Self-Taught and Scared - Chess Forums

Alpacalypse1919

Feb 3, 2018

0

#1

So, I have been playing chess for about 3 years. I do not have a chess club or tutors near me and I've taught myself how to play. My biggest resourse is youtube where I watch Chessnetwork, John Bartholomew, and SSLCC. I took about a three month break from chess and all at once my rating skyrocketed. It was great! My passion re-ignited for the game and I put a bunch of effort into learning more openings and understanding lines better. To my dismay, my rating has sunk far lower than what it has been for a long while. I feel like the more effort I put in, the worse I am at the game. Does anyone else have this problem? Does anyone have advice or an answer as to why I suck all the sudden?

Chesserroo2

Feb 3, 2018

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#2

How many games contributed to the rating change? How many points change per game? What were the time controls. We're most of the points won or lost against the same person. When you analyse your games, do you see unusual blunders?

Yigor

Feb 3, 2018

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#3

Make an effort, read classical books (e.g. Aron Nimzo: My system), don't eat an American pizza.

Alpacalypse1919

Feb 5, 2018

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#4

Chesserroo2 wrote:

How many games contributed to the rating change? How many points change per game? What were the time controls. We're most of the points won or lost against the same person. When you analyse your games, do you see unusual blunders?

This has been about 30 games with a 10+0 time control. The points lost varies but I have been losing to players much lower than myself. I don't usually play the same person more than once. My analysis concludes that my blunders are all common blunders that most players that are very low rated (900-ish) would see.

EscherehcsE

Feb 5, 2018

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#5

How much has your rating "skyrocketed" and "sunk"? It's common for people's rating to fluctuate plus or minus 100 points.

(Don't worry, your rating can't go below zero. :))

Alpacalypse1919

Feb 5, 2018

0

#6

EscherehcsE wrote:

How much has your rating "skyrocketed" and "sunk"? It's common for people's rating to fluctuate plus or minus 100 points.

(Don't worry, your rating can't go below zero. :))

Thanks for the response! I would tend to agree with you but, if you look at my rating, I have not fluctuated nearly this much before. The most my rating has gone up or down at a time is about 20-25 points. My 10+0 is sitting at 1150! I know it does not sound like that big of a deal, but it seems very odd that my rating has never declined this drastically in the time I have been playing.

kindaspongey

Feb 5, 2018

0

#7

Alpacalypse1919 wrote: "... I put a bunch of effort into learning more openings and understanding lines better. To my dismay, my rating has sunk far lower than what it has been for a long while. ..."
"... Overall, I would advise most players to stick to a fairly limited range of openings, and not to worry about learning too much by heart. ..." - FM Steve Giddins (2008)
"... the average player only needs to know a limited amount about the openings he plays. Providing he understands the main aims of the opening, a few typical plans and a handful of basic variations, that is enough. ..." - FM Steve Giddins (2008)

"... This book is the first volume in a series of manuals designed for players who are building the foundations of their chess knowledge. The reader will receive the necessary basic knowledge in six areas of the game - tactcs, positional play, strategy, the calculation of variations, the opening and the endgame. ... To make the book entertaining and varied, I have mixed up these different areas, ..." - GM Artur Yusupov

"..., you have to make a decision: have tons of fun playing blitz (without learning much), or be serious and play with longer time controls so you can actually think.
One isn't better than another. Having fun playing bullet is great stuff, while 3-0 and 5-0 are also
ways to get your pulse pounding and blood pressure leaping off the charts. But will you become a good player? Most likely not.
Of course, you can do both (long and fast games), ..." - IM Jeremy Silman (June 9, 2016)
https://www.chess.com/article/view/longer-time-controls-are-more-instructive

yureesystem

Feb 5, 2018

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#8

YouTube won't help improve, the best method to learn is from books; Logical Chess Move by Move by Chernev and Susan Polgar's tactical book " Chess Tactics For Champions and Silman's Endgame book, study those three books and your rating dramatically improve. Its up to you.

kindaspongey

Feb 5, 2018

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#9

kindaspongey

Feb 5, 2018

0

#10

One can get some idea of the lasting scope of the respect for My System by looking at:
https://www.chess.com/article/view/the-best-chess-books-ever
Still, it might be noted that My System apparently did not occur to GM Yasser Seirawan as something to include in his list of personal favorites, and Aaron Nimzowitsch was not identified by the GM as a very worthy author.
Also, My System has accumulated some direct negative commentary over the years.
"... I found [the books of Aaron Nimzowitsch to be] very difficult to read or understand. ... [Nimzowitsch: A Reappraisal by Raymond Keene explains his] thinking and influence on the modern game in a far more lucid and accessible way. ... The books that are most highly thought of are not necessarily the most useful. Go with those that you find to be readable; ..." - GM Nigel Davies (2010)
In 2016, IM pfren wrote:
"My System is an iconoclastic book. A lot of things in there is sheer provocation, and it does need an expereienced player to know what exactly must be taken at its face value.
I love 'My System', and I have read it cover to cover one dozen times, but suggesting it to a class player is an entirely different matter."
"[Some things] ARE wrong, and it's not easy for a non-advanced player to discover those wrong claims.
Nigel Short has claimed that 'My System' should be banned. Stratos Grivas says that the book is very bad. I don't share their opinion, but I am pretty sure that there are more useful reads for class players out there."
Although he is a fan of My System, IM John Watson similarly acknowledged (2013) that:
"... Not everything in it has stood the test of time, ..."
http://theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/john-watson-book-review-108-of-eplus-books-part-2-nimzowitsch-classics
One last point to keep in mind is that, even if My System would eventually help a player, it might not necessarily be helpful to a player now.
"... Just because a book contains lots of information that you don’t know, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be extremely helpful in making you better at this point in your chess development. ..." - Dan Heisman (2001)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140626180930/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman06.pdf
A My System sample can be seen at:
https://www.qualitychess.co.uk/ebooks/MySystem-excerpt.pdf

Fromper

Feb 5, 2018

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#11

yureesystem wrote:

YouTube won't help improve, the best method to learn is from books; Logical Chess Move by Move by Chernev and Susan Polgar's tactical book " Chess Tactics For Champions and Silman's Endgame book, study those three books and your rating dramatically improve. Its up to you.

Agreed. Don't study openings at your level. Study lots and lots of tactics. I don't know Polgar's book, but it's probably a good starter book. Heisman's "Back to Basics: Tactics" or Bain's "Chess Tactics for Students" would work, too. Or even "Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess". Or worst case scenario, just use a tactics site on the internet. But the point is you'll need to do THOUSANDS of tactics puzzles to improve.

But the Chernev book recommended above will help with learning opening principles that you need at your level, rather than memorizing specific lines. And Silman's Complete Endgame Course will teach you to finish off your games when you get to the endgame. You really only need to read the first chapter or two of that, so don't let the large size intimidate you.

Also, slow down. Don't play such fast games. As with any skill, you need to learn to do it properly when you're not rushed before you can learn to speed up the process and do it quickly.

NationalPatzer

Feb 5, 2018

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#12

I found that a good break from chess helped me improve greatly. In the meantime, its good to read a chess book (My System, is a great starter book) and try not to worry too much about opening lines, only ideas

universityofpawns

Feb 5, 2018

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#13

Chess overload? If you study too much, and too fast, it doesn't have time to sink in....slow down a little and don't stress it. Just try to learn a few things at a time, but do it well......

kindaspongey

Feb 5, 2018

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#14

Silman’s Complete Endgame Course
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708103149/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review594.pdf
http://www.theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/theres-an-end-to-it-all

Chess Tactics for Students by John A. Bain
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708095447/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review318.pdf

"... For beginning players, [Discovering Chess Openings] will offer an opportunity to start out on the right foot and really get a feel for what is happening on the board. ..." - FM Carsten Hansen (2006)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627114655/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen91.pdf

Michael-Holm

Feb 5, 2018

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#15

yureesystem wrote:

YouTube won't help improve, the best method to learn is from books; Logical Chess Move by Move by Chernev and Susan Polgar's tactical book " Chess Tactics For Champions and Silman's Endgame book, study those three books and your rating dramatically improve. Its up to you.

Youtube can absolutely help you improve as long as you're watching the right stuff. Chessnetwork and John Bartholomew are great channels that have really helped me improve.

Yigor

Feb 6, 2018

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#16

EscherehcsE wrote:

(Don't worry, your rating can't go below zero. :))

Really ?!? Is there a rule like that ?!?

EscherehcsE

Feb 6, 2018

0

#17

Yigor wrote:

EscherehcsE wrote:

(Don't worry, your rating can't go below zero. :))

Really ?!? Is there a rule like that ?!?

No, I lied...but I sensed that that was what he was wanting to hear...