Looking to improve ranking before OTB play

thanks currently looking at an Opening Repritor of:

white: d4 London and Queens gambit and

black being: response to e4 = KID and d4=caro-kann or Scandinavian.

but I will take a look at the KIA.

Just pick one opening out of the London and Queen's Gambit. Queen's Gambit is better but harder to learn. However the Queen's Gambit isn't a super-difficult opening to learn by any means, it's probably quite average in terms of complexity. My first opening for black was the KID and I do not recommend it, it is more advanced, it's best to fight for the center rather than let white occupy it unless you really are good at counter-attacking. I play the Queen's Gambit as white and I have enjoyed it much more than 1.e4, where I used to aim for a Spanish.

I think you mixed up your e4 and d4 openings as caro and scand are against e4, not d4. But caro-kann is solid against 1.e4 and I would recommend it, do not go for the scandanavian, you lose any advantage as white very quickly due to your queen getting bullied around or being forced back to d8.

So I would encourage you to play caro-kan against 1.e4 and against 1.d4 I would encourage you to learn how to play against the london and the queen's gambit with a chosen line. For example against Queen's Gambit you might choose the Queen's Gambit Accepted or Declined, and against the London you only need to learn a few moves of theory to get into a pretty simple position.

I would encourage either the London or the Queen's Gambit, but not both. as your opening choice as white, London if you want to take the easy road and Queen's Gambit if you are feeling more ambitious. If you don't like your choice you can always switch it up.

I would add that I disagree on the KIA because it is similar to KID and playing KID as black like the above poster, the KID is very difficult to play well and can be easy to lose with, I can't speak for the KIA as I haven't used it, but the advantage of it being similar in some ways to the KID are not advantages anymore if you don't play the KID

Apparently you don't understand chess principles unless you are 2000+ , this guy is just a troll. Block

Maybe you’re talking about different principles. I’m pretty sure a 1200 understands most basic things like attack the center when the king is stuck there, don’t move bishops in front of the central pawns, etc… sure there will be outliers but in general the basic principles are understood by many players who just may not be able to apply them.

If you can then why don't you? All talk no action.

Same goes for you, I don't know why you decided "to write down all that nonsense."

I don't think you'll get many students with your kind of attitude.

If you play hard and do your best you will never embarrass yourself! Caruana's first raring was 474. Hikaru Nakamura's rating was 684 after his first tournament. You'll be fine.

Losing a few OTB tournament games will do more to improve your play than anything else you might have spent the money on. The only drawback is the damage to your ego after getting your butt handed to you several games in a row.

I've written several posts aimed at helping players like you who might not be able to afford a coach. Here are some links to those posts:

1. How to Improve at Chess: Ultimate Guide
[https://www.chess.com/forum/view/for-beginners/how-to-improve-at-chess-ultimate-guide]
2. Jumpstart Your Chess Journey: Proven Tips for Beginners [https://www.chess.com/forum/view/for-beginners/jumpstart-your-chess-journey-proven-tips-for-beginners]
3. From Good to Great: Mastering Piece Arrangement on the Board [https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-lessons/from-good-to-great-mastering-piece-arrangement-on-the-board]
4. Dominating the Board: Mastering Aggressive Moves in Chess
[https://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/dominating-the-board-mastering-aggressive-moves-in-chess]
5. Outsmarting Opponents: Creating and Exploiting Weaknesses
[https://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/outsmarting-opponents-creating-and-exploiting-weaknesses]
6. Piece Domination 101: How to Neutralize Your Opponent's Forces
[https://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/piece-domination-101-how-to-neutralize-your-opponents-forces]
7. Mastering Piece Trades: Transforming the Chess Battlefield [https://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/mastering-piece-trades-transforming-the-chess-battlefield]
8. Practical Endgames Demystified: Techniques for Victory [https://www.chess.com/forum/view/general-chess-discussion/practical-endgames-demystified-techniques-for-victory-95628525]

I hope you find these resources helpful in your chess journey. If you ever feel like you'd benefit from personalized coaching, feel free to reach out to me. Keep up the good work and remember, every game is a learning opportunity!

Sup

TRUE

blueemu: "Losing a few OTB tournament games will do more to improve your play than anything else you might have spent the money on"

Learn to play OTB chess by reviewing Master Games of your Opening Choice. Go to chessgamescom or get a database.

Whoever expects to get good results by switching openings is sh&t out of luck.

More so if someone is a <1000 rated beginner/ post beginner as the O.P.

I would recommend practicig converting there is no reason to be up a knight if you just hang it so focus on 1.hanging less free peice 2.coverting

openings you will figure out as you get betterb

Blitz chess is also useful for the pattern recognition but if your stuck (ex 800 for a year) switch to rapid you may need to think longer

The OP of the thread is 100% correct.

I checked several of the OP most recent games.

Most of the OP loses are not from outrageous blundering.

Most of the OP loses are from time pressure.

The time pressure is causing him to rush and not fully think out his moves.

Several games the OP was straight up winning, yet he didn’t walk away with win.

- A few games were lost because he miscalculated a tactical shot due to rushing.

- A few games were lost because his opponents flagged him on time in a losing position.

—————————

I believe the OP has the potential to be a 1,600 rated player.

The above is a Daily game with no time pressure.

4 Inaccuracy

0 Mistakes

0 Misses

0 Blunders

91.8 Accuracy

———————————

The OP shouldn’t be playing Blitz.

The OP should be playing Rapid & Classical Time Controls.

No one cares about Blitz!

And don’t even get me started about Bullet - That’s not even chess as far as I’m concerned.

———————

What most people don’t know is your supposed to start off with long time controls.

When you play a game and take time to look at the different moves, your 1st time around. You will probably use up a lot of time because the position may be fresh or unknown to you.

You could stare at a position for 40 mins going over all possibilities in the game.

The next game will often not be as long because you will begin to remember from previously.

The more gamed you see same position your mind starts to recall faster and faster.

This is why a lot of high level players mostly only play fast time controls online.
They have already did the foundational chess work to understand the majority of the positions they play which means their ability to recall or recognize things has been increased.

————————

My recommendation to the OP is to stop playing Blitz.

Play some Rapid Games with long time controls.

In fact, I got a recommendation for the OP

Play 60 min games

Break the Time down into 3 sections

- Opening Phase moves 1 to 10 - It should take you 20 mins

- Middle Game Phase moves 11 to 20 - 20 mins

- End Game Phase moves 21 to 30 - 20 mins

Once, you played your 10th move, you should have used up 20 mins on clock.

Once, you played your 20th move, you should have used up 40 mins on clock.

Once, you played your 30th move, you should have used up full 60 mins.

By breaking down the time like above, You should have 2 full mins per move.

To think about all the options.

——————

Remove time from the equation!

Your ability to win or lose will come down to Knowledge!

Can you capitalize on your strength in a chess game and take advantage of your opponents weaknesses? That is chess at its core!

—————

For fast games being able to recall or recognize positions is helpful in saving time.

In long games, Recalling & Recognizing positions are not even needed!

They are helpful skills to have, but they are not needed!

The reason why is because a chess player should be able to re-evaluate a chess position.

You have to be able to read the chess board.

If you struggle in time pressure do rapid, if you do good in time pressure (like me) then do blitz that's not exactly true no one cares about blitz there is something called titled Tuesday just depends what you struggle with. Blitz personally has helped me alot but if you need the time do rapid

Keep in mind, my post was mostly directed at the OP.

The OP seems to be suffering from time pressure so he shouldn’t care about Blitz.

———————

It don’t mean everyone in the world doesn’t care about Blitz.

Playing Blitz can be helpful in training other aspects of a person game.

The OP doesn’t need it at the moment.

——————

I believe Blitz is hindering the OP and not allowing the OP to unlock his true chess potential!

Your situation is probably different vs. the OP.

———————

One day, the OP will need to play Blitz because it can teach stuff.

The issue is the OP needs to wait for the right moment.

It isn’t the right time for the OP to play Blitz.

Right now, Blitz is hurting him.

@Compadee_J true I actually usually recommend rapid for 1300-1500 and below above that switch not always the case but it works for most people