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Importance of Chess Areas of Study

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DarknesMetalDragon

I was wondering what areas of chess study you guys consider to be most important of these if you had to make a list from top to bottom:

Openings

Endgames

Tactics

Strategy

Studying Master Games

My order is:

Strategy

Tactics

Endgames

Studying Master Games

Openings

By the way, I do want to play competively.

TheArtofWar82

At our level? 

Tactics

Endgames

Studying master games

Strategy

Openings ...

...in that order.

DarknesMetalDragon
TheArtofWar82 wrote:

At our level? 

Tactics

Endgames

Studying master games

Strategy

Openings ...

...in that order.

I like that you are considering my level first. However, my real life ratings at around 1400. I am much worse on this website than I am in real life.

qrayons
DarknesMetalDragon wrote:
TheArtofWar82 wrote:

At our level? 

Tactics

Endgames

Studying master games

Strategy

Openings ...

...in that order.

I like that you are considering my level first. However, my real life ratings at around 1400. I am much worse on this website than I am in real life.

Oh well if you're rated 1400 then the best order is:

Tactics

Endgames

Studying master games

Strategy

Openings

recycleourknowledge

Hmm there really is no best order, or one size fits all here. It depends on what type of person you are, what your rating is, how you think etc. 

If I were starting out, I would just play a ton of games. But not just playing, but analyzing all the games I lost, and some of them that I won. The goal is to pinpoint WHY you lost, what you did well/poorly, what your opponent did well/poorly, what were some missed tactics, where was the game lost, etc. 

Smart practice is the best practice. The goal should always be to learn from your failures and create a better game. Eventually, you will lower your mistakes, pick up on tactics, hone your opening/endgame and ultimately, become a better player.

HattrickStinkyduiker
TheArtofWar82 wrote:

At our level? 

Tactics

Endgames

Studying master games

Strategy

Openings ...

...in that order.

I'd put strategy before master games I think, at least basics like knowing the typical breaking moves in different pawn structures, knowing the ideas of IQP positions etc.

Also, openings on a basic level could be higher. For example if you play the 2 knights with black, it's very easy to just lose quickly.

LadyXhess

What about Visualization, Prophylaxis and Postmortem?