1600 rating Plateau for 18 months.

This is a repost. 

I'm finding it hard to break past 1600. I used to play 30 minute games but lately i have just played 10 minute games as i'm pretty sick of throwing it in time trouble or having to play against another bowdler attack. Very few know theory my level and it kills the fun somewhat. Very often i noticed it's time trouble that gets me. My oponents just find the move right away and i use forever. It's just too typical that they have 23 minutes left and i have like 8 minutes left on the clock.

Other times it's just that my mind feel cloudy and i struggle to see certain responses by my oponent. Ecspecially in shorter games like blitz and 10 minutes. Can't find the tactic that i know is there but i just dont have enough time. 

What i've done to improve are to complete common chess patterns (500+) puzzles and i also drilled them over and over. Also completed a positional puzzle themed book called world champion chess strategy for club players by Thomas willemze. I went through the book how to reassess your chess once more and dabbled with a few other books and courses that honestly haven't given me much new learning.

I also went back to the basics and worked my way through Andras Toths Foundation videos on chessable. The centre, King safety, etc.. This i feel has helped but rating wise it's barely showing. Had a few sessions with a GM coach as well but it didn't do much for me.

I will admit i'm pretty frustrated as i expect more of myself. I really did put alot of work in. Anyone here been stuck for this long and suddenly just gotten up to 1800+ ?

Your gonna need a coach bro, coaching has gotten me good results, I've been steadily improving. I expect to hit 2000 around january. Without coaching I doubt I'd improve currently doing the woodpecker method and I am finding I am steadily climbing out of the low 1600's new peak 1742 bullet I expect to get this to 2200.

I mean a coach costs 80 dollars an hour right? It's a bit too much for me.

I pay like 25$ you can get a good titled player for like 15$ an hour if you look hard enough do not get american grandmasters their way too expensive. You really only need a CM to NM level strength. I have an FM coach me and the improvements I am having are drastic.

I'll take a look if i can find someone at around that price

Just played 3 games where 2 of them i had a better position all game only to throw it away. The 3rd one i just fell for an obvious opening tactic. It's so frustrating considering i'm always better, only to throw it away. I should see these mistakes but somehow i just throw it. 1 hour of play feels wasted. I mean, there is a lesson. Blunder check always. And be aware of pins on my own king. Look at where my oponents pieces are looking. Just frustrating.

I mean your blitz isn't even 1200 you need to get faster.

No idea how. My mind works slow.

I'm 29. But yea. Perhaps i cant get that much better. I wont give up yet tho. I started playing chess at 25 years old which is a bit late so my potensial is prob not that great. I guess we'll see where this Journey takes me.

Three suggestions:

1. Stop playing blitz and rapid. Stick with slower time controls. You are not yet strong enough to see your opponent’s threats in a speed game.

2. Find an OTB club where you can play stronger players, listen to them analyze their games, and find someone to go over your games.

3. play over the games of masters. Some good instruction books explain their reasoning and planning. Even if you don’t find commentary that you understand, playing over 20 of Carlsen’s Nimzo-Indians is far more instructive than the same amount of time playing speed chess against other players at your level.

try and pay attention to your opponents move after your moves, meaning try and find your opponents response to your planned moves starting with checks, captures, threats and then active moves. Try not to overcomplicate or overthink the position. If it is a simple non tactical position then just look 3-4 moves ahead. If it is a chaotic position, You are going to have to calculate, but so will your opponent. Try and play with increment as well.

Make sure you're implementing what you learn in real games, not just studying passively.

Im part of a chess club but its small as im from a small town far up in nomansland in Norway. We usually play rapid and blitz at the club but sometimes we play classical. Also i have traveled at times to other cities to play in a few classical tournaments but with average results. Sometimes i feel i learned alot from these games and other times i just feel like my mind was to cloudy to play as i just blunder all over. I do not know if are even Worth studying cause i just made obvious blunders. Lesson would be.. dont hang pieces which i allready know, but when im tired i get brainfog.

Lately its been puzzles on lichess every other day. I'm thinking of studying master games. Are there any books that you guys recomended? I'm thinking of john nunns book. Chess, move by move.

I do remember deeply studying a game from 1922. Reti vs wolff which left a deep impression on me but i never really did study master games deeply. Sure i've seen agadmators recaps but its not the same as looking the game and trying to find out the next move by myself. This is also why i liked Thomas willemze book so much. However that one dont show the entire game, just positions from certain stages of the middle game.

I would do 3 main things to improve at your level.

1. play a lot of games (and analyze them)

2. solve a lot of puzzles

3. Read "road to positional advantage" by herman grooten

if you just consistently do these 3 things you will definitely start to improve.

I think that the Nunn book is aimed at stronger players.

There are hundreds of good games collections. Lower-rated players should probably look for books that do not provide deep analysis but rather explain the player’s thinking.

One example of this is Fine’s Lessons from my Games. The two Piatigorsky Cup books are also very nice—each player annotates some of their own games.

i also recommend old Tournament books. The openings will be dated. However, the explanations of the openings are aimed at audiences that do not have sophisticated understanding. That makes them accessible to lower-rated players. I think that I learned how to play the Ruy Lopez more from playing over Emanuel Lasker’s games than Bobby Fischer’s.

1. You need to work on your puzzles. As many as reasonably possible per day, every day. I saw someone mention the woodpecker method here, this is a good variation of it.

2. 1 or 2 rapid games per day, not 15. Also, avoid faster time controls until you've reached the point you want to hit.

3. You're not going to be able to do everything right all the time, just focus on approaching perfection, not reaching it.

Reached 1800 today! Wohoo!

congratss

Grats dude! Keep it up!