Improving my game

Let me ask you something Bill.

What are two favorite openings for white?   What are you two favorite replies for black?   How do you handle the Lucena position?   Philidor?

Everyone says "tactics,  tactics,  tactics"  and I agree to an extent.....  but you need to learn the basics before you can just assume tactics will solve all your problems.    Stop playing blitz for awhile,  like 6 months,  and focus on long games or online games.   Analyze wins and losses using the stockfish engine on "lichess.org"  which is very easy to use.   

Also,  I really don't like the tactics trainer here.   I prefer the one at chesstempo.com.   It uses real games and lets you have different approaches to the "correct answer".   They also have an endgame trainer and "guess the move" which are both excellent.

I can think of four good chess sites.  Join more than one,  and join a team.   You won't be so quick to make a bad move when you know the team is counting on you.

Wow, I certainly didn't intend for my little post to trigger an argument. I appreciate everyone who has offered ideas. The comment is correct that I may being playing lots of games but making the same mistakes. I'm looking for ways to see the game differently, and I think you all have offered some excellent suggestions. Thanks for taking the time. And...peace.

Depending on how long you have been a member here, you will come to understand that anytime you ask for help, or in general post anything, that post will quickly trainwreck into what you see here.  

Some members here have an uncontrollable urge to make things about themselves, troll, drama, etc.  Get the good advice, use it, and then forget about this post.  Good Luck

study endgames,tactics and strategy

I have synthesised the chess experience and lay before you my wisdom!

Every chess position has essentially two elements, strategic and/or tactical.  Sometimes the strategic element is based on a static element (backward pawn etc etc), sometimes its based on dynamic element (control of the centre etc etc), sometimes there are neither and attempts need to be made to enforce them on the chess board.  There is of course a symbiotic relationship between strategy and tactics.  Sometimes tactics can be used to create a positional advantage, sometimes from a positional advantage tactics flow.  They do not work independently of each other and one of the most effective ways to learn tactics is to try and ascertain why they arose - weakened king position, weak squares etc etc Sometimes there are no tactical elements and they need to be created.  Learning to ascertain what the predominant feature of a position is takes practice and lots of it. 

Here is the thought process.

Analysis of the position - strategic elements both static and dynamic - tactical elements

Synthesis of position - define predominant feature

Plan 

Stage 1 - The right idea/wrong idea

Stage 2 verification - feasible/ non feasible

Well I did not plan on having an argument either.

I tryed to give helpful advice on post number 10.

When someone came along to try and sling mud at me for no reason at all.

All he was trying to do was nitpick at my terminology for calling you a beginner.

Which the word beginner is not an insulting word.

I was a beginner. I was a beginner for a while in fact.

Makes no sense why he did this.

Some people have nothing better to do in life than to try and start an argument.

However, I wasn't going to let him sling mud at me.

In fact, If I was you I wouldn't even follow his advice which he gave at post number 5.

Telling a person to resign when they are losing to improve there chess is rather crazy.

The game is not over until they checkmate you.

Even if they are winning they still have to prove they can finish you.

By continuing to play on it could teach you a valueable lesson on how to try and cope/deal with a bad position.

Trying to make the best moves in a tough spot is a very important skill.

You might even be able to make a come back if your opponent makes a similar mistake.

If your opponent does finish you off.

You will also be able to review the game and see how their finishing techinque was.

In case you find yourself against an opponent in a similar fashion. Than you after reviewing your game would know how to finish them off.

Furthermore, Having your opponent checkmate you after you played badly or made some blunders could be a brutal pill for sure.

Some times people have to learn the hard way and getting checkmated after making silly mistake is def tough love in chess.

I remember I use to make some silly mistakes. I would resign than next day make same mistakes. I finially told myself if I make that mistake again I was going to let my opponent checkmate me.

Yeah after getting checkmated 2-3 times. I stopped making those mistakes lol.

Those checkmates were the most brutal wake up calls anyone could ever ask for lol.

However, sometimes that is what it takes for you to fix a bad habit.

Lastly, I would like to give you a link to my blogs/articles which I have made.

Maybe you can find something that catchs your eye and might be interested in it.

I did add 3 more opening lines in there the other day. Which I was excited to finish.

They might interest you etc.

I do plan on making some more later on.

Hopefully some of the idea's in there can help you with your chess game.

Link Below:

http://www.chess.com/blog/X_PLAYER_J_X

My last bit of advice I have to offer would be to only play standard games for a while.

It will give you time to think and process.

In fact, I remember telling someone a few weeks ago this same advice and they said their ranking went up a couple of points.

I told them to play a 30 min game.

An to make 1 move every 2 mins.

I told him to literally force himself to wait 2 whole mins before he made his next move.

During that 2 mins I wanted him to think about his next move to make sure it doesn't hang a piece. To also consider his opponent threats/next move etc.

Will my opponent checkmate me? if I do this move.

Will my opponent win a piece? if I do this move.

I told him by the time he plays his 10th move 20 mins should be off his clock.

If 20 mins was not off his clock by the 10th move came than he should resign as automatic forteit.

After the 10th move and 20 mins was off his clock he than could begin playing at a normal speed again etc.

You will be surpised how playing the first 10 moves reasonably well will improve your game.

If you don't believe me give it a try.

Thanks for all the time you put into this, X_Player. I like that 2-minute idea a lot.

Your welcome.

Yeah I rememeber reading a forum here a couple of months ago.

Where a research was done.

Bascailly someone did a research and compared people who play good moves in the first 10 moves compared to people who play inaccuracy, mistake, or blunder in first 10 moves.

They found people who play good moves/book moves in the opening have a 20% chance of winning more of there games vs people who played inaccuracy, mistake, or blunders etc.

When I read that forum. I was a beginner and I said to myself you know what. 20% sounds like a lot to me lol. Maybe I should try to make sure my first 10 opening moves are good ones. Been studying openings ever since than. I been on a slowly but steady rise thru the rankings as well. Which is pretty kool.

The 2 min idea I mentioned above is a way of trying to get you to play good moves. Which in turn would increase your winning chances 20%  which you have to admit. Its better to have 20% increase than not having no increase?

I've been playing chess since 1968. I know a guy who has been playing longer than me but is still a beginner. He will always be a beginner because he does not possess certain elementary skills, nor is he trying to acquire those skills. Instead, he reads some opening monograph and tries to engage the stronger players whom he knows in a discussion of the merits of the positional ideas in said monograph. But, while going over his own games, he does not understand how his knight is en prise.

for the OP, I recommend Capablanca, Chess Fundamentals. Study not only the instruction in this book but also the sequence in which it is presented. That's the sequence you need in your own training.

hello i'm new here

Well you have come to the right place. I will give you some advice which I have the OP of this forum.

I would suggest Simple Attacking Plans by Fred Wilson https://web.archive.org/web/20140708090402/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review874.pdf , Winning Chess by Irving Chernev and Fred Reinfeld https://web.archive.org/web/20140708093415/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review919.pdf , Openings for Amateurs by Pete Tamburro http://kenilworthian.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-of-pete-tamburros-openings-for.html , and Chess Endgames for Kids by Karsten Müller.

Tactic trainers are a fine way to go because often times on the amateur level (me as well off course) one side or the other makes a tactical mistake. Tactic trainer helps you visualise better and also how to benefit from certain tactical patterns.

But ultimately chess is all about insight, you need fresh new insights in your game. Then you will get better, tactics are nice to spot but the tricky part is setting up these tactics, ie. positional chess.