What should I do to improve my game? - Chess Forums - Page 5

N_and_R · 2018-06-25T10:13:21-07:00

I am a player rated in the mid 1200 range but I am currently plateauing. I think I speak for most players my rating when I say that I do not know what to study next or how to study it. There are so many things to study: openings, tactics, endgames, etc... Should I just play chess as much as I can?

AnhVanT

Jul 1, 2018

0

#81

@IMBacon Thank you! I am reading some articles on this opening as well as checking his games on chessgames.com

@Preggo_Basashi

1.e4 e5 has tons of traps. And, If White is to play Ruy Lopez then I have to study. When I play 1.e4 d5, I can expect the major threats from White and then it becomes a game of tactics. Ruy Lopez... I don't even remember how many lines there are

https://www.365chess.com/eco/C60-C99_Ruy_Lopez_(Spanish_opening)

Preggo_Basashi

Jul 1, 2018

0

#82

Yeah, but at 1800 I switched to 1.e4 e5 and was mixing in some benko gambit when I was black vs 1.d4

I didn't know all the lines, I just decided to start playing it at tournaments, and things worked out just fine.

Openings aren't so important if you're solid in the other areas.

The first time I saw the vienna game OTB I had no prep beyond 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.f4 d5

I played 3...d5 not knowing any games or moves or themes or any hints at all after that. I outplayed my opponent rated 300 points higher than me (1800 vs 2100) and eventually accepted a draw in a superior endgame (like a wimp).

Preggo_Basashi

Jul 1, 2018

0

#83

Will a complete opening repertoire help your results? Of course.

But it's one of the lesser aspects.

AnhVanT

Jul 1, 2018

0

#84

[COMMENT DELETED]

kindaspongey

Jul 2, 2018

0

#85

kindaspongey wrote (~8 hours ago):

AnhVanT wrote:

… First step, I create "play like Grandmaster" training in Lucas Chess with initial move is 4th and play as winner. Then, I play the opening up to move 15th or until I castle and develop all pieces. Then, I start over with another game. On average, 1 move takes 2-3 seconds and 1 game takes no more than 45s so in 30 minutes, I can go through as many as 30-35 games. ...

Sounds like some sort of attempted mass memorization project. I do not remember seeing much in the way of claims of success with that kind of approach. Most of the time, one faces a position with no knowledge of a specific move indicated in a book. One has to accept that as part of chess, and think of opening knowledge as a sometimes helpful aid.

"... there will come a time, whether on move two or move twenty, when your knowledge of theory runs out and you have to decide what to do on your own. ... sometimes you will leave theory first, sometimes your opponent. ... It happens in every well-contested GM game at some point, usually a very significant point. ..." - IM John Cox (2006)

AnhVanT wrote (~1 hour ago): "Ah, btw, I think Andrew Soltis agrees with me on my method of studying chess opening. …"

I think that there are some specific aspects of the Soltis comments that are worthy of note.

kindaspongey

Jul 2, 2018

0

#86

AnhVanT wrote:

... In his book, Studying Chess Made Easy: "... When you start looking over games in a new opening, you should just be trying to get acquainted, trying to get a feel for it. … By clicking through the moves on a screen or looking at bare game scores with a set and a board, you may not realize how good a move is. And you might not appreciate that this move is a nice way to stabilize the pawn structure and stop a potentially dangerous pawn. Don't worry. Those are the finer points that you'll learn if and when you begin to study the opening more deeply. Right now you're just trying to get a rough idea of the basic themes. You want answers to questions such as: How does White win when he wins? Does he attack on the kingside? Or in the center? Does he just accumulate small advantages? How does Black win when he wins? How often does the game seem relatively even until the ending? … How often does the middlegame become very tactical? Does it seem like you have to calculate to find the best move? Or can you rely on a positional feeling instead? And most important, would you feel comfortable playing White? …"

Notice that Soltis did not describe the purpose at this point as an intention to put a mass of moves into your memory. As I read it, he was intending to describe a way to try to quickly get a rough idea of the basic themes of an opening in order to be able to make a better decision about whether or not to go on to study the opening more deeply.

kindaspongey

Jul 2, 2018

0

#87

AnhVanT wrote:

... In his book, Studying Chess Made Easy: "... When you start looking over games in a new opening, you should just be trying to get acquainted, trying to get a feel for it. You might spend only five minutes on each game. …"

Suppose that, instead of a speed where a game might take only five minutes, one instead proceeds at a speed where "1 game takes no more than 45s". In "45s", is one likely to be able to discern answers to the sort of questions listed by Soltis?

kindaspongey

Jul 2, 2018

0

#88

AnhVanT wrote:

... In his book, Studying Chess Made Easy: "... all good opening play is part memory and part understanding. You can argue about which matters more. But what is clear is you use memory first. You begin every game by making moves that you remember are good. Inevitably there comes a point when you reach the end of your book knowledge. That's where your memory stops and the understanding is supposed to take over. …"

As I read that, Soltis was indicating that, in the playing of a game, memory is used first. He was not indicating that memory is the first step in opening study.

kindaspongey

Jul 2, 2018

0

#89

AnhVanT wrote:

... In his book, Studying Chess Made Easy: "... when we begin to consider playing a new opening we need to get our bearings. A good first step is to look briefly at a large number of games that were played in that line. …"

See anything to indicate that Soltis was thinking of a mass of memorization when he referred to getting one's bearings?

AnhVanT

Jul 2, 2018

0

#90

You pointed out very important ideas! And you are right, I was leaning toward mass memorization at first but then, when I read his advises, I twisted my plan a little bit. At first, my intention was to be able to deal with all attempts to deviate from the mainline. But then I realize, openings are about a) move order (to avoid traps...) and piece position. So, if I understand where to develop my bishop or my knight then I don't have to worry much about the variations made by my opponent. Also, before I have mega database consists of all range of ELO, now I narrow down to 2600 minimum to get the best quality.

kindaspongey

Jul 2, 2018

0

#91

AnhVanT wrote:

... before I have mega database consists of all range of ELO, now I narrow down to 2600 minimum to get the best quality.

"... A typical way of choosing an opening repertoire is to copy the openings used by a player one admires. ... However, what is good at world-championship level is not always the best choice at lower levels of play, and it is often a good idea to choose a 'model' who is nearer your own playing strength. ..." - FM Steve Giddins (2008)

"There is no such thing as a 'best opening.' Each player should choose an opening that attracts him. Some players are looking for a gambit as White, others for Black gambits. Many players that are starting out (or have bad memories) want to avoid mainstream systems, others want dynamic openings, and others want calm positional pathways. It’s all about personal taste and personal need.
For example, if you feel you’re poor at tactics you can choose a quiet positional opening (trying to hide from your weakness and just play chess), or seek more dynamic openings that engender lots of tactics and sacrifices (this might lead to more losses but, over time, will improve your tactical skills and make you stronger)." - IM Jeremy Silman (January 28, 2016)
https://www.chess.com/article/view/opening-questions-and-a-dream-mate

AnhVanT

Jul 2, 2018

0

#92

"Bat Chess" is a method that Petrosian used when he was a young master. Soltis also introduced this method in the same book. Basically, we pick a book with tons of diagrams in a game, then, we follow from the first diagram to the next diagram by visualizing the moves without a board. He also recommends two and a half moves calculation training because that will provide the most accurate calculation, as well as the most reasonable candidate moves.

So, I try to combine both ideas into one method using chessbase:

I pick a game in Understanding Chess Move by Move and look for its pgn. The overview function of chessbase provides a nice layout of the game. I adjust so that the between the first diagram and the next one, there are 5 plies. So, I can either read the notation to visualize the next diagram or I can compare between diagrams and figure out the moves!

kindaspongey

Jul 2, 2018

0

#93

"... [Understanding Chess Move by Move, by John Nunn] could interest and benefit anyone up to at least 2000 strength, possibly 2200, and even someone below 1400 could benefit greatly if he has the persistence and motivation to get through those lengthy annotations. ..."

https://web.archive.org/web/20140708092945/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review269.pdf

http://www.gambitbooks.com/pdfs/Understanding_Chess_Move_by_Move.pdf

RussBell

Jul 2, 2018

0

#94

@NPAK15 -

From your profile you play essentially fast time controls....you are unlikely to improve significantly doing this.
Conclusion: By playing fast time controls you have little time to think about what you are, and more importantly should be, doing. Therefore I suggest that you...

1. Play longer time controls - a higher percentage of your games should be daily chess...so you have time to think about what you are doing...
https://www.chess.com/article/view/longer-time-controls-are-more-instructive
https://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/how-blitz-and-bullet-rotted-my-brain-don-t-let-it-rot-yours
2.Maximize The Usefulness of Your Moves...some good tips here...
http://www.mark-weeks.com/aboutcom/aa06b18.htm
3. Study fundamentals - learn what you should be doing.....some suggestions here...
Good Chess Books for Beginners and Beyond...
https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/good-chess-books-for-beginners-and-beyond

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell

N_and_R

Jul 3, 2018

0

#95

I usually play 15|10 games, if that is not long enough I can play longer games.

SeniorPatzer

Jul 3, 2018

0

#96

AnhVanT wrote:

"Bat Chess" is a method that Petrosian used when he was a young master. Soltis also introduced this method in the same book. Basically, we pick a book with tons of diagrams in a game, then, we follow from the first diagram to the next diagram by visualizing the moves without a board. He also recommends two and a half moves calculation training because that will provide the most accurate calculation, as well as the most reasonable candidate moves.

So, I try to combine both ideas into one method using chessbase:

I pick a game in Understanding Chess Move by Move and look for its pgn. The overview function of chessbase provides a nice layout of the game. I adjust so that the between the first diagram and the next one, there are 5 plies. So, I can either read the notation to visualize the next diagram or I can compare between diagrams and figure out the moves!

What is the name of the book that discusses "bat chess"? Never heard that before.

AnhVanT

Jul 3, 2018

0

#97

SeniorPatzer wrote:

AnhVanT wrote:

"Bat Chess" is a method that Petrosian used when he was a young master. Soltis also introduced this method in the same book. Basically, we pick a book with tons of diagrams in a game, then, we follow from the first diagram to the next diagram by visualizing the moves without a board. He also recommends two and a half moves calculation training because that will provide the most accurate calculation, as well as the most reasonable candidate moves.

So, I try to combine both ideas into one method using chessbase:

I pick a game in Understanding Chess Move by Move and look for its pgn. The overview function of chessbase provides a nice layout of the game. I adjust so that the between the first diagram and the next one, there are 5 plies. So, I can either read the notation to visualize the next diagram or I can compare between diagrams and figure out the moves!

What is the name of the book that discusses "bat chess"? Never heard that before.

It was the book Studying Chess Made Simple by Soltis

IMKeto

Jul 3, 2018

0

#98

NPAK15 wrote:

I usually play 15|10 games, if that is not long enough I can play longer games.

At the very least G30, or G45, but as RussBell pointed out, daily chess would be much better.

AnhVanT

Jul 3, 2018

0

#99

IMBacon wrote:

NPAK15 wrote:

I usually play 15|10 games, if that is not long enough I can play longer games.

At the very least G30, or G45, but as RussBell pointed out, daily chess would be much better.

Definitely daily chess for 3 reasons:

1. Opening explorer

2. Calculation training

3. Annotation during play

AnhVanT

Jul 3, 2018

0

#100

Another method I found out from websites is to study short games (miniatures) because most of them are results of blunders or shocking tactics, which definitely boost our chess play. Here is one example from Tal's game.

The lesson in this miniature is: Principles of development seem to be ignored mostly when an opponent oﬀers a pawn sacrifice. When there are no visible, concrete threats and the future seems to be nebulous, the oﬀer is heartily accepted .