improving: what is the next step?

@segomo said in #10:

how about this logic: you analyze your games and then you will focus on part of the game where the stockfish starts giving you bad evaluation. So if your openings are +/- 0.5 for example, that means, you have no problems with them, so there is no point in studying them. If its +/- 0-0 till endgame and you loose, you know, you must study endgames. If you are losing before endgame, you should study positional play and tactics i guess?

I understand, but i see one problem with this approach. It relies heavily on online playing, which is for practical reasons mainly blitz, where 98% of games are decided by mistakes i don't make otb. So what good would come from such analysis

Yes, i realise I can analyze otb games with stockfish, but that's only one game a week at the club. That would mean I would have to play for 2 or 3 years before this approach would give any result.

hmm... i guess you are right... approach i advised is not very useful in your case, indeed

@JodyUmmels imho playing people online with long time controls it is same as in otb (i know, online there are a lot of cheaters, but there are many who play fair). And the level it is the same as in otb. 1300 - 1500 would be roughly around the >= 2000 lichess. In this range there is „no mistakes“ anymore, and they play a solid game like in otb. They know roughly the openings, a lot of tactics, and endgames.

You can play correspondence as well, so you and your opponent has time to develop a plan and so on.

I see mainly „only“ one difference, that the board online is 2d and otb is 3d. And in otb, there is no cheating...

Here i would take my time and analyse some masters games, as there are not many games from your side, try to understand what is the plan, and so on.

And having fun. All the best

@JodyUmmels said in #1:

So my question is this.
When you are at that level where you and your opponents are no longer hanging pieces, and both defend pieces adequatly and both of you spot (the danger of) arising tactics....

If you are not hanging pieces and you are able to spot dangerous tactics your rating should be 2200 minimum.

No tactical mistake. ;)

Analyse your game you will see there is plenty to improve.

Tactic / Endgame / opening

You said to someone it will take years to improve. Yep there is no shortcut. ;)

But years after years you will earn 100 or 200 points.

100 points of elo means you have 64 % chance to win against someone 100 points below you. Try to learn and win at 100 % against people of your strength and you will be 2000 +

It require a mastery of the game. Tell me a short way to master something in life without working and tspending time.

I would mainly focus on strategy indeed but tactics is always a fondamental. Step by step building your repertoire is important but don't spend too much time on it. Endgame is always a must because your repertoire can change but not your endgame skills

Begin with Stean's "Simple Chess".
Then go to Silman's "The amateurs mind"
Another one would be Euwe's "Amateur vs Master".
Or vice versa :-)
Stay away from Nimzowitsch for some time.

@JodyUmmels said in #1:

Contrary to popular believe here on these forums: most clubplayers at the 1300-1400 elo level play pretty decent chess otb. (please note: i am talking true otb elo, not lichess ratings). Defeating them is not just gobbling up hanging pieces and is not just executing combinations that are just waiting to be found.

Since I discovered chess one year ago and joined the local chessclub this summer, I have now played 13 classical otb games against opponents in the 1300-1500 elo range. All of those games i analysed off course using Lichess studie analysis. Only 2 contained clearly missed tactical opportunities. Still, I lost 7 of those games. And i lost moet of them without missing any tactics and without hanging my own pieces or falling for traps.

So my question is this.
When you are at that level where you and your opponents are no longer hanging pieces, and both defend pieces adequatly and both of you spot (the danger of) arising tactics....

THEN what is the next step of improving? Are there ways to push your opponent towards tactical mistakes (maybe sharpen up te position or something? - Let's use metaphor of tennis: by hitting harder and sharper, chances of your opponent making 'unforced errors' increase drastically. )

Or should i be looking in another direction? Pawn structures, endgames? How does your average 1600 elo player normally defeat the average 1400 player?

Advice of experienced otb players would be appreciated!

(As you might have noticed, English is not my native language and i am an autodidact in chess. Apologies if i am not aware of any obvious chess-idiom)

I have just noticed improving is a matter of knowing your knowledge gaps. Especially for the self-taught cbessplayers. A coach is a good remedy to idenfying your knowledge gaps.

What I did was to start a complete structured course from basics. I use chesscom lesson plan. Go through the course from start to finish. You will discover some basics that you haven't grasped well. Also you will notice things that require much of your time. Then zoom in to those. My 2 cents

@JodyUmmels said in #1:

Since I discovered chess one year ago and joined the local chessclub this summer, I have now played 13 classical otb games against opponents in the 1300-1500 elo range. All of those games i analysed off course using Lichess studie analysis. Only 2 contained clearly missed tactical opportunities. Still, I lost 7 of those games. And i lost moet of them without missing any tactics and without hanging my own pieces or falling for traps.

The big question then, for yourself, is why and how did you lose those games ?
The next step to improve is probably based on your weaknesses and your knowledge gaps and your interests.
It could be a good idea to go through your games with stronger players, or hire a coach.
There are also books which can be used instead of a coach. The book series by GM Yusupov (Boost your chess, Build up your chess) are meant for people who cannot hire a coach.
You can also go through the Steps method, either with the books or the software to check whether you have any clear knowledge gaps or weaknesses.
If your games were lost by endgame mistakes, then I suggest the GM de la Villa "100 endgames your must know", the first book and the practice book.
By the way, I saw an on-line chess book store (run by a former fellow chess club member of mine) having two of the three Euwe books in the Amateur vs. Master series, second hand. Very nice books. I read them from the library when I was a teenager.
PM me and I'll give you the web link for it as it might look like advertisement here.