Playing as Black.

I have realized a trend in my games... As white I am at about tied between wins and losses but what kills me is when I play as black. I don't know how I think differently but something is not working and I need some help any suggestions? Thanks!

That's really not enough information for anyone to be able to give you any useful recommendations. What openings are you playing as black? What are the results? Are you always defending attacks? Ending up in quiet positions where you don't know what to do? Ending up in cramped positions? What exactly is the problem?

Maybe post some of your games to the analysis section and ask for recommendations for improving your play. Be sure to include your own analysis first, though. Knowing what you were thinking is just as important than knowing what moves you made, when it comes to helping you improve your play.

--Fromper

its true we must know why you are losing. how to fix a problem we dont know what is

Post some games you lost and explain in the comments what was your problem, so that we can  give some useful advice

Some general possibilities:

Black may be OK [old book reference] but he does start at a [small] disadvantage.  Black can only gain an advantage if White makes a mistake.  Your goal as black is to equalize, then strike, not strike and hope it equalizes.    Many players get impatient with Black.  Check higher level match-ups.  When black wins it usually takes more moves.

Second: Where are you losing?  Opening, Middlegame, Ending?  If the opening, check you repertoire.  Is it too aggressive, passive, advanced, etc.  If you are losing in the middle you might need to check out books like "How to Defend in Chess" and "The Art of Defense".  Learn to neutralize white initiative, greater space or whatever it is he is getting out of the opening.

http://www.chess.com/echess/game.html?id=30168692#

http://www.chess.com/echess/game.html?id=30145192

http://www.chess.com/echess/game.html?id=30145886

http://www.chess.com/echess/game.html?id=29542716

http://www.chess.com/echess/game.html?id=29480788

http://www.chess.com/echess/game.html?id=23222891

If you need anymore I could give them...

Though I'm certainly not qualified to dispense advice like a trainer or master level player, maybe I can help a little? If I get too presumptuous or arrogant, just sort of hit me over the head. But not the chess playing parts!

1st Game: It seemed like you didn't keep a good eye on your pieces. 41...Ree2, for example, would have been better as 41... Bb6, where you retain your pressure on his f2 pawn, but don't hang the Bishop. 43...Rf3 was a little careless as well. Keep an eye on where the opponent can threaten pieces, or if they are. A little check on the state of things on the board doesn't hurt.

2nd Game: Same rules as the game before apply, with a twist. Again, keep an eye on where the opponent can take and where they can't, and what tricks they could play on you. After Nxf7 the game is pretty much lost, but complicating a game where you are down material is standard procedure. Exchanging material off when they have more just helps them. Tactics training really helps here.

3rd Game: Though you come out of the early part fine, moving pawns too many times instead of actively getting your pieces into play and tucking your King away in the corner with a castle seems to be a problem. After that, it was clean-up. Again, working on your board vision should help.

4rd Game: Developing early is important! After winning that extra pawn, just building up pieces would really help. Nf3, Nc3, Be2, 0-0, and all that good stuff. Remember that pieces have a hard time fighting from the starting square. Again, keeping an eye on all of your pieces will help; if I am reading this correctly it's a correspondence game, something you have plenty of time to review on. The more you work in keeping a watchful eye, the better your "board vision" becomes, until spotting things like this will be a cinch!

5th Game: Though this game is drawn, a continuation of the last games problems seems to present itself. Now you're developing... but your pieces aren't finding good squares! Pieces work best where they have the most scope, like how you don't want Knights on the rim as they control less squares. You want a dynamic position, and having your Bishops and Queen hemmed in by the pawns doesn't help. Again, keep an eye on the pieces! Had he (or she, for that matter) not won the exchange, the going would have been much easier. A little peek on basic endgame technique may help as well, though you seemed to carry yourself well enough here.

6th Game: Beware of moving the Queen too early! Here you move it as early as turn two, where it can be subject to attack (thus losing time for development!). 6...Na5 follows the last game, where pieces posted don't have the best range. Also, in many games you don't castle. Doing this puts your King in safety, and brings the Rook into play from the side. Safety and defense first, is what my mentor used to say about Black.

I apologize for the verbosity, repetitiveness, and possible condescension of my reply. Again, a disclaimer: I'm not that great. I'm not even that good, and, in fact, I'm pretty average. My advice isn't gospel, but I hope it can help you in some way!

-Cutebold

What do you mean my board vision? Like board coverage? Thanks for the advice.

Board vision is something like taking in all the information at one glance and noting:

What pieces you can take.

What pieces they can take.

Pins.

Potential for tactics (skewers, pins, forks, combinations).

How well your pieces are placed.

Things like this. One sweep of your gaze may not be enough, and this is fine! But what's important is that your ability to see all the potential and existing information on the board is developed. From there your chess sense, intuition, and play should improve so long as you know what to do with that information.

So in review. Black is defending. Don't trade if your down. Watch for board vision and coverage. Don't make stupid blunders. And Practice? Does that about cover it everyone?

If you prefer attacking, and most do, pick openings suited to your taste.  Look for counterattacking, unbalanced openings as black.  Sicilian and Benoni come to mind, just remember it is counter attack.

Yeah. Black is defending, and has to pick the right time to get aggressive. If white starts faltering in the opening, though, then feel free to take a more aggressive pose, or just aim for an unbalanced, counterattacking position like CarlMI suggests; the Sicilian is great for these, though don't get bogged down on theory. Endgame and tactics training can carry you very far.

It's a pretty good policy to not trade when you're down, as keep reducing and it'll become easier to see their advantage. How is a King, Knight, and Two Pawns against a King, Knight, and a Pawn? Now how about a King and a Pawn against just a King? The more pieces that go off the board when you are down, the worse off you tend to be.

Everything is practice, practice! I should actually go practice now.

If you do a lot better with White than black, then it's the opening you need to look at. make sure you're playing a line you know how to play and understand the weaknesses and strengths of that opening.

Something has to account for the imbalance. I wouldn't delve incredibly deep into the theory, just a few moves into a position you like playing.

Ok well on e4 I tend to do Sicilian on d4 I play Nf6 (whatever that opening is)...

I am kindof interested in the theory could I possibly get a little to read on that? It sounds interesting and it might get me to think a little better than I have been...

Well I took a look at your turn-based games and from the six recent games you've played as black you've won four, and the 2 you did lose were against substansially stronger players than yourself.

The name of one game was called learning... Luckygunn22 told me my mistakes from one of them and it should have been my win but I blundered too much...

I am very eager to get pieces off the board if I see no immediate value in them...