Chess tips from LCC.

Methods

The three stages method

I'll just say by me, but please let me know if you know a player who created this method prior to me.

The opening

Understand your opening system.

Start your game with a carefully chosen opening, and aim for a position you understand and feel comfortable playing. More importantly, study the ideas of the opening, rather than just memorizing move sequences like the main line, or a couple of variations. The opening is the key factor that will decide how the game will look like, so you should try to apply all you know to affectively steer the game to a win. The key for the opening stage is to focus on your strengths, and build on what you know. Even if you get a different opening position, you can directly apply what you know, like tactical ideas in your games, effectively making you a stronger player.

If you like, you can experiment with different types of openings to find those that suits your playing style, as even strong and solid openings can be difficult to play effectively if it doesn't fit yours. Although a gambit, I personally find the King's Gambit to be an effective opening, as it's one of the openings I actually studied, and feel comfortable playing.

I would also advise against playing gambits, and although some gambits, like the Evans Gambit (or the best gambit ever invented), are worth playing or even can lead to better positions, you shouldn't play risky ones, or one-move traps, and resign because your opponent didn't fall for it. Play safe, solid, and strong openings with moves that makes sense.

The middle-game

Play puzzles regularly, know your tactics. This will improve your pattern recognition skills. Even though you might miss a lot of tactical ideas in your games, having those will likely cause a difference. As you get to play more games, and get used to the board and pieces, your brain will sort out ideas that won't work, like sacrifices for nothing. In the meantime, tactics will likely help you collect hanging opponent pieces, and also not blunder your own, by seeing the opponent's tactics.

The endgame

Study basic endgame principals. The endgame is the most important stage of the game. Even if you get a winning position, you won't be able to win it if you don't understand the basic endgame principals, like opposition. Endgame-specific puzzles will also help.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you should try to simplify the position by trading as much pieces as possible when you are in a winning position, and PPP, push past pawns. You should be able to win easily if you are even one pawn up.

CCTO (checks-captures-threats-optimization) method

Credits to Pegasus Chess.

When your opponent plays a move, always consider if the move is a check, capture, or a threat, and if it is, respond accordingly.

Similarly, before you play a move, consider the following:

Checks

Look for checks with a purpose.

Checks are the most powerful moves in chess as they allow you to escape seemingly unescapable positions, like mate on the next move. Checks with no legal opponent moves are (if you didn't know), which is a rather satisfying way to end the game. The reason this works is because checks forces the opponent to react, and when played correctly, allows you to gain a tempo. It's also the reason behind why some sacrifices work, and some does not.

However, beginner chess players often like to check their opponents for no obvious reason, allowing their king to get over to better, safer positions. Look for checks, but play only the moves that makes sense. If the move allows the opponent to counter-attack, it might not be the best move.

Captures

Look for winning trades.

Trading a knight with a bishop is a good idea. If the trade makes you lose control on the squares you once had control over, especially the center, that's a bad idea. Trades are usually bad, just perfect the defense, and wait for the opponent to get fed up with the position and break it, but letting you take a better position.

Threats

• Do you have any move that threatens anything, like checks or captures?

Optimization

• If not, play a move that (even slightly) improves the position, that is, optimize the position.

Play slowly, carefully and boringly. Play moves that you are sure that won't worsen the position. Wait until the opponent makes a mistake, and punish it, playing good (not necessarily the best) moves.

Mindsets

• Chess is just a game. Don't get blinded by rage by losing, or get overly attached to the game.
• Offense is the best defense. Keep the tempo and force your opponent to react to your moves. Focus on your plan and try to force them away from achieving theirs!
• Don't just focus on one thing, like what you are trying to, or what your opponent is. You need to consider your king safety and play some defensive moves if you are offensive, or trying to create some attacks when you are in a defensive position.
• Try to also look at the game from the opponent's perspective. I like to use the flip board feature, especially using the f key thanks to Lichess Tools by Siderite!
• Double check moves as you might be making a blunder. You can also look away from board for a while and return, only to discover that you missed a very important thing, like Bobby Fischer said.
• Don't make draw offers, or accept them. Never. Even if it will benefit your rating.
• Try to play a good move, and always assume your opponent to play the best moves.
• Chess is an exhausting game, so take breaks after games to refresh your brain.
• Don't look at your opponent's rating until the game is over! Or better, use Zen mode. You will not get any distractions, and it will help you from looking down on your opponent. It's better for both sides; you get to play more sensibly, and your attitude towards the opponent will be more respectful.

Good practices

• Analyze your games, to make sure you learn from your mistakes. Do not just skim over your blunders, but ask yourself where do you think the game started becoming easy, or hard. Analysis won't help you if all it tells you is that you played good moves, but still lost in the end. You need to use your own brain. Also, note that you don't need to memorize, or play, the top-engine moves. Even if stockfish thinks a move is an inaccuracy, that doesn't matter significantly.
• Play rapid or classical games. Blitz and bullet games make you play mindlessly, and forces you to think little about the positions, or the outcomes of your moves. Although playing bullet or blitz games may help improve your pattern recognition skills, it would be a poor choice that will hinder you from your journey of becoming a professional chess player.
• Play games with increments. It will save you from losing on time. (Or master premoving.)
• Look at grandmaster games and guess what the next moves might be. This will be a tough exercise, but it will be worth it.
• Your rating is like your shadow, it will follow you as progress.