any tips to improve from 900?

Hiiii, not posted here before - this isn't one of those moaning threads about why do I keep losing, I wanna quit etc, I'd just reeeeally appreciate any advice to improve any of you could give! I have risen steadily from about 500 to the 900s (my highest being 954) since beginning, but now I'm in the 900s, I keep losing. Makes sense the standard should be higher but so far I have always improved with it! My experience comes from trial and error, but I am struggling again now, and I wondered if anyone would be willing to look at my games, maybe spot any errors I am making. I can take critique so please be honest, I really do just wanna get better, maybe hit that 1K at some point! I am frustrating myself with my recent losses, I should be better than this, so I thought I'd throw myself out there and see if anyone would be okay to share some advice. Thanks for your time, if you are able to offer any guidance!

I see that you are playing 10 minute games per side. That is probably too fast for improvement. Some people might do it, but many can't. 

It is much better to play less amount of longer games that are of a greater quality than a bunch of short games full of mistakes.

That being said, I've written this just for questions like these, so here you go:

https://www.chess.com/blog/nklristic/the-beginners-tale-first-steps-to-chess-improvement

I hope it will be instructive. Good luck.

You gotta leave school eventually and show what you've learned. Here's one of your wins:

The Scholar's Mate isn't worth going for at your level. If your opponent plays the opening properly (and that gets more consistent as their rating goes up), they'll have an advantage in the middlegame.

I see that you've only taken one lesson here, too. Taking the rest of them may be worth your while, but you'll have to remember to do it since you only get 1 per week as a free member.

Thank you for your replies! Much appreciate you both taking the time

I think I should definitely do more of the lessons, i think one of my weaknesses is that I'm a very attack heavy player and don't always hold back like I should. Thanks for the advice regarding my opening too, I think I'll read up on varying up my openings more

For openings, you should find two or three that you like for both sides, and play those. Too much variation makes you not remember the right moves. Also, try to understand why the openings' moves are what they are so you don't become over-reliant on theory.

At that level, all that matters are opening principles. Just pick an opening line and go from there. Your opponents will not know specific opening lines and any memorization you do will be a bit wasted because you simply will not get those positions you memorize on the board. 

That is why it is imperative to master the opening principles.

To be honest, the first thing I would say is to learn a solid opening. If you aren't willing to dish out over $30 USD to buy a book, GothamChess (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQHX6ViZmPsWiYSFAyS0a3Q) has a ton of great opening videos. At your level, I would suggest the London and Vienna Gambit as white, and maybe the Berlin as Black. These are simple yet formidable weapons that should be in your repertoire. Try these out, then see how much you improve! Also, DO YOUR PUZZLES AND L:ESSONS

 

Leave school? 

I'm only 10, and I do all other stuff with chess, but just look at my rating. 

I was going to take a close look at a couple of your games, but your problem is so obviously an extreme overuse of the queen, that it's really not worth discussing anything else. The queen is seductive to beginners because of its attacking power, but in the opening it has few viable targets and lots of enemy pieces ready to threaten it and gain time (at a minimum).

Yeah, keep that Queen where it starts until you've gotten your other pieces out and castled.

Hi! My name is Lauren Goodkind and I’m a chess coach based and chess book author based in California.  I have  a lot of students that have a similar rating as you.  

I have tips to help you improve your chess skills so you can win more games.  

I recommend playing with a slow time control, such as game in 30 minutes.  You need time to think.  Beginners tend to make a lot of silly moves with very little time.  This makes sense since there’s a lot of pieces on the board.  
 I also offer a  free beginner’s free eBook on my website, www.ChessByLauren.com in case you are interested. The book is about asking questions before each move.  
   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. 

Learn basic tactics such as the fork, discovered attack, pin, and more.  I offer interactive puzzles on my website: https://www.chessbylauren.com/two-choice-puzzles.php

You need to think ahead.  Before each move, ask, "If I move here, where is my opponent going to move?".   
If you are serious about chess, I highly recommend you hiring a chess coach to help you.  
I hope that this helps.  

@mrizzo14 Thank you for pointing this out to me! I definitely go fast and early with the Queen - perhaps that works well at earlier stages, but is hindering me now. Will consider other tactics :)

@little_guinea_pig Gosh, I hate throwing out the Queen - I usually only do this if I'm forced to!

@KMMCSS88 @nklristic @AdithyaU89 Thanks for the tips on openings, this is really helpful and I will look into everything you've recommended. Thanks for taking the time to respond! :)

@laurengoodkindchess Thanks for your response; coaching would be a bit beyond me for sure at this stage, but will defo check the links you've sent!

@little_guinea_pig Not sure how to get the quote box on here (yikes)

...and I sent that too early too! What I meant to say is, yes, I think I have hit a brick wall when it comes to the Queen. In my earlier games, my early queen attacks worked well, but now it has been pointed out, i am seeing that losing the queen early is often whats bringing me down. Thanks for pointing this out :)

Next to your comment number, there's a double quote. Just click that.

Tactics, tactics, tactics, at this level people will make many mistakes! Also make sure you know the middle game ideas with whatever opening you choose.