How to break free from the ELO of 100-200

Help! I can't seem to break this ELO and it feels embarrassing. I just feel like even against people of my own rating that the only time I win is due to luck. What would be a good way to learn to break through from this repetitive cycle of losing? Thank you

Hi, All i can say is that do not stop grinding and reviewing your own matches. Step by step, look at it carefully and review it. LEARN FROM YOUR OWN MISTAKES

After your opponent moves check for two things: 1) Is he threatening anything? does he have any checks or captures that you need to defend against? 2) Did he leave something undefended? Do you have any checks or captures that will win material or mate him.

Before you make your move: Try to make the move in your mind and see if it is safe. Does you move leave pieces unprotected? Are you moving to a safe square.

Do this on every move and your rating will go up fast!

I can teach you EXACTLY how to think during the game (opening, middlegame and endgame). Your chess understanding will never be the same and you will improve a lot. I charge $10/h, but if you can’t afford too many lessons, don’t worry. I can teach you a lot in an hour. Here to help if you are interested.

At that rating?

0. Know how everything moves in every situation. En passant, castling (not into, out of, or through check), etc. If there is any ambiguity how the pieces move that can be exploited by your opponent.

1. Learn how to defeat the scholar's mate and trap.

2. Don't hang pieces in one move. I can't really tell you how to not do this. Just don't do it.

3. Try not to hang forks or pins in one move.

4. Don't do one-mover style attacks and hope they don't see it. Always think about where the pieces you're attacking will go. Try to use a tactic like a pin or a fork or a revealed double attack to capture their pieces.

5. Know common mating patterns. Particularly ladder, Q+K and R+K.

6. Know common drawing patterns. I.E. queen stalemate at knight opposition, etc. This can turn your draws into wins by avoiding them, and your losses into draws.

7. Pay attention to basic concepts of opening principles. Control the center 2x2 squares with pawns. Support and attack the center with pieces, especially your knights. Be careful with your queen and don't bring her out early for no reason. Castle (kingside usually) as soon as possible. Carefully consider whether taking non-central pawns with your center pawns is a dangerous gambit your opponent is using to make you give away the center for one pawn. Don't put pieces on useless squares. If you ever find yourself wanting to play Na3, Nh3, Na6, Nh6, or something like that, there better be a good reason you need to move that knight there like defending against an incoming fork. If you don't like your options for moving a piece, it's usually a sign you shouldn't be moving it.

8. Most importantly: learn to think for your opponent. You should have a good idea what kind of moves you would play in their position.

9. DON'T try to learn some super complicated theoretical stuff like every line of the Ruy Lopez or how to force N+B checkmate patterns. Yes, the Ruy Lopez is "the best opening" for Stockfish. No, that doesn't mean you can memorize every line of that opening or even begin to comprehend what objective you're trying to achieve with each move. And if you did, well, what if 1. e4 d5 is played? What if 1. e4 c5? What if 1. e4 e6? What if 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6? You can't play the Spanish against that. Play openings where you understand what you're trying to achieve. Learn endgames you can honestly say that you can apply. Don't go overboard by trying to learn how to play like AlphaZero when you're still blundering pieces everywhere.

You just need to get better at chess. However, you are unlikely to get better at chess without a solid grounding in fundamental chess principles and guidelines, nor by playing exclusively speed chess (rapid, blitz, bullet). As for the latter, you would increase your chances of getting better at chess if you were to....

Play Longer Time Controls...For many at the beginner-novice level, speed chess tends to be primarily an exercise in moving pieces around faster than your opponent while avoiding checkmate, in hopes that his/her clock runs out sooner than yours. And/or hoping to notice and exploit your opponent’s blunders while hoping they don't notice yours. The reason for this is that in speed chess there is little time to think about what you should be doing.

It makes sense that taking more time to think about what you should be doing would promote improvement in your chess skills and results. One way to improve your chess is to play mostly longer time controls, including "daily" chess, so you have time to think about what you should be doing.

This is not to suggest that you should necessarily play exclusively slow or daily time controls, but they should be a significant percentage of your games, at least as much, if not more so than speed games which, while they may be fun, do almost nothing to promote an understanding of how to play the game well.

Here's what IM Jeremy Silman, well-known chess book author, has to say on the topic...
https://www.chess.com/article/view/longer-time-controls-are-more-instructive

And Dan Heisman, well-known chess teacher and chess book author…
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627052239/http:/www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman16.pdfhttps://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/dan-heisman-resources

and the experience of a FIDE Master...
https://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/how-blitz-and-bullet-rotted-my-brain-don-t-let-it-rot-yours

As for learning what you should be doing...

Improving Your Chess - Resources for Beginners and Beyond.....

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/improving-your-chess-resources-for-beginners-and-beyond

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell