Play speed chess.
Memorize openings.
Keep track of how many brilliant moves you make.
How Do I Learn Chess Properly?
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Hello durkka!
At your level you should try to apply the basics of chess:
- fight for the center, castle and develop your pieces. Try to find an opening that applies all these principles. I really liked the london system when I was starting to play chess. Watch a video on that opening. And then you should try to find an easy opening with black too. I like the french defense. Good luck!
Dec 17, 2021
0
#7
LeoBusta,
I love the London system. I also love the queens gambit.... should have spent the last 7 months learning e4 not d4... but like again I didnt know. Thank you for the advice.
Dec 17, 2021
0
#8
Keep practicing those puzzles. Getting better at tactics is the most important thing up to at least 1500, probably 1800.
Below 1000 level, learning openings is optional and there is not much that you need to know about endgames either. Finding those hanging pieces, forks, pins, skewers and double attacks, and avoiding blunders that allow your opponent to do those things, is enough to win material and most of your games.
There are lots of lessons on chess.com for premium members. There are lots of videos available for free on YouTube, and there are thousands of decent chess books.
Good luck in your games.
By not asking in the forums and learning yourself how you best learn.
Technics
There are five established learning styles: Visual, auditory, written, kinesthetic and multimodal. Kinesthetic learners have to do something to get it, while multimodal learners shift between different techniques.
Begin with not falling for the puzzle hype, tactics is everything nonsense. These people are just repeating what they’ve heard and have no actual hands on experience instructing beginning players.
Practice puzzles and become a good puzzle solver- which does not directly translate to learning beginning principles, improving from beginning to the end of a chess game. Tactics are but one motif among many.
Your traditional (before computers) next step would be to read a _manual_. This is a book by a strong player which shows a little bit of everything: openings, tactics, strategy, endgames, some example master games. Here are three classics of that kind of book, in order of first publication date:
- Capablanca (1921) Chess Fundamentals
- Lasker (1925) Lasker's Manual of Chess
- Tarrasch (1935) The Game of Chess
There are others. My favorite of the three is Lasker, but it seems the majority prefer Capablanca. Newer books of this type are not _necessarily_ better than one of these three. Before you decide on a manual, make sure it is a recent edition, because the older editions are likely to be in the ugly descriptive notation rather than the better algebraic notation.
Since computers came on the scene, the use of a manual is no longer popular. But the old way is still effective, and it doesn't cost that much. One nice thing is a manual is _curated_ by a strong player: they think it covers just about everything you need to know, in just about the right proportions. You can find _way_ more free information online, but as you have realized there's no plan of action.
#1
"where do you start learning from there?"
++ Start from the endgame: first 3 men, then 4 men, then 5 men
"What is the best course of action?" ++ Play - lose - analyse
"Do you start learning with white or black?"
++ Neither. Black is more critical, but you do not have to learn openings.
"Does that matter?" ++ Black is more difficult
"Should you start by trying to memorize openings" ++ No, do not memorize openings
"Then do you learn middle and then end game?" ++ No, endgame first
"should you just focus on mastering 1 opening at a time"
++ It is best to stick to the same opening so as to accumulate experience
"try to understand theory with that 1 first and then learn a second one?"
++ You need no theory, you need not learn.
"a plan of action to learn and become a better chess player." ++ Play - lose - analyse
"it's hard to retain the information" ++ It is ballast
Dec 17, 2021
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#12
StormCentre3 wrote:
By not asking in the forums and learning yourself how you best learn.
Technics
There are five established learning styles: Visual, auditory, written, kinesthetic and multimodal. Kinesthetic learners have to do something to get it, while multimodal learners shift between different techniques.
Begin with not falling for the puzzle hype, tactics is everything nonsense. These people are just repeating what they’ve heard and have no actual hands on experience instructing beginning players.
Practice puzzles and become a good puzzle solver- which does not directly translate to learning beginning principles, improving from beginning to the end of a chess game. Tactics are but one motif among many.
How do you find out which learning style is most appropriate for you?
Dec 18, 2021
0
#13
KevinOSh skrev:
How do you find out which learning style is most appropriate for you?
Well, first by learning that learning styles are mostly BS* and instead take a look at "Learning how to learn", either the free course on coursera site or you could find a good summary on youtube. Daily - Weekly repetition, deliberate practice with feedback from tests (review of your games in chess), controll over study environment and time and some memory tricks and light jogging will take you much farther.
For most < 1200 - 1500 players it probably would be better to do puzzles, lessons and some quick and slow games with review. The quick ones are to find a pattern of you blind spots.
*Sources:
https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2019/05/learning-styles-myth
https://poorvucenter.yale.edu/LearningStylesMyth
A chess game is not a puzzle. Puzzle positions , where one move can determine the outcome of a game- happen infrequently during the course of a game. Thinking every move to be made is like a puzzle to be solved is a major error and leads beginning players astray. Puzzles reinforce tactical play - which is an important motif but certainly not an the end all.
Most here would be shocked if they knew the history of puzzle solving and how it became a coaches lazy tool for instruction. There was a time not far back - puzzles were thought as being detrimental to learning. Yes . Very true. A clever promotional push of “puzzle rush” changed all that. Now “tactics” are the end all of instruction. Tactical play becomes more influential as ratings increase. A good tool to spend a fair amount of time on for advanced players. For beginners? Some. Practicing a few puzzles - mating nets is beneficial - but it’s rubbish, in fact detrimental for new players to spend inordinate time with.
Opinions vary widely regarding just how people learn - the differing technics. Decide for yourself.
Ignore openings for now.
Start with learning basic tactics.
Play longer games, try to use those tactics and not to blunder your pieces.
Jan 23, 2022
0
#17
Good luck and chess takes time, lessons, puzzles all help along with playing and main thing is you enjoy.
https://support.chess.com/article/437-how-do-i-get-better-at-chess
If you are an aggressive chess player you might want to watch my friend's youtube channel Chess Learning. In this video of his, he sacrifices his queen for a two bishop checkmate.
The music he produces is fun to hear.
Again his link to this queen sac game is >>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yB0ii4rGqas
My question is:
after you learn how the pieces move + the rules where do you start learning from there? What is the best course of action?
For example:
Do you start learning with white or black? Does that matter? Should you start by trying to memorize openings and play through them over and over until you have them memorized? Then do you learn middle and then end game? Or should you just focus on mastering 1 opening at a time and try to understand theory with that 1 first and then learn a second one?
I'm having a hard time figuring out a plan of action to learn and become a better chess player. I feel like I'm just constantly learning a bunch of information in no particular order and it's hard to retain the information.
PLEASE HELP!