youtube lectures?

there are many videos and lectures on youtube, but how much can watching these actually help? would it be a waste of time spending 20 minutes a day on these? I would like the responses to be assessments and ideas on the subject, I'm not exactly asking for advice I can usually tell if I'm really getting something from a lecture. imo it has to make you think about concepts that you are unfamiliar with. tactically they are usually useless cause it is all played out for you.

A lot of beginners are to turning to these as an ultimate tool. because it's easy, entertaining, and you can feel like you doing something to progress.

Nothing will help you improve unless you actually get in and do the work.  Apply what youre using to learn.  Just watching videos, and not applying any of the lessons isnt going to help much.

Videos

Software

Online 2D baords

Its all passive learning.  Nothing replaces a real board, pieces, and books.

i would recommend john bartholew's chess fundamental videos, and climbing the rating ladder videos

he's plays live games and analyzes/discusses the moves as he goes

.. If, 'instructional' chess- videos, were 'useless' .. Then, why do you suppose they draw in, appreciable, viewer audiences.. if, not in every case !? .. Maybe, it's You, that isn't concentrating, on what's being demonstrated !

I have seen a lot of those, they are entertaining and John is a great guy (go scandi!) but I sometimes even fall asleep to his videos you follow passively. Youtube is NOT A tool for improving unless you don't know how the peices move.

But seriously, I've learned some things from videos and they can be fun. Books are more concentrated information though.

they teach you mental tricks, methods of improving and theory. but it is not gonna stick you have to put in some other form of improving and keeping ideas and patterns in your memory bank. you can gain an understanding of concepts, but you won't master them without putting in the work. I did not say they are useless I simply said it is not a way to improve tactically. if you want real results your going to have to do something more. Did I say I didn't appreciate these and gain something? No I didn't to put it simplest, John Bartholomew gains more out of his standard games and his analysis, it works, he is an international master! why not do the same, play standard games and analyze! I've been playing for two months and by doing that I am winning over 60% of my standard games. I think learned ways to look at my own games from lectures, the concepts explained are awesome too and they are interesting. you got to connect and compare with your methods, If YOU are going to improve, it has to somewhat be about YOU, and your play.

Exactly!

Because they can be entertaining, and it's a low effort way to feel like you've done something?

Videos can be useful, but like said above, whatever it is you use, you should be engaged. Pause the video at interesting points and what do you think the eval is? What would your move be? Then keep watching. That sort of thing.

Slow learners who have difficulty learning from books and internet articles, benefits in watching videos. Learning slow is better than not learning at all.

I'm returning to the game after many decades.  And I just watched about 3-4 videos.  Oh my gosh, I learned a lot.  They were free, three of them were by GM Amanov and one was by Smirnov, I think.  

 

I really enjoyed them.  Plus my son is at chesskid.com and I watch the videos there him at times.   I like FM Mike Klein.  Man, I wish I had these things when I was learning chess.

 

My non-refundable 2 cents, and subject to change in the future.

Just check out the you tube videos of Mike Kummer

 

He can give you a perfect beginner breakdown.

Just try it!

You have nothing to lose!

And you got to watch a bunch of old guys play!  

I've learned a lot from the St. Louis club videos as well and subscribed to most other chess channels. I've probably watched every ChessNetwork and John Bartholomew videos ever made. I agree with GodsPawn though. It's important to review what you learn otb. When I learn a new concept from watching vids I always pull out the board after. 

Just randomly clicked a time in the video

@ 6:15 he asks what move. He says Nc2 to take the rook, but this is a common beginner misunderstanding. First of all winning the exchange is 2 points, while winning the bishop with Nd3 wins 3 points.

But also it's not usually worth it to grab a rook in the early game like that. They're just not as valuable as 5 yet when there are a lot of pieces and pawns cluttering up the board.

Not that it matters, black is winning either way.

What's your channel?
I'll watch and learn.

Considering I haven't been turned into a chess master by videos, tactics trainers, strategy books, opening memorization, ideas behind the openings memorizations, endgame books, etc. etc. there's obviously no magic road to success.

But each of those things makes my game a little better.  if I watch a video of things I mostly know but motivate myself after hearing IM Danny Rensch say encouragingly, "If you smell blood, it's probably there!", then I might not get a lot out of the video but I realize I shouldn't give up and settle for a so-so move when I feel like something more is there - and every little bit helps!

I'll second that.