And on the side, does anyone know just how many so called recognition patterns there actually are??
Pattern Recog or Just Playing Games? To Get Better
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Remember not to confuse games with blitz games.
Just playing is not enought to get you better(get your potential), you need to study chess.
You won't get pattern recognition contiously. You get it over a long period of time so just play. Its like "musle memory" for drums or any other musical instrument.
Nov 14, 2016
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#6
I vote with jambyvedar.
A little from Column A, a little from Column B.
Nov 14, 2016
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#7
If you're trying to find the one thing you can do to improve, then you probably wont improve. Chess is playing and studying. Studying is not only tactics, but everything else (strategy, openings, endgames, attacks, defense, etc) as well as practical choices like winning chances, when to transition, when/how to calculate, time management, and others. Study is also general knoweldge of technique and positions you can get by playing over many GM games.
All this to say, it's not so simple as finding the single method, book, or video that will make you improve.
Master_Po wrote:
They said it's 80% just playing games and learning from your mistakes
Was this Capa's ratio? He said this for beginners right? Sounds good to me. If you're not a beginner anymore though, you'll need to also learn more about chess.
jengaias wrote:
Practice is everything.
Do as many tactics as you want if you don't play games , nothing will happen.
But practice means , at least 3 long time control games every week that you will spend at least 2 hours analysing them after they finish and try to understand what you did wrong.
Play with better players than you.Defeats is the best way to learn chess , far better than any other.I don't underestimate tactics or study.But someone who only plays has good chances to improve , someone who only do tactics has no chance at all.
No one here told that study only and do not play. To improve combine playing with study. But of course a beginner must study materials appropriate for his level.
So 80% playing long games and 20% tactics? This sounds sensible to me.
That guy online also said, if you do nothing but study, read and tactics, that you MUST play some games to relieve all the built up pressure and to apply what you've been trying to learn.
Nov 14, 2016
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#10
I've been working with the Tactics Trainer on this site and over a period of a few months I have noticed an improvement in my chess games.
jengaias wrote:
Relieve the built up pressure?
That's absolut nonsense.There is no pressure to relieve.
You must learn how to think.And the only way to do that is play , do mistakes , lose because of your mistakes , identify your mistakes and fix your mistakes.
Everything is about YOUR MISTAKES.Finding them means you find the wrong in your thinking.That's the foundation of improvement.
Playing and studying.
DrFrank124c wrote:
I've been working with the Tactics Trainer on this site and over a period of a few months I have noticed an improvement in my chess games.
Nice. Continue doing it.
Thanks all. Especially Jengaias. I HAD been working on tactics like 90% and 10% other (doing a few tactics, studying openings, reading about middle game). Think I'll start playing games 70% and tactics and other the rest of 30%.
lol, that's what they said, 'play some games to relieve the pressure of too much studying' It made some sense. Sounds funny now.
I DO study my lost games and find my mistakes.
It's all good.
I have been asking myself this question for 60+ years and I still do not know the answer.
The only answer I can give you is that you are more likely to persist in your Chess studies if you do what you enjoy.
Read any respectable chess books you can get your hands on. I'm reading 'My System' right now and i've made a lot of progress just by playing through the book and reading Nimzowitsch's thoughts. The man was brilliant. Chess Tactics for the Tournament Player my Lev Alburt is another great book (and I believe this is part of a series though I haven't really gotten a chance to check out the others). Tactics are also important. There's a sweet spot for tactics between the point where you're just clicking because your mind and eyes are tired and complete concentration. It's really important NOT to do too many a day and just click through them, rather to invest the effort and try to get each individual one correct regardless of the points awarded for the problem (which is what I don't like about chess.com's tactic engine, huge point reductions for taking longer to answer tactics problems which to me seems like an incentive to just try to rush through them and tends to curb your learning).
Finally, play through slower games, 15-10 being my favorite time control. I played a lot of 10 minute blitz but my progress stalled after awhile, 15-10 gives me more time and doesn't hit that mental roadblock of 'holy shit an hour' that the 30 minute games do -- at least in my case.
Best of luck. Really, in the end it just comes down to dedication.
So I just read online, the best way to get better/improve, is to just play games. They said it's 80% just playing games and learning from your mistakes as well as playing people better than you and 20% OTHER. I guess the other is doing tactics.
Everywhere else it says, practice your tactics - tactics is 99% of the game.
Which is right? (I'll continue to practice tactics, but should I UP my playing games?)