I recently turned 15, and I've been playing chess for a while. My long term goal is to make it to 2000 (blitz). Currently I'm trying to get to 1800. However, I feel like I'm hitting a wall where I can't get above 1750. What should I do? I practice a lot of puzzles and I look into openings but I still lose games that I feel like I should have won easily, especially against players who play weird openings. Any advice helps!
This is my second account by the way, I closed my first one. I was stuck at like 1700 with over 1000 games and I wanted to start over fresh.
Play rapid and classical only, no blitz, no bullet.
Use al the time allowed by the time control.
Activate move confirmation in your profile: think about your move, play it, check it is no blunder, confirm.
Analyse all of your lost games thoroughly so as to learn from your mistakes.
Do not study openings it is high effort for little reward as you found out.
Look at the following example: played too fast, played recklessly, losing a vital pawn, blundering a queen.
Use al the time allowed by the time control.
Activate move confirmation in your profile: think about your move, play it, check it is no blunder, confirm.
Analyse all of your lost games thoroughly so as to learn from your mistakes.
Do not study openings it is high effort for little reward as you found out.
Look at the following example: played too fast, played recklessly, losing a vital pawn, blundering a queen.
First identify your weak points, and then work to improve them. Since you practice openings, and tactics, and have hit a wall - it suggests that your weak point is elsewhere; likely middlegame and/or endgame. Openings are memory, and tactics exist or don't. While important, they aren't the meat of the Chess. I suggest starting with the endgame.
Agree with TPR, any improvement will happen under longer time controls.
@dieterlol I agree with "tpr" comment. Your goal should be 2000 Rapid first and then 2000 Blitz.
You don't want to be good at chess by "Playing" fast! or attempt to win by time.
Not saying you are trying to win by time but generally in Blitz, majority of the games are won by time.
Yes, when you win by time it's also because you made many good moves quickly.
I noticed you never play Classical. Key is to play classical more often than playing Blitz.
By playing Classical, your brain generate more good moves which can be applied when you play Blitz.
You don't want to be good at chess by "Playing" fast! or attempt to win by time.
Not saying you are trying to win by time but generally in Blitz, majority of the games are won by time.
Yes, when you win by time it's also because you made many good moves quickly.
I noticed you never play Classical. Key is to play classical more often than playing Blitz.
By playing Classical, your brain generate more good moves which can be applied when you play Blitz.
All the comments above are TRASH. They all say that crap and do the opposite. Want to improve? Play nothing but ultra bullet and lots if it. Play bullet until your eyeballs bulge out and your wiener can move the pieces by itself. Then you will reach 2000 and not before. Do tactics like a porcupine was dropped down your shirt. Screw all studying and coaches. Oh by the way your welcome for the truth bomb. I will take a horsie click as payment for the knowledge drop.
"Do tactics like a porcupine was dropped down your shirt." LOL
why do you want to "Do tactics like a porcupine was dropped down your shirt."
One way to get better is to reduce the number of blunders. You can do that by doing a blunder check. One basic way, especially in complex positions, is to ask yourself:
[1] are any of my pieces unprotected?
[2] are any of my pieces on the same colour square? Because a knight or a bishop can only mathematically fork two or more pieces that are on the same colour as each other.
After a while you will do the above very quickly. Then you might do more advanced blunder checks for tactics like deflections and skewers. You lose nothing by blunder checking; it saves time. We all blunder; but the aim is to make your blunders go from a 1 in a 100 game blunder to a 1 in a 1000 game blunder etc. That has to improve your rating.
p.s come to think of it, a good blunder check at a more advanced level when there is very little time left is to see a "bail out move" that will at worst avoid blunders and be equal. For instance if you were a pawn up and you give the pawn back for a clear equal position that is better than blundering with 20 seconds left. Here I have to say that my methods like that are hated by Stockfish. I will never have a good accuracy rating because Stockfish hates that kind of idea; but it works.
[1] are any of my pieces unprotected?
[2] are any of my pieces on the same colour square? Because a knight or a bishop can only mathematically fork two or more pieces that are on the same colour as each other.
After a while you will do the above very quickly. Then you might do more advanced blunder checks for tactics like deflections and skewers. You lose nothing by blunder checking; it saves time. We all blunder; but the aim is to make your blunders go from a 1 in a 100 game blunder to a 1 in a 1000 game blunder etc. That has to improve your rating.
p.s come to think of it, a good blunder check at a more advanced level when there is very little time left is to see a "bail out move" that will at worst avoid blunders and be equal. For instance if you were a pawn up and you give the pawn back for a clear equal position that is better than blundering with 20 seconds left. Here I have to say that my methods like that are hated by Stockfish. I will never have a good accuracy rating because Stockfish hates that kind of idea; but it works.
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