Rough chess improvement • page 1/4 • General Chess Discussion • lichess.org

I have known how to play chess from the age of 4 and I used to do puzzles and play games with family and friends. Because of this I found it a common occurrence that I was better than the average person and I won my (English) high school chess championship. However when I started playing online I was 1000 rated at the age of 15 and by the time I was 16 I decided to make a change and try to grind. I am now 17 going on 18 and am 1700 Lichess but 1400 on chess.com. I aspire to me a Candidate Master one day but am getting the sense that improvement it a tricky thing for me. I have tried reading some books on positional chess strategy and some fundamental endgame knowledge. Any tips to improve?

RoundMoundOfUnsound

#2

You're not taking shortcuts though you might want to build an opening repertoire you'll never have to change even against Carlsen. Once you have that you can work on your technique and "study" the later parts of the game simply by no longer studying the opening and forcing yourself to win there.

Also stop hanging stuff.

You're not taking shortcuts though you might want to build an opening repertoire you'll never have to change even against Carlsen. Once you have that you can work on your technique and "study" the later parts of the game simply by no longer studying the opening and forcing yourself to win there. Also stop hanging stuff.

ryan121

#3

Your story reminds me of myself. What I did is start reading chessbooks. I recommend Winning Chess Combinations by Seirawan and Simple Chess by Stean.

SeriousChest

#4

I recommend focusing on longer time controls exclusively. I used to play 15+0 and no blitz or bullet for a few years back on FICS 10+ years ago.

Fantasy_Variation

#5

If you want to become a CM then start playing tournaments. Spend time building an opening repertoire, improve your understanding of middle games and know your theoretical endgames.

The amount you are required to know to become a CM is incredibly vast and there is no easy way around these things.

Find books/videos that deal with the various aspects of the game - opening/middle/end. There is WAY TOO MUCH to cover. Would even recommend hiring a coach as they can help you get on the right path.

Playing tournaments will help raise your awareness of weakness in your game. Ensure you analyze your games and think about what it is you did wrong or could have done better and then work on those parts of your game. The more OTB you play, the better.

If you want to become a CM then start playing tournaments. Spend time building an opening repertoire, improve your understanding of middle games and know your theoretical endgames. The amount you are required to know to become a CM is incredibly vast and there is no easy way around these things. Find books/videos that deal with the various aspects of the game - opening/middle/end. There is WAY TOO MUCH to cover. Would even recommend hiring a coach as they can help you get on the right path. Playing tournaments will help raise your awareness of weakness in your game. Ensure you analyze your games and think about what it is you did wrong or could have done better and then work on those parts of your game. The more OTB you play, the better.

NM MrPushwood

#6

@SwiftCuber14 said in #1:

I aspire to me a Candidate Master one day but am getting the sense that improvement it a tricky thing for me.

It's a tricky thing for everyone. ;) One year I gained all of 14 USCF points. The whole business takes quite a long while...

@SwiftCuber14 said in #1: >I aspire to me a Candidate Master one day but am getting the sense that improvement it a tricky thing for me. It's a tricky thing for everyone. ;) One year I gained all of 14 USCF points. The whole business takes quite a long while...

SwiftCuber14 edited

#7

@RoundMoundOfUnsound said in #2:

You're not taking shortcuts though you might want to build an opening repertoire you'll never have to change even against Carlsen. Once you have that you can work on your technique and "study" the later parts of the game simply by no longer studying the opening and forcing yourself to win there.

Also stop hanging stuff.

This is very useful and I have started to pick an opening and build up confidence within it. I'll try to stop hanging stuff, have you seen that in my games or is that just general advice.

@RoundMoundOfUnsound said in #2: > You're not taking shortcuts though you might want to build an opening repertoire you'll never have to change even against Carlsen. Once you have that you can work on your technique and "study" the later parts of the game simply by no longer studying the opening and forcing yourself to win there. > > Also stop hanging stuff. This is very useful and I have started to pick an opening and build up confidence within it. I'll try to stop hanging stuff, have you seen that in my games or is that just general advice.

SwiftCuber14

#8

@ryan121 said in #3:

Your story reminds me of myself. What I did is start reading chessbooks. I recommend Winning Chess Combinations by Seirawan and Simple Chess by Stean.

Ahh ok. I have currently been going through Winning chess strategies. What is covered in Winning chess combinations? One thing I did notice that kind of annoyed me was there is a misprint in one of the chess positions shown on the book and I had to go to the actual game to find that one pawn was in a different position this could have been a misprint in my book or maybe it is on all books, did you notice any mistakes in Winning chess combinations?

@ryan121 said in #3: > Your story reminds me of myself. What I did is start reading chessbooks. I recommend Winning Chess Combinations by Seirawan and Simple Chess by Stean. Ahh ok. I have currently been going through Winning chess strategies. What is covered in Winning chess combinations? One thing I did notice that kind of annoyed me was there is a misprint in one of the chess positions shown on the book and I had to go to the actual game to find that one pawn was in a different position this could have been a misprint in my book or maybe it is on all books, did you notice any mistakes in Winning chess combinations?

SwiftCuber14

#9

@Fantasy_Variation said in #5:

If you want to become a CM then start playing tournaments. Spend time building an opening repertoire, improve your understanding of middle games and know your theoretical endgames.

The amount you are required to know to become a CM is incredibly vast and there is no easy way around these things.

Find books/videos that deal with the various aspects of the game - opening/middle/end. There is WAY TOO MUCH to cover. Would even recommend hiring a coach as they can help you get on the right path.

Playing tournaments will help raise your awareness of weakness in your game. Ensure you analyze your games and think about what it is you did wrong or could have done better and then work on those parts of your game. The more OTB you play, the better.

This is very helpful. At the moment I personally don't think I am at the right skill level to participate in tournaments and have been putting off until I reach at least 2200 on Lichess classical even though it will be far harder in tournaments. I am also not very good at analysing my games because I usually see a mistake pr blunder I have made and I wonder why I made a silly move and the rest of the game is me struggling in a lost position.

@Fantasy_Variation said in #5: > If you want to become a CM then start playing tournaments. Spend time building an opening repertoire, improve your understanding of middle games and know your theoretical endgames. > > The amount you are required to know to become a CM is incredibly vast and there is no easy way around these things. > > Find books/videos that deal with the various aspects of the game - opening/middle/end. There is WAY TOO MUCH to cover. Would even recommend hiring a coach as they can help you get on the right path. > > Playing tournaments will help raise your awareness of weakness in your game. Ensure you analyze your games and think about what it is you did wrong or could have done better and then work on those parts of your game. The more OTB you play, the better. This is very helpful. At the moment I personally don't think I am at the right skill level to participate in tournaments and have been putting off until I reach at least 2200 on Lichess classical even though it will be far harder in tournaments. I am also not very good at analysing my games because I usually see a mistake pr blunder I have made and I wonder why I made a silly move and the rest of the game is me struggling in a lost position.

SwiftCuber14

#10

@MrPushwood said in #6:

It's a tricky thing for everyone. ;) One year I gained all of 14 USCF points. The whole business takes quite a long while...

That sounds annoying. I plan on reaching a high level and then playing tournaments once my K factor is high so that I don't get a low rating and have to climb a lot every time I get better. Do you think this is a good strategy?

@MrPushwood said in #6: > It's a tricky thing for everyone. ;) One year I gained all of 14 USCF points. The whole business takes quite a long while... That sounds annoying. I plan on reaching a high level and then playing tournaments once my K factor is high so that I don't get a low rating and have to climb a lot every time I get better. Do you think this is a good strategy?