Which mode is best for beginners to learn? • page 1/1 • General Chess Discussion • lichess.org

Which mode helps beginners most to learn chess? Also any tips, if possible on how to progress, are welcomed!

at least 10mn, Id say between 10+0 (probably slightly too fast) and 15+10.

don't play any move without justifying it (you will progress less if at the end of the game you can brush off a bad move as "I was playing fast anyways, no big deal". If you convinced yourself that a move was good and it turns out to be bad, you have no choice but to admit and learn something).

ask yourself, after each move of your opponent, what he is trying to do.

before playing a move, have the discipline to re-check if you're not hanging a piece or pawn.

do tactics regularly. spend time on each puzzle and don't start to move until you have calculated every possible defense. if the computer plays a defensive line and it surprises you, it's a fail. I recently (last 2 months) did 15/20mn of puzzles daily and that translated into more than 100 rating in blitz. If that works at my rating it definitely is important at lower ratings.

don't focus too hard on the rating number. play good games, improve, have fun. The rating is designed to chase your current level. If you play like a 1400 you'll get a rating of 1400, and so on. A rating is not an objective, it's just an indication of how well you playd in the last ~10~20 games. Its biggest purpose is to match players against players of similar playing strengh.

at least 10mn, Id say between 10+0 (probably slightly too fast) and 15+10. don't play any move without justifying it (you will progress less if at the end of the game you can brush off a bad move as "I was playing fast anyways, no big deal". If you convinced yourself that a move was good and it turns out to be bad, you have no choice but to admit and learn something). ask yourself, after each move of your opponent, what he is trying to do. before playing a move, have the discipline to re-check if you're not hanging a piece or pawn. do tactics regularly. spend time on each puzzle and don't start to move until you have calculated every possible defense. if the computer plays a defensive line and it surprises you, it's a fail. I recently (last 2 months) did 15/20mn of puzzles daily and that translated into more than 100 rating in blitz. If that works at my rating it definitely is important at lower ratings. don't focus too hard on the rating number. play good games, improve, have fun. The rating is designed to chase your current level. If you play like a 1400 you'll get a rating of 1400, and so on. A rating is not an objective, it's just an indication of how well you playd in the last ~10~20 games. Its biggest purpose is to match players against players of similar playing strengh.

kindaspongey edited

"... Sure, fast games are fine for practicing openings (not the most important part of the game for most players) and possibly developing decent board vision and tactical 'shots', but the kind of thinking it takes to plan, evaluate, play long endgames, and find deep combinations is just not possible in quick chess. ... for serious improvement ... consistently play many slow games to practice good thinking habits. ..." - NM Dan Heisman (2002)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627052239/https://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman16.pdf
"... Review each of your games, identifying opening (and other) mistakes with the goal of not repeatedly making the same mistake. ... It is especially critical not to continually fall into opening traps – or even lines that result in difficult positions ... Read many annotated game collections ... By looking at entire games, the aspiring player learns about openings, middlegames, and endgames all at one fell swoop. Playing through annotated games spurs improvement as the reader learns how good players consistently handle common positions and problems. ..." - NM Dan Heisman (2007)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627062646/https://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman81.pdf
"... You should play the simpler and more adventurous openings, from which you will learn how to use the pieces. Much later on you can go on to the more difficult openings - if you play them now you won't understand what you are doing ... Play the openings beginning [1 e4 e5]. ... if you haven't learnt how to play the open game you won't be able to use positional advantage even if you are able to get it. ..." - C. H. O'D. Alexander and T. J. Beach (1963)
Maybe, you can find something useful at https://lichess.org/forum/general-chess-discussion/i-need-advice?page=2 .

"... Sure, fast games are fine for practicing openings (not the most important part of the game for most players) and possibly developing decent board vision and tactical 'shots', but the kind of thinking it takes to plan, evaluate, play long endgames, and find deep combinations is just not possible in quick chess. ... for serious improvement ... consistently play many slow games to practice good thinking habits. ..." - NM Dan Heisman (2002) https://web.archive.org/web/20140627052239/https://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman16.pdf "... Review each of your games, identifying opening (and other) mistakes with the goal of not repeatedly making the same mistake. ... It is especially critical not to continually fall into opening traps – or even lines that result in difficult positions ... Read many annotated game collections ... By looking at entire games, the aspiring player learns about openings, middlegames, and endgames all at one fell swoop. Playing through annotated games spurs improvement as the reader learns how good players consistently handle common positions and problems. ..." - NM Dan Heisman (2007) https://web.archive.org/web/20140627062646/https://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman81.pdf "... You should play the simpler and more adventurous openings, from which you will learn how to use the pieces. Much later on you can go on to the more difficult openings - if you play them now you won't understand what you are doing ... Play the openings beginning [1 e4 e5]. ... if you haven't learnt how to play the open game you won't be able to use positional advantage even if you are able to get it. ..." - C. H. O'D. Alexander and T. J. Beach (1963) Maybe, you can find something useful at https://lichess.org/forum/general-chess-discussion/i-need-advice?page=2 .