müller (2015)
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/chess-endgames-for-kids/
http://www.gambitbooks.com/pdfs/Chess_Endgames_for_Kids.pdf
A Guide to Chess Improvement by Dan Heisman (2010)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708105628/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review781.pdf
Studying Chess Made Easy by Andrew Soltis (2009)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708090448/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review750.pdf
Seirawan stuff:
http://seagaard.dk/review/eng/bo_beginner/ev_winning_chess.asp?KATID=BO&ID=BO-Beginner
http://www.nystar.com/tamarkin/review1.htm
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627132508/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen173.pdf

https://www.chess.com/article/view/book-review-winning-chess-endings
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708092617/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review560.pdf

Avatar of Nicholas166
kindaspongey wrote:

"..., 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
Possibly of interest:
Simple Attacking Plans by Fred Wilson (2012)https://web.archive.org/web/20140708090402/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review874.pdf
http://dev.jeremysilman.com/shop/pc/Simple-Attacking-Plans-77p3731.htm
Logical Chess: Move by Move by Irving Chernev (1957)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708104437/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/logichess.pdf
The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played by Irving Chernev (1965)
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/most-instructive-games-of-chess-ever-played/
Winning Chess by Irving Chernev and Fred Reinfeld (1948)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708093415/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review919.pdf
Back to Basics: Tactics by Dan Heisman (2007)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708233537/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review585.pdf
https://www.chess.com/article/view/book-review-back-to-basics-tactics
Discovering Chess Openings by GM John Emms (2006)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627114655/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen91.pdf
Openings for Amateurs by Pete Tamburro (2014)
http://kenilworthian.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-of-pete-tamburros-openings-for.html
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/openings-for-amateurs/
https://www.mongoosepress.com/catalog/excerpts/openings_amateurs.pdf
Chess Endgames for Kids by Karsten Müller (2015)
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/chess-endgames-for-kids/
http://www.gambitbooks.com/pdfs/Chess_Endgames_for_Kids.pdf
A Guide to Chess Improvement by Dan Heisman (2010)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708105628/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review781.pdf
Studying Chess Made Easy by Andrew Soltis
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708090448/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review750.pdf
Seirawan stuff:
http://seagaard.dk/review/eng/bo_beginner/ev_winning_chess.asp?KATID=BO&ID=BO-Beginner
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708092617/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review560.pdf
https://www.chess.com/article/view/book-review-winning-chess-endings
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627132508/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen173.pdf
http://www.nystar.com/tamarkin/review1.htm

Ok, but just wow a lot of links

Avatar of HorribleTomato

 Your rapid is garbage, plus you play too much bughouse/bullet