8 Tips to Increase your Online Rating
Hi chess fans. Lately I have been writing about some particular games, or endgames, or some specific situation on the board (taking advantage of my YouTube channel where I explain those positions or games). But I love to write posts about general content, guiding people to get their goals. That’s why I decided to write this one. Today we are going to talk about how to increase your online rating.
Before we start, if you are reading this, it’s because you care at least a little about your rating. That’s ok, I care too, but let me tell you, don’t give rating more importance than what it deserves. It’s just a number; it goes up and down, like any other number 
. Having said that, let’s see some tips to get a higher rating.
(*** Obviously advanced players can read this, and maybe they can find something useful for them, but actually when I am writing this, I am thinking of beginner and intermediate players.)
- Pay attention to the clock:
Always very important. For blitz, rapid, bullet or any time control you need to keep an eye on the clock. Some people think a lot, they want to analyze everything, and they are under time pressure very soon and then all the analysis they did are in vain, because they make many big mistakes in only some seconds. Other people just play very fast, they play the first thing that comes to their minds, and then their moves are not as strong as they could be. Think about that; maybe you are playing too fast or too slow. Manage well your time and it will be reflected in your rating.
- Play in a good environment to focus in your games:
I have had students who have increased their rating like 500 points in a year. And they have been working hard with chess and receiving online lessons and so… but one of the main things I think they did was to make sure that when playing, they could focus only in chess. It is very important, because in this game we need to think and analyze, and you won’t be able to do that well when you are playing and driving a car at the same time .
- Hire a coach:
There are many teachers out there, ready to help you with your goals. I am one of them, feel free to check my profile and contact me if you think I can help you. Of course, there is no magic; you will always have to work at least a little by yourself, but a coach is definitely super helpful.
- Pay attention to the openings:
When you are a beginner, it will be enough with knowing the Principles for the Opening. As you improve, you will need to perfect some opening as White and as Black (only one, don’t complicate things too much).
- What about endgames?:
I know you don’t like them, but, if you want to get your goals, you need them. I know what you are thinking right now: “That’s not for me; almost all my games finish in the middle game (or earlierJ)”. I know that happens, but trust me; you won’t improve all you can if you don’t learn at least some basic endgames. Some examples of important endgames are King and Pawn versus King, King and Queen versus King and Pawn and Lucena and Philidor.
- Do a lot of tactics:
Puzzle Rush, Puzzle Battle, just Puzzles… Those are some of the options you have to do some tactics in Chess.com. There are some differences, but in general, all of them will help you to get a sharp tactic vision, so, pick your favorite and work hard with it (or work a little with each one).
- Analyze your games:
This is one of my favorite exercises. For every level, and every player, this is always important. You can learn about everything when you study your own games, and you will be fixing things you are doing wrong. This means that when you work with the mistakes you made in your games, you are working with something you didn’t know or didn’t see in the game, so, it turns into an improvement for sure. Just one thing: don’t analyze your bullet games. The mistakes on this time control are not because you don’t know, but because you don’t have time to think.
- Chess improvement takes time, so, persist and don’t give up:
You won’t study a little today and get 100 points tomorrow. That’s not how it works (although I wish it was like that ). It can take some time to see the results of your efforts. But you will see them. You only lose if you stop trying.
“You only lose if you stop trying.”
Besides, for short time controls, it will help you to have a good Internet Connection. This is not directly related to chess, but I think it’s also important to say it.
These are only some ideas. There are more things you can try if you prefer, like doing Chess.com interactive lessons, reading instructive articles and books or watching YouTube videos and live tournaments coverage.
My video for this week
This is the most recent video I uploaded to my channel. In this one I played a blitz and commented what I saw and thought during that game. That is something very new for me; I had never played and commented at the same time, so, let’s see...
I invite you to Subscribe to my channel. I will be uploading instructive videos for beginners and intermediate players at least every Monday.
Any comment or question about my tips or the video, feel free to leave a comment.
HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!!
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