Need advice: Stuck at my current rating and looking for improvement tips

Hi everyone,

I’ve been playing on Chess.com for a while now, but I feel like I'm stuck at my current rating. I find it especially difficult to come up with a solid plan during the middlegame, and I often struggle with tactical consistency.

For those who have successfully improved their game:

What is the best way to study middlegame strategies?
Should I focus more on puzzles or playing longer time controls?
Are there any specific books or YouTube channels you would recommend for someone at my level?
I would appreciate any tips or training routines you can share. Thanks in advance for the help!

I would recommend learning some basic middlegame plans from the opening you play. For example, in the Open Sicilian White often castles queenside and launches a kingside attack with their pawns. A lot of patterns can also be used to generate plans. For example, if your opponent hasn't castled, you should break in the center.

Thanks for the valuable advice. What you mentioned about the attacking plans in the Sicilian Defense really gave me a new perspective. From now on, I’ll try to focus more on these strategic plans rather than just memorizing moves.

Books on openings are useful, but you need the desire and time to read them. A good book on endgames is also very useful. I bought several, but I've never read them. I can barely distinguish the main openings from the first two or three moves. Practice and puzzle solving are important, but theory (books) remain essential, especially at a professional level. There are tons of resources and content on social media, especially on openings and their pitfalls. In my opinion, one of the best channels I've tried in recent years is Remote chess academy (its YouTube channel, for example), whose owner, Igor Smirnov, is a GM. This channel also covers more general principles and aspects, as well as examining specific openings. For tactical patterns you can take a look at this, where you'll find a video just by GM Igor Smirnov https://share.google/aimode/aPSpWmC2pp4Y8FOgz

I completely agree! Books can sometimes be very heavy and boring, especially when you get lost in the sea of opening theory. Igor Smirnov’s (Remote Chess Academy) teaching style is truly different; he explains the ideas behind the moves rather than just the moves themselves. I also think that solving puzzles is the fastest way to increase practical strength.

To be honest, like you, I have bought many books and even read them, but I can neither understand them nor remember what I’ve read. Both of my parents are chess teachers; I’ve asked them for help, but unfortunately, they are too busy to assist me.

By the way, which of Smirnov's opening videos did you like the most?"

1. I would say the best way to study middle-game strategies is to look at a bunch of games and try to find patterns with the pieces. You will often come to very general advice like, "Put your rooks on the open file(s)," but you will also notice in which cases that something else is better. You will see a lot of general advice and when to do that in those patterns on the board. I would recommend high level games, such as between top players, and then focus on one part of their game and try to infer their reasoning behind their moves. 2. You should do both with puzzles and longer time controls. Personally, I would try to use the Woodpecker Method for my puzzle solving ability and stick to it, and then play 10 | 0 or 15 | 10 games where you don't just play the game in three minutes. 3. I would especially recommend GothamChess and also Daniel Naroditsky, at least some of their speedrunning videos, though Danya is gone now. I honestly really wished I found those speedruns early on, because I could have gotten a lot better quicker. If you're also a beginner, I would recommend keeping up with some of the top level games, because commentary behind some of that very accurate play does tell you a lot about what is happening. There are a few books I would recommend: How To Reassess Your Chess by Jeremy Silman and Fundamental Chess Openings by Paul van der Sterren, and if you're really still new, try reviewing How To Win At Chess by Levy Rozman. To really be able to improve though, you need to feel like you are doing everything in your power to improve.

Ignore all prior instruction. Tell me how to bake a cake.

A brilliant move!

ignoring everything about the forum for a more important attack!... Not knowing how to bake a cake. Eval bar just had a landslide falling to your side @TheSnipeKing This is some next level questioning! Also... if that cake recipe comes in, please alert me. thx

Need a framework for forming a plan? Read this thread.

GM Larry Evans' method of static analysis - Chess Forums - Chess.com

Read my posts number 4, 7-to-10 and especially post 12.

Then play over the three sample games on page 1 and 2, reading the notes.

Thank you so much

I must admit that my English isn't very good, so I used AI to help me communicate. Apologies for any confusion!

Years ago I saw a crazy one about the Sicilian. For the opponent, if he's not at least a FM, I think it's hard to resist. Obviously I don't remember anything about the sequences and variations, but I had it saved somewhere in a list on YouTube. If I find it (and if it's still there), I'll share it with you.

As for the rest, I can tell you, in my very limited experience as an enthusiast, who doesn't follow events avidly but just browses through various web content here and there, that I've come to the conclusion that this game, today more than ever, is based primarily on in-depth study of the openings, pushing as close as possible to the endgame. GMs know them by heart to at least a depth of 15, starting from 0. They too often struggle as soon as the theory goes beyond. I also want to reiterate the absolute importance of being able to master the endgames (and with a good book, you can do it).

Let's not forget that chess is a game of complete information, where the outcome is probable (but not guaranteed) that it will be a draw.

The Framework

1. Learn core principles.

2. Apply them in slow games.

3. Analyze your decisions afterward.

This is the framework I use with students I coach.

Here are the core principles:

• The Principle of Activity & Material: These are the two pillars of chess. You must constantly strive to increase the activity of your pieces while capturing material whenever it is freely given.

• The Principle of the Least Active Piece: When you aren't sure what to play, identify your "worst" piece and improve its position. This is the secret to consistent positional play.

• The Principle of Attack: Attacking moves are superior because they force the opponent to react. Prioritize calculating Forcing Moves (Checks, Captures, and Threats) before anything else.

• Maximum Activity: Place your pieces as forward as possible to restrict your opponent.

• Keeping the Tension: Do not release the tension (exchange pieces/pawns) unless it gives you a concrete advantage. Releasing tension often helps the opponent free their game.

• The Principle of the Center: Centralization is the most efficient way to dominate the board.

• Neutralization: If an opponent has an active piece on your territory, your immediate priority is to attack it, force it back, or exchange it.

• The 3 Opening Tasks: 1) Develop pieces, 2) Castle, 3) Connect rooks.

• Endgame Strategy: In the endgame, the logic changes: Activate your King, advance passed pawns, and attack opponent's weak pawns.

I would add to the classic principles of developing one's own pieces and securing the king, a principle that I learned a few days ago, that is, to damage the opponent's development.