any tips for studying/how to study

Hi I’ve been play for close to a year now and I’ve just can’t get any better or past 600 elo sometimes I’ll play well and start to climb but then one game later I’ll lose say 15 on the spin and drop to close to under 500. I watch a lot of videos and have a few books but none of it seems to stay in the head and it now seems like people know what I’m going to play and I get stuck in traps. I know people are going to say stop making blunders and analyze your last games but I just can’t climb the ladder it’s very discouraging it makes me won’t to stop. I’m not saying I won’t to be 1200 next month but at least push past the 600 mark after close to a year playing. I don’t know I hope someone can help or point in the right direction.

Welcome to the game of chess! I offer resources for beginners to get better in chess. 

 

1. Here are some other general tips to help you: Before each move, I highly encourage you ask questions before every move such as, “If I move here, is it safe?”, “Can I safely capture a piece?”, and more. Also consider all checks and captures on your side and also your opponent’s side. Be VERY CONSISTENT with this. Your job is to NEVER make any silly mistakes in any game! If you continue to make silly mistakes, you will have a very hard time getting your rating up.

 

2) I offer a Twitch channel for beginners so they can get better in chess. Send me a game and I’ll analyze your games for free on my Twitch livestream. I livestream every Monday at 9:30pm PST, Wednesday at 9:30pm PST and Friday at 2pm PST. 

https://www.twitch.tv/laurengoodkindchess

 

 

3)

I also offer a free beginner’s free eBook on my website, in case you are interested. 

 

3) Beginners needs to learn basic tactics such as the fork, discovered attack, pin, and more. I offer interactive puzzles on my website:  

 

4)

If you are serious about chess, I highly recommend you hiring a chess coach to help you.  

 

 

 

I hope that this helps!  

@1

"I’ve just can’t get any better or past 600 elo"
++ Then you need blunder checking, not study.
Always check your intended move is no blunder before you play it.
Consider 3 candidate moves. Calculate. Evaluate. Decide.
Do not play your intended move, but imagine it played on the board.
Now check it does not hang any piece or pawn and does not run into checkmate.
Only then play it.

The biggest reason people struggle in lower-level chess is because of blunders. They make them in almost every game.

A mistake can instantly put you in a bad position, no matter how well you played earlier: if you had great opening knowledge, great positional skills, great endgame skills, whatever; a single mistake can change everything (you lose a piece or get checkmated).

So, how do you avoid blunders? Follow this simple algorithm:

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While avoiding blunders is crucial, I also share a few basic principles with my students. These principles help them figure out what to do in each part of the game - the opening, the middlegame, and the endgame. Understanding these simple principles is like having a map for your moves. I provide my students with more advanced algorithms that incorporate these fundamental principles. When you use this knowledge along with being careful about blunders, you're not just getting better at defending. You're also learning a well-rounded approach to chess. Keep in mind, chess is not just about not making mistakes; it's about making smart and planned moves to outsmart your opponent.