Looking at 4 of your recent rapid games....
First game - King-Safety problems.
Second game -
Codeur_gameur (1821) −1
Marsaulina_Manurung (2187) +2
Great opening choice. Great king-safety, until you played f3 - Ben Finegold would roll over in his grave, but he's still alive. h3 is better.
Game 3:
King-safety. If you don't protect your king with pawns, you'll have to protect it with pieces - even the queen in that case.
Game 4: Excellent! King safety is in order, development is good, everything under control.
I just saw the video:
GM Eugene Perelshteyn: Understanding King Safety | U.S. Chess School 3.7.2022
in Youtube.
I recommended it to someone, but then saw it myself. I enjoyed it, I think it's good.
@Codeur_gameur said in #1:
> I feel like I'm progressing only in solving puzzles, I solve them faster, but I'm not able to figure out what's wrong in my normal play
pretty obvious - puzzles only teach you tactics, in chess there is positional play and strategic play, and also the opening part
also even in rapid there is still highly significant component of time pressure and speed
OTB you are fighting a war ... this war has phases ... etc, etc ...
And besides all that, you have to win on all three sides of the board at the same time ! ~ GM Ben
Finally, your opponent is trying to out think you, so you must out think him first !
When one can psychologically crush one's opponent, then he/she/it/we/they/etc/etc/etc has become a chess player.
Roger That, and Peace Out ...
@ Savage_Water said in #15:
> Cmon man, I was expecting an insult but I know you can do better than that :)
> Like any insult that can wound me and not make me smirk?
(He is smirking, bcuz he is actually 8, but don't tell him I told u this)
Hey everyone!
Thanks a lot again for the tips and help, I'll do that lucas chess stuff (but not too much :)) and I'll rather solve lower rated puzzles or puzzle storm to train, as you said, my pattern recognition.
And i loved that "think your opponent" quote! That will help a lot for sure!
Thanks a lot guys
I was in a similar place (2200+ in book tests, 2700+ in puzzles, barely 1500 over the board and a bit higher online). For me my first issue was that I had terrible opening preparation; You can't take advantage of your tactics if you are already in losing positions.
Once that was out of the way, what I worked on with my coach were the following:
-"Strategy Problems", similar to puzzles except instead if the answers being just a move or sequence, it's about the ideas in a position. I'd say this one is hard to train without a coach, since your answers are more of a back and forth with the coach.
- Identifying key positions. Puzzles are easy in that you know there is an answer, whereas in a game you don't know when it is that you should spend your time. You could try comparing what you think where key moments in a game with the ones lichess identifies, but again, a coach would be better.
- Finally, just a general suggestion. Since I was very good at tactics, my coach suggested just playing more aggressively, both in opening choice, and gameplay strategy. Perhaps even going for unsound sacrifices if it generates chances for many tactics etc.
At the end of the day, everyone is different, and good coaches can identify what's best for you, but hopefully some of this can help you as it did me. I am no master yet, but in a couple of years i've gone up hundreds of rating points in all time controls (Around 2400 in online time controls, and around 2k over the board).
Play longer time controls. Analyse all your games in great detail, both during and after the games.
You're not likely to make much progress by playing speed chess.
@Ifancy_potato I came to this topic because I (also) thought it would talk about the real disease of depression, in some relationship to chess. Instead I found it is only using the word "depression" in its shallow meaning of 'it gets me down.' It would be better not to use misleading titles. Depression is a serious illness and a familiar subject to me, after it has dogged me for 30 plus years. For me the connection is that chess can be a means of reducing depression, or a temporary escape from it.
With all the support these other chess fans have, you can do it codeur_gameur! I'll see at the master level sometime in the future. Cheers mate! ;)
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