Improving

Hi all!  I am really into chess- I spend about 2 hours per day playing (minimum) blitz (10 minute) chess.  I do watch some videos and read some web posts also, but they are far less frequent.  Despite this, my blitz rating does not seem to be improving, however my standard rating is (albeit slowly due to my lack of playing it!). 

When I watch videos I study strategy- I want to know what to do with my pieces after the opening.  Currently I tend to destroy any weakness I can see (I say destroy because sometimes I attack so hard that I end up losing all my pieces!), but if I cannot see one I don't really know what to do, and I end up losing, so looking at strategy makes sense. 

I was wondering- will playing blitz improve my chess, and secondly, how do I improve my blitz rating?  To be honest I just want to get better at chess, not specifically blitz, so I am happy for anyone to say that I should give up on it, and get better at standard and go back to it when I am better. 

Just for info, I aim in the next 5 years to move my rating to 2000ELO in real life, and I'm pretty willing to spend 2-4 hours a day on chess if that is needed!  Also, if you were in my position and are now an advanced player (not a beginner like me!) could you reccomend any specific books that really helped you to improve?

Thanks for the help guys!

Coach Heisman emphasizes that steady chess improvement depends on three things being roughly in balance: study, play, and review.  Doesn't sound like your current program is in balance at all.  It also sounds as though you know darn well that blitz is not the way to go.  Yeah it's a lot of fun, and hey, all the titled players play it, right?  True, but with the rarest of exceptions, that's not how they got good.  Most blitz players end up perfecting their errors and stagnating.  Tough to give up that rush of endorphins I know, but at least try to cut back and play some long slow games and be sure to review them thoroughly.  Heck, we even have one national master on board (NM aww-rats) who says even long slow games aren't slow enough and that you should play correspondence chess ("online" in Erikspeak).  He recommends averaging several hours of active analysis for each move.  Not saying you have to go that far, but I think you get the drift.  Playing and studying chess should of course be fun or you won't continue, but you've been running around like a kid in the candy aisle.  Maybe you should explore the rest of the store.  Good luck!

qoute:When reading a book the faster you can read the better you can comprehend the material.

I don't agree I am not a fast reader however I read very slow however most people tell me that I have a good memory because I can recall/explain  every word I read .  I don't even want to try to read any faster as I do well in test. 

People like their lemonade in many ways. Test and see what you like. Don't stop to quickly, you may miss the best for you!

I don't see the point in reading quicker. I can also read a text in no time and think I understand it but it is gone in my memory 1 day later.

If I read something slow I can recall it many years later. just by looking at the book.

the more you can remember the more you can comprehend as you can put the things you read in a context.- while reading.

I don't think a book contains any addional information you can gain by reading faster.

That is the trick - what to do after the theory has reached its end. It's all in technique. No opening trick can save you now. It's all on your pattern recognition and positional understanding. This is where your true skill shines or exposes you. How to get better from this point? Don't just cram tactical patterns in your head, learn the mechanics of each tactic as well. It would be easier to build a plan on the mechanics of a tactic then just learning them by rote.

In my opinion, blitz doesn´t help you improve. After playing a bunch of blitz you tend to play very fast without thinking. This will make you do stupid things, especially against a thinking opponent. So play mostly real chess, and play blitz only occasionally. If you get used to thinking before making a move (this happens in non-blitz games) and this, in turn, improves your chess, your blitz will probably improve as well. 

Both of these statements are equally wrong. You don't comprehend better because you can read faster and you don't get better at chess by playing more quickly.

Especially if you are a beginner. Imagine the children learning to read with a chronometer.

baddongo: thanks very much man, thats really helpful (made me chuckle too!).  I love how great and supportive this community is! Do you have any specific study materials in mind if you don't mind me asking- only I don't really know where to begin and what books to buy!

Cornbeef: When you say understand the mechanism of a tactic, what exactly do you mean? 

I do a lot of maths, and in maths there are things we use called vectors, matrices and planes.  What they are is irrelevant, however in order to find things out about these things, there are a series of processes that need to be undergone.  Now these processes arise from somewhere in maths, and have proof, however due to the nature of the subject, knowledge of this is not required as you can do perfectly fine without it.   However, I can't do things by rote- I need to prove the thing for myself and explain how it works, and then I can apply it everywhere, rather than just the cases that I have been taught.  I feel like this is what you are getting at- correct me if I am wrong.

If I am correct in this assumption, this is certainly how I would like to play chess.  When I use formulea in maths I feel unclean, I feel like i am cheating and I'm sure that this will be the same for chess (tactics being the formulea). Therefore, I would like to understand the mechanisms of the things, however, I know not of chess proof as there is maths proof- of course they are different and dependant on different things, however I hope you see my point.  What chess theory will I need to apply, and find out and experiment with in order to deeply understand the mechanics of chess?  This I feel is my ultimate goal.  However good I get, if I truly understand why I am doing something at a given moment I will be happy with my chess. 

Thanks again guys!

The best way to know is to do.

a guid to chess improvement by Dan Heisman is pretty good the polgar book is also nice and and depending on what opening you li the complete guid to the kings gambvit is great! i hope u find this useful

Please provide references to this supposed fact that reading faster makes you comprehend better.

And, Blitz is NOT the best environement for tyring new ideas. Slow play is so you can properly think them out.

Please don't give new players such bad advice.

kleelof- are you suggesting that I should just play chess?

You need learning how to walk before learning how to run. If you want to do it properly some day, of course.

Be glad to help, just send me a message!

Yeh pulp, as badd said, I think I knew deep down that blitz wasnt the way forward, thanks for helping me see that!  I did just play a 15 min game and foundd that far more fun than some previous blitz games, because I really felt like I deserved the victory.  I think Ill stick to that now.  Question about what to do regarding study still stands though, can I have thoughts?

Well, I would suggest playing slower games if you want to improve your blitz playing. You have to walk before you run.

Nothing at all wrong with blitz. I find it helps me maitain that sense of 'urgency' you need in a live game that I don't get from much longer games. But it certainly is NOT the place to be developing solid all-around chess skills.

Chess.com has great resources under the 'Learn' tab in the menu. Unfortunately though, you need to be a member to access a lot of it.

Thanks klee thats helpful.  What I was really asking though is that what you said seemed to imply that I didnt need to study- did you mean that or was it just lost on me!?

I am thinking of becoming a member for exactly that reason though!