Hello Utah. Lol. Same state. The best thing I found was to study the opening enough to know when and where the critical moments are. I myself switch around, and I'm still learning the sicilian for black. lol. Seriously though, chess takes pratice, and it seems you are doing the right thing. Stick with it. What helps me a ton is to watch the commentary of live games, and watch what the annotators recommend. Every move is a sharp rebuttal of their move. After that, or live coaching, I get on blitz and feel like an unstoppable force! 
How to improve BLITZ and OVERALL game?!
Sort:
Dec 31, 2015
0
#2
Word tout insertion à photo
@nekhemevich Thanks for your reply bro! Sorry I dont really know how to reply to posts on here, but thanks! Ill stick with it. :) I live in Provo lol. I was just down in St George not too long ago, great city. :)
Dec 31, 2015
0
#6
GGmangini wrote:
@nekhemevich Thanks for your reply bro! Sorry I dont really know how to reply to posts on here, but thanks! Ill stick with it. :) I live in Provo lol. I was just down in St George not too long ago, great city. :)
Great to hear. Lovin' it down here. All I can say is, not look so much where you're at, but focus on where you want to be. Nothing to say you can't get where you want to be. :)
Dec 31, 2015
0
#7
Hmm, are the low rated puzzles on chess.com tactic trainer simply finding a hanging piece?
This will not help you learn tactics.
I recommend a book like this, which organizes the puzzles by theme. And has real tactics (like forks or removing the defender).
http://www.amazon.com/1001-Winning-Chess-Sacrifices-Combinations/dp/0879801115
Even more fundamental is your ability to consistently make safe moves, or if an undefended piece is threatened you have to protect or move it. Losing a pawn, a few pawns, sometimes a few knights or bishops won't seem like much to some new players, but it is. You need to practice trying to not lose even a single pawn. To do this you'll need to play longer games. The habits and lessons learned in long games carry over to blitz. To improve a lot in blitz you must first improve your long game.
Other than that learn basic openings and endgames. For openings, first learn the opening principals. THEN ACTUALLY FOLLOW THEM 
. Review your games to see how often and early you're completing development. It's complete when both knights and both bishops are off the back rank, you've castled, and your queen has moved off the back rank so that now your rooks are "connected" (no pieces between them).
http://www.chess.com/article/view/the-principles-of-the-opening
For endings (and more on openings) you can use the material here:
http://www.chess.com/article/view/study-plan-directory
Dec 31, 2015
0
#8
No, I disagree; those puzzles really help. As long as your looking for a winning tactic, you will better prepare yourself for the forcing moves that win the game. You set the goal, make it a new years resolution. I have strong faith you can get what you're looking for. All I know is, when I follow the top games, I myself feel like I could play them. It's alot of self talk, but I feel if you keep working at it, you will reach your goal.
Dec 31, 2015
0
#9
Finding a hanging piece isn't a tactic. How many chess.com TT puzzles have you done at the 800 level? If puzzles at that level really did help you, I'll believe you.
Dec 31, 2015
0
#10
Just keep working at it. Don't get disgruntled. Keep going. If 1600 is where you want to achieve. Focus on that goal. I have very strong faith you will.
Dec 31, 2015
0
#12
GGmangini wrote:
Hi guys, I recently started playing chess again. Last time I played was when I was 9, and i'm 20 now. My question is how can I improve my blitz score and overall become a strong player? Im coasting at about 600 points for blitz, 800 on tactics trainer, but overall not doing as well as I would hope, but I was wondering if setting a goal of reaching 1100 for the new year is too ambitious?
I've been playing games, watching videos, and doing the tactics trainer, computer analysis is that the best way? Should I be doing the tactics or playing more? Or what would you reccommend to a beginner?
Thanks for your help guys! My ultimate goal is to try to get up to the 1600/1700 rating in a few years!
At your level I don't think more and more blitz will be helpful , When I was your level I played alot of longer games , like 15m and up . Simply by playing alot you will go up , its not about gathering tons of confusing random chess info but mastering what you know are the basics by playing tons (basic tactics opening principles etc)
Dec 31, 2015
0
#13
My first goal was 1200. Wow those guys were awesome. They never made a mistake! My plan was to get that rating then quit chess forever.
Then I get there and realize, hey, these guys aren't perfect, I think I can still get a little better, and it's a lot of fun to play. So my next goal was 100 or 200 more points.
This is how I progressed... slowly, but after many years I'd gained many 100s of points. In the beginning, I mostly just enjoyed playing every day and working some puzzles out of the book I linked.
Websites like this are great for organizing a lot of the basics and for forums where you can get info or analysis from other players.
1600 is a great goal. Believe it or not, some people come here wanting to go from beginner to grandmaster in their spare time.
Dec 31, 2015
0
#14
Absolutely! I think its great 01. To achieve what you set your mind to. I can see you have improved, and that is something to be proud of. GG, not because I am from the same locale, but because you can! Think like a gm, play like a gm. Just keep working at it. It will pay off in the long run, I promise you.
first GG, a big hello from a guy that loved Utah. spent 2 years on SLC- loved it!
you location makes me wonder if you goto BYU- but this off topic...
about breaking into higher rating you CAN do it! but.. clearly you need to free yourself from bad habits. I made a big push to get my Blitz rating to 1200 and I DID it!
time management, a consistant reportoire, a being as tactically aware was the key to getting to 1200. Now I am working on my long game- and I recommend you do that.
I see you do bullet game, and I think this is a bad idea-- you do not have the skills to make important decisions in split seconds. Instead you should get an attitude that your going to carefully fight to the very end-- in just the last game I played- I messed up the opening- and was strongly losing- but the opponent didn't look at my threats and I managed to swindle the game (win) and bring my standard game back over 1500.
Get a consistant routine together based upon tactics, openings, and looking over your game;
my strong recommendation is to get into G30 games (I think you 1200ish in that TC) and bring it up.
balance your G30 with quicker G10 blitz games and leave those quicker time controls for stronger players....
0110001101101000 wrote:
Hmm, are the low rated puzzles on chess.com tactic trainer simply finding a hanging piece?
This will not help you learn tactics.
I recommend a book like this, which organizes the puzzles by theme. And has real tactics (like forks or removing the defender).
http://www.amazon.com/1001-Winning-Chess-Sacrifices-Combinations/dp/0879801115
Even more fundamental is your ability to consistently make safe moves, or if an undefended piece is threatened you have to protect or move it. Losing a pawn, a few pawns, sometimes a few knights or bishops won't seem like much to some new players, but it is. You need to practice trying to not lose even a single pawn. To do this you'll need to play longer games. The habits and lessons learned in long games carry over to blitz. To improve a lot in blitz you must first improve your long game.
Other than that learn basic openings and endgames. For openings, first learn the opening principals. THEN ACTUALLY FOLLOW THEM . Review your games to see how often and early you're completing development. It's complete when both knights and both bishops are off the back rank, you've castled, and your queen has moved off the back rank so that now your rooks are "connected" (no pieces between them).
http://www.chess.com/article/view/the-principles-of-the-opening
For endings (and more on openings) you can use the material here:
http://www.chess.com/article/view/study-plan-directory
The Reinfeld book is WAYYY too hard for the OP with his 600 blitz rating.
Seriously, I'm 1500 blitz here and the majority of the problems are still too hard for me to successfully solve, albeit it's probably appropriate for someone just slightly stronger than me right now.
I'd recommend instead "Tactics Time". For a <1000 level player, it's perfect. Yes, it'll seem really hard when you do it (I got over 70% of them wrong on my first try at 1200 level blitz) but those tactics are from actual games from Class D-A players and with very common themes that you will absolutely see in your play.
Dec 31, 2015
0
#17
hhnngg1 wrote:
0110001101101000 wrote:
Hmm, are the low rated puzzles on chess.com tactic trainer simply finding a hanging piece?
This will not help you learn tactics.
I recommend a book like this, which organizes the puzzles by theme. And has real tactics (like forks or removing the defender).
http://www.amazon.com/1001-Winning-Chess-Sacrifices-Combinations/dp/0879801115
Even more fundamental is your ability to consistently make safe moves, or if an undefended piece is threatened you have to protect or move it. Losing a pawn, a few pawns, sometimes a few knights or bishops won't seem like much to some new players, but it is. You need to practice trying to not lose even a single pawn. To do this you'll need to play longer games. The habits and lessons learned in long games carry over to blitz. To improve a lot in blitz you must first improve your long game.
Other than that learn basic openings and endgames. For openings, first learn the opening principals. THEN ACTUALLY FOLLOW THEM . Review your games to see how often and early you're completing development. It's complete when both knights and both bishops are off the back rank, you've castled, and your queen has moved off the back rank so that now your rooks are "connected" (no pieces between them).
http://www.chess.com/article/view/the-principles-of-the-opening
For endings (and more on openings) you can use the material here:
http://www.chess.com/article/view/study-plan-directory
The Reinfeld book is WAYYY too hard for the OP with his 600 blitz rating.
Seriously, I'm 1500 blitz here and the majority of the problems are still too hard for me to successfully solve, albeit it's probably appropriate for someone just slightly stronger than me right now.
I'd recommend instead "Tactics Time". For a <1000 level player, it's perfect. Yes, it'll seem really hard when you do it (I got over 70% of them wrong on my first try at 1200 level blitz) but those tactics are from actual games from Class D-A players and with very common themes that you will absolutely see in your play.
here is a tactic to solve
Dec 31, 2015
0
#18
Well, a good tactics books needs to have puzzles too hard to solve... if you can solve them all then what's the point 
Sometimes "too hard" just means you haven't seen that pattern or idea yet.
But ok, maybe I've forgotten what it's like at the very beginning. I can see how it might not be a good first book.
By the way, with a 1500 blitz rating I'm sure some of the puzzles in that book are very easy for you.
GGmangini wrote:
Hi guys, I recently started playing chess again. Last time I played was when I was 9, and i'm 20 now. My question is how can I improve my blitz score and overall become a strong player? Im coasting at about 600 points for blitz, 800 on tactics trainer, but overall not doing as well as I would hope, but I was wondering if setting a goal of reaching 1100 for the new year is too ambitious?
I've been playing games, watching videos, and doing the tactics trainer, computer analysis is that the best way? Should I be doing the tactics or playing more? Or what would you reccommend to a beginner?
Thanks for your help guys! My ultimate goal is to try to get up to the 1600/1700 rating in a few years!
Are you looking to at blitz, and regular chess, at the same time?
For beginners like yourself, you should really limit blitz playing if youre trying to improve at longer regular chess, as it will instill a lot of bad habits and hinder your growth.
After reviewing some of your games i would advise the usual:
Tactics...tactics...tactics...
Learn the Opening Principles:
Control the center
Develop toward the center
Castle
Connect your rooks
If you want to continue playing blitz, then study tactics.
I think GG,like so many ppl writing in these threads is fixated by the blitz game.
I also found a few bullet game in his game archive. this seems off to me.
if you want to improve you need to look HARDER at the moves you make and spend more than a few split seconds and trying to understand which move is, in fact, the best.
G30 is my compromise- enough time to think, yet short enough to do a couple a night If I'm feeling ambitious.
Hi guys, I recently started playing chess again. Last time I played was when I was 9, and i'm 20 now. My question is how can I improve my blitz score and overall become a strong player? Im coasting at about 600 points for blitz, 800 on tactics trainer, but overall not doing as well as I would hope, but I was wondering if setting a goal of reaching 1100 for the new year is too ambitious?
I've been playing games, watching videos, and doing the tactics trainer, computer analysis is that the best way? Should I be doing the tactics or playing more? Or what would you reccommend to a beginner?
Thanks for your help guys! My ultimate goal is to try to get up to the 1600/1700 rating in a few years!