How to start studying chess (1200 rated)

Hello all,

Over the past year my interest in chess grew to the extent that i now wish to actually dedicate myself to studying theory. However, when i look at an analyzed chess game i can not even make sense of the movements and patterns from the way they are described (like kb3 bd2). So whenever i try to pick up a chess book, i quickly get confused and don't have the feeling i am learning much at all. 

I have gotten to my current rating by just playing alot, but i fully realise that to become good, i should study. So, where do i start? What ways are there to study? Other tips on how to improve my game as efficiently as possible? Much thanks in advance,

Wiebe

Possibly helpful (Winning Chess has an explanation of notation.):

Simple Attacking Plans by Fred Wilson (2012)

https://web.archive.org/web/20140708090402/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review874.pdf

Logical Chess: Move by Move by Irving Chernev (1957)

https://web.archive.org/web/20140708104437/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/logichess.pdf

The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played by Irving Chernev

https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/most-instructive-games-of-chess-ever-played/

Winning Chess by Irving Chernev and Fred Reinfeld (1949)

https://web.archive.org/web/20140708093415/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review919.pdf

Discovering Chess Openings by GM Johm Emms (2006)

https://web.archive.org/web/20140627114655/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen91.pdf

Openings for Amateurs by Pete Tamburro (2014)

http://kenilworthian.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-of-pete-tamburros-openings-for.html

Chess Endgames for Kids by Karsten Müller (2015)

https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/chess-endgames-for-kids/

A Guide to Chess Improvement by Dan Heisman (2010)

https://web.archive.org/web/20140708105628/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review781.pdf

there is an onsite Study Plan 

https://www.chess.com/article/view/study-plan-directory

I just checked your games. I suggest you alter your setting for your chess board and notations. Go to Account - online settings /live settings - then board settings & set it up, so that you have notations on.

That will get you used to ( kb3 bd2) by checking your moves.  

If you want to be a practical / professional chess player, you need to study under a master level coach. No book, no matter how well written, can match a human mentorship. Video lessons will also not make much sense to you at your level. Only after you reach 1600s, you will start to understand how things are going.

Thanks for the tips so far! Yes i definitely should check out all the ways to learn this site offers, there are just so many ways to go i don't know what is efficient right now. Also changing the settings thanks nikprit!

Pleasure to help Wiebedtc

The most important thing for you now is to study tactics, which you can (and should) do just by yourself. Get some tactics book for beginners (it should include explanations of main tactical patterns) and do two to three problems per day (try to do problems that are challenging - since you should aim at recognizing tactical patterns during the game and being able to calculate them through). This is the most important part of chess training as most of the games are decided by tactics. Second thing that you should do is to study opening strategy for beginners. STRATEGY not a theory. Your aim here is to figure out how to develop pieces properly and how to capture center. The goal is to be able to navigate yourself in the beginning of the game - so you would not need to study opening theory too much. Third thing is to study endgames - starting from simple pawn endgames to rook endgames. The goal of this is not just to be able to win a winning endgame, but to recognize when to simplify material and enter it. Finally, I recommend you playing smaller amount of games, with longer time control (at least 25 minutes per player) and analysing them afterwards. First, you should analyse them by yourself; only then use computer. This should help you to find missed tactics and prevent blunders. Don't play Blitz or Bullet games too much - for steady improvement, it is practically useless.

For your level tactics and opening principles should be your main concern. Learning "theory" is not so important. The free chess mentor lessons here include basic checkmates and tactics and endgame strategy like king opposition. I would work on all these things before I worried about specific openings or anything like that. Also play more slow games. You play a lot of blitz and very little standard. That's not a good recipe for improving imo.

"If you find an opening here that appeals to you and you wish to find out more about it, the next step would be to obtain an introductory text devoted entirely to that subject." - GM John Emms in his 2006 introduction to basic opening principles, Discovering Chess Openings

"Throughout the book Emms uses excellently chosen examples to expand the readers understanding of both openings and chess in general. Thus equipped the student can carry this knowledge forward to study individual openings and build an opening repertoire. ... For beginning players, this book will offer an opportunity to start out on the right foot and really get a feel for what is happening on the board." - FM Carsten Hansen, reviewing the 2006 Emms book

https://web.archive.org/web/20140627114655/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen91.pdf

I enjoyed this book by Soltis, especially where he tells you to play checkers (draughts):

Studying Chess made Easy

Studying Chess is still hard, but I am a bit better at checkers!