Path to Improvement for the avg. player

Steve Lopez wrote an article "Improvement for the Average Player" for Chessbase's T-Notes on March 30, 2003. I'm paraphrasing--these are his ideas--but the meat of his article is here:

How to Improve Your Chess Game

1. Study tactics!!! Chess is mostly short-term tactics.
2. Study endgames. Studying endgames is incredibly boring, but it's almost as important as learning tactics. It's good to know how to win (or draw!) in an endgame. Endgame study separates men from the boys. Spend most of your time on those two subjects: tactics and endgames.
3. Study positional play/long-term strategy, but not for too long. Tactics is generally considered to be more important.

4. Do NOT spend a lot of time studying or memorizing opening systems/theory until you reach Elo 2000+. That is a hard rule to unlearn, but follow it.
5. Play as much chess as you can, especially with a stronger player. Swallow your pride and allow yourself to get beaten on the board. Your Elo will thank you for it.
6. Record your games and go over them--especially your losses--with someone stronger.
7. Replay over games of other good players (www.chessgames.com is good for this) and try to really understand why they made the moves they did.
8. Don't kick yourself when you lose: losing teaches you things, and there are more important things in life than winning at chess.


I have *a lot* to learn but his method has helped my chess greatly.

 

Best wishes. 

 

Here's the full article: http://chessbaseusa.sectorlink.org/TNote.aspx?TNoteUrl=tn/Issues_Current/2003_0330.htm  

Interesting post.

First of all, I need to persuade myself to follow rule 4!

 

that's a tough one to break. i have a hard time following it, too.

I disagree with two things. One, strategic play is very important, probably just as important as tactics, just that learning tactis is a priority, beacuse you can't take advantage of your strategic advantage without tactics (though against a strong player, you can't achieve a tactic until you get a strategic advantage). I'd say that just like they say opening theory/memorization should be delayed until you have 2000+, learning strategy should be delayed until you reach some rating (I'm not sure what, maybe 1300?). The second thing, which more minor, is that I think you should kick yourself when you lose, but only once, not twice, and then go on.

Good bullet points to remember.  With the opening I have been following Andy Soltis's rules of thumb

By turn 10:

1)  Develop all of your minor pieces.

2)  Castle.

3)  Connect your rooks.

4)  Try not to take more than about 2-3 pawn moves.

 

However, I feel ambivalent about ignoring opening book.  It can get you into a good place, but if your opponent diverges yo can get into big trouble because all of a sudden you don't know what you are doing.  If following the Soltis rules I would also add one more rule--don't do the same thing every time.  Experiment with a variety of opening moves as both black and white. 

 

Apart from that, I think a ninth point on your list would be useful:  Play postal!  I have never sweated out moves in as much detail before coming to chess.com .

PawnFork wrote:

Good bullet points to remember.  With the opening I have been following Andy Soltis's rules of thumb

By turn 10:

1)  Develop all of your minor pieces.

2)  Castle.

3)  Connect your rooks.

4)  Try not to take more than about 2-3 pawn moves.

 

However, I feel ambivalent about ignoring opening book.  It can get you into a good place, but if your opponent diverges yo can get into big trouble because all of a sudden you don't know what you are doing.  If following the Soltis rules I would also add one more rule--don't do the same thing every time.  Experiment with a variety of opening moves as both black and white. 

 

Apart from that, I think a ninth point on your list would be useful:  Play postal!  I have never sweated out moves in as much detail before coming to chess.com .

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 i like your 9th point. correspondence chess is considered to help, and many of the greats highly recommend it.

 

the point about not spending too much time on opening book theory though--for the average player--is that the book is quickly left. you'll do better by knowing tactics and understanding strategical motifs (knights vs. bishops, playing in the center vs. a wing, etc.).

The problem is, I learned all the openings theory I already to need to know, by playing a lot of games, not by reading books. I play everyday with stronger people online, but I still get worse =P. I study tactics, and I have an eye for them, but I just cant improve...

I agree about the tactics and their importance in development in the opening.  However, during my tournamant days I scored a pretty mate against a player who was rated considerably higher than me, who also intimidated friends of mine who were rated way over him.  He took a piece without noticing an impending smothered mate.

 

Tactics help you understand openings, but studying openings can be used to learn tactics and planning.  Strange world!

ivoryknight71> How to Improve Your Chess Game

 

Excellent advice! 

 

Itaibn> I think you should kick yourself when you lose, but only once, not twice, and then go on.

 

Heh. True...

8 is wrong you kick your self so you play better

Another important thing to learn for the average player is how to win when you're winning. When you study openings (specifics or principles) and tactics you'll (hopefully) find that you are then able to acquire advantages and it's important to know how to convert those advantages.

-- What do you do with a lead in development?

-- What do you do after you win a pawn? Or the exchange, or a minor piece (or minor piece for a pawn or two).

 

You can probably think of examples from your own games where you think "I'm winning! But what do I do?" and then you don't end up winning.

 

Of course, studying endgames avoids the problem of gaining an advantage you don't know how to convert. This is one reason studying endgames leads to an increase in results. 

So far, this discussion has dealt with how to use your intelligence to play better chess with more practice and study to increase your knowledge base without doing more work than you want to. Your results depend upon not just your intelligence and knowledge, but also your character. This affects your work habits and your game play. To get better results, it is necessary to play up to your current level of strength more consistently. Not only must good moves be found and played, but mistakes must be reduced. Playing at your current level requires character to apply your intelligence. All of our games show moves that we could have played better without any more knowledge than we already have.

Am3692 wrote:The problem is, I learned all the openings theory I already to need to know, by playing a lot of games, not by reading books. I play everyday with stronger people online, but I still get worse =P. I study tactics, and I have an eye for them, but I just cant improve...

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If that's the case, then perhaps you really haven't learned all the opening theory you need to know.

 

(BTW, NOBODY can learn opening theory on their own without reading books. Openings have been developed over years, even decades, by the greatest chess minds the world has ever seen. A beginner isn't going to rediscover this info on his/her own.)

ivoryknight71 wrote:

Steve Lopez wrote an article "Improvement for the Average Player" for Chessbase's T-Notes on March 30, 2003. I'm paraphrasing--these are his ideas--but the meat of his article is here:

How to Improve Your Chess Game

1. Study tactics!!! Chess is mostly short-term tactics.
2. Study endgames. Studying endgames is incredibly boring, but it's almost as important as learning tactics. It's good to know how to win (or draw!) in an endgame. Endgame study separates men from the boys. Spend most of your time on those two subjects: tactics and endgames.
3. Study positional play/long-term strategy, but not for too long. Tactics is generally considered to be more important.

4. Do NOT spend a lot of time studying or memorizing opening systems/theory until you reach Elo 2000+. That is a hard rule to unlearn, but follow it.
5. Play as much chess as you can, especially with a stronger player. Swallow your pride and allow yourself to get beaten on the board. Your Elo will thank you for it.
6. Record your games and go over them--especially your losses--with someone stronger.
7. Replay over games of other good players (www.chessgames.com is good for this) and try to really understand why they made the moves they did.
8. Don't kick yourself when you lose: losing teaches you things, and there are more important things in life than winning at chess.


I have *a lot* to learn but his method has helped my chess greatly.

 

Best wishes. 

 

Here's the full article: http://chessbaseusa.sectorlink.org/TNote.aspx?TNoteUrl=tn/Issues_Current/2003_0330.htm  

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I don't know who Steve Lopez is (and I'm not inclined to read his article based on what I've read so far), but did he really write what you posted? If he said everything in bold print, then I would agree with him. But did he also write the material that isn't bold? Because some of it is complete nonsense.

 

Chess is not "mostly short-term tactics." Also, I don't know (or know of) any player who has reached the 2000+ level without seriously studying an opening.