I'm a fairly new chess player and have a new found love for the game, but looking at the rating of grandmasters etc. is a little overwhelming when you compare it to my rating, so I'm looking for ways to improve my game.
All I'm wondering is, what practical and useful things did you guys do to improve your chess except for just playing a lot?
Hit it from a lot of angles
-Play slow games
-Watch youtube lectures
-Analyze your games
-Analyze GM games
-Read chess books
-Play plenty of games
agree with #2
no blitz, no bullet: rapid and classical only
use the time on the clock
analyse your lost games
study endgames, especially rook endings
Why rook endings in particular?
Chess is a lifetime pursuit. Most will never be great. It's about the enjoyment of improving incrementally.
Some have natural aptitude and talent, but for most of us, the above applies.
"Why rook endings in particular?"
May be because they are the last pieces you find at the end of the game (with pawns) ?
Rook endgames are like half of all endgames.
1. Try hard in the every game you play.
2. Try as hard as you can, don't play something solely for the sake of making a move, but rather have a good reason to do so(I'm happy with my pieces, I'll sit on the position and let my opponent do something is a valid reason)
3. Compare the way you played and expected the game to take route with the way strong players handled it in classical, this'll give you a better understanding of the position. Make sure you understand the different approaches that were taken and can appreciate them.
4. Do not misplay opening twice in the same manner. If you had been badly outplayed in the opening, don't be lazy and check the database for improvement, make sure you understand why trodden path is
better than the one you took..
Thanks for the responses guys, very useful:)
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