How to improve watching Chess videos

It's not enough to just passively watch chess videos and expect to get better. If you aren't engaging your brain then it's just television with pieces! 

Below are three ideas of how to make the most of your chess-watching time. 

1. Attempt to solve positions yourself 

Chess Youtubers will sometimes ask you to pause the video and try finding the best move in the position. This is fine if it's not live, but even then you might get it wrong and not know why it's wrong.  Trying to predict the next move is a good way of improving your ability to discover candidate moves, but there are also chances that the games being played aren't suited to your ability. 

2. Take notes and review them 

To make your learning an active process, and to help you remember things, I recommend taking screenshots or notes on key positions, especially ones where the streamer played in a way that you didn't consider. Reviewing them is also vital for long term memory, so a filing method is also helpful. 

3. Engage with the streamer

Some chatboards are filled with spam or ego-comments, or the streamer is too busy to reply. However SmartyChess online lessons solve this and many other problems by providing live online lessons that are perfectly suited to your level. You can chat directly to the coach while watching master and amateur games, solving puzzles, and playing fellow students.

Lessons start at just $3.75! So check out https://www.smartychess.com/ or comment below if you have any further questions  

Member Conduct

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• post any comments, text, messages, or links in the forums or any public comments that contain any advertisements of any kind

 Thanks for your contribution Andrew, you've got exactly the kind of sass I love in my students  

I wasn't being cheeky or rude (or any "sass" as you put it). I simply pointed out that your advertisement was in breach of the forum rules, and is unwelcome. Thanks. Good day.

Yes, that's my point. He's advertising, which is in breach of the forum rules.

No, I was 1) mostly pointing it out more for Robert's own benefit and 2) I don't know where to do that.

Edit: I have reported it now. 

Robert-Paulson, I was in error. Advertising is permitted "if limited to one or two relevant threads". 

I'm sorry. 

Well that was a rollercoaster, thanks for a hearty discussion on the ethics of advertising. Feel free to get in touch if you ever want to talk about chess