I notice that most of my opponents put me on the defense before I can attack, any pointers ? - Chess Forums

BeginnerLevelPlayer

Jun 6, 2019

0

#1

I've noticed most of my opponents put me on the defense before I can start an attack, any tips on how to put my opponents on the defense first. Any pieces I should bring out earlier, like my queen or my bishops for example ?

BeginnerLevelPlayer

Jun 6, 2019

0

#2

My last game with SavageBait I simply made a lot of blunders, plus was figuring out how to use chess.com. I have a current daily game going on with a guy named moezilla18, check that game out instead, I'm white.

BeginnerLevelPlayer

Jun 6, 2019

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#3

oh ok. I appreciate your help, most people on internet forums are usually mean. I will let you know when I complete that game.

Patszer

Jun 6, 2019

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#4

Everybody starts out as a beginner and will naturally make a lot of blunders. I learned how to play chess a few years ago and I am still learning and still making blunders but what helped me improve the most was by analyzing my games by myself without an engine and once I was done with my analysis I would run the game through an engine and compare my notes to the engine results. I would always try to learn something from each game I played. I know my ratings are not great but compared to a few years back I am a much better player. Good luck!

MickinMD

Jun 6, 2019

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#5

It's worth using a freeware, high rated chess engine for laptop/desktop or phone and Lucas Chess for Windows and make wild attacking moves and looking at how the engine defends. You'll soon learn all the ways to defend against early attacks, which are often aimed at f7 or f2.

After a while, you'll want to learn a few openings in enough detail that you know all the tricks that can be played against you,

At your level, the BIG thing is to learn basic opening and endgame principles, but 80% of your study should be tactics, tactics, and more tactics. Try to work Tactics Trainer problems here and at places like chesstempo each day, even if it's for just 15 minutes. Take your time and look at the solution after you've attempted the problem and ask yourself why it took so long to solve or fail the problem.

Slowly memorize the interactive tactics on these pages and be able to demonstrate them by name - that puts a "hook" in your brain from which you can more easily recall them:

https://www.chess.com/article/view/chess-tactics--definitions-and-examples

https://chesstempo.com/tactical-motifs.html

When you have Black, you are usually on the defensive initially. The thing to do is try to make threatening moves but also have a plan for how you will eventually counterattack. For example, the French Defense (1 e4 e6) or Caro-Kann Defense (1 e4 c6) usually begin their counterattacks with ...c5,

With White, you need to make moves that grab space in the center and Knight and Bishop moves before the Queen, and that have a plan. For example, some variations of the Bishop's Opening, Vienna Game, and Sicilian Defense call for White to castle O-O-O and then launch a King-side Pawn Storm.

mariners234

Jun 7, 2019

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#6

BeginnerLevelPlayer wrote:

I've noticed most of my opponents put me on the defense before I can start an attack, any tips on how to put my opponents on the defense first

During the opening phase, a lot of it is developing efficiently.

1) Identify your opponent's threat
2) Find all the different ways you can defend against it
3) Select a move that follows the principals in the link as closely as possible
https://www.chess.com/article/view/the-principles-of-the-opening

4) Imagine your candidate move as if it's been made, and make sure it's safe.

---

If both players are developing, castling, controlling the center, etc, and you aren't blundering any tactics, and yet even still your opponent is the one with all the pressure, then it's time to read a strategy book (or they're simply a lot better than you).

BeginnerLevelPlayer

Jun 7, 2019

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#7

thanks for all the tips guys, will apply them all

kindaspongey

Jun 7, 2019

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#8

"... for those that want to be as good as they can be, they'll have to work hard.
Play opponents who are better than you … . Learn basic endgames. Create a simple opening repertoire (understanding the moves are far more important than memorizing them). Study tactics. And pick up tons of patterns. That’s the drumbeat of success. ..." - IM Jeremy Silman (December 27, 2018)
https://www.chess.com/article/view/little-things-that-help-your-game
https://www.chess.com/article/view/how-to-start-out-in-chess
https://www.chess.com/news/view/a-new-years-resolution-improve-your-chess-with-new-lessons

Daybreak57

Jun 7, 2019

0

#9

The Funny thing is in the game you mentioned in your post it was move two where your opponent started to play the Wayward queen attack, a known dubious opening that is basically refuted for the most part, though at the beginner level one can still get a good game when playing it. The reason why that's kinda funny when coupled with your post question is that there really is nothing you can do to stop the impending attack, simply because your black, and you must defend. Most attacks are not as fast later you will naturally find ways to defend against them. The only thing you can do now is train yourself to check for your opponent's checks captures and threats after every move he makes, so you know if he is up to something or not.

It looks like you do not have an opening repertoire, and are just playing what you think is right on the spot every single game. You're going to play a lot of games with next to no improvement if you are not checking your games against a database and finding the correct moves to make after you have made the wrong ones. Chess.com's opening explorer is a good database to start out with to check your games and see the "correct" opening, though, I myself have never used it for that purpose. I use ChessBase along with other software and I already have a pretty set opening repertoire, though I am learning different openings for experience sake. When you are starting out and if you don't have the money to buy books or enlist help in making an opening repertoire, then what you must do is create your own personal opening book with all the right moves after you have made the wrong ones with your notes. This is a long and tedious process, however, this must be done in the absence of an opening repertoire. You would have to decide on getting ChessBase, Squid vs the computer, or whatever. The main thing is to just start using a game database to check your games after you've analyzed them for yourself and checked the game with an engine.

I know how it is to be at your level. I was once there myself. I felt like nothing I ever did could help me improve. But doing what I told you, along with doing tactics every day on the platform of your choice, going over at least one master game that is annotated, and playing through at least one long game a day and analyzing it yourself and doing all the other stuff I already talked about. It's also good to play 5-10 blitz games for opening practice, much more work I know but remember it will help you to get more opening practice, and take your long games by stride, use all your time. If you do all of that you will become better than me in no time because I will probably slack off all summer LOL.

daxypoo

Jun 7, 2019

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#10

my biggest breakthrough early on was finally pulling off the proper response to the scholar’s mate in a game

it seemed that every other game in the 900 and below pool was defending a scholar’s mate

the biggest thing that i began implementing that helped me improve was to thoroughly go over a game as soon as it was over and using the computer in analysis mode as a blunder check and then try to understand why a move was a blunder

also, watching john barthlomew’s “chess fundamentals” series also was really helpful

moezilla18

Jun 7, 2019

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#11

Thank you for the game. I'm not sure if you are doing short timed games ex. 10 min, 5 min timers or longer games that take days for a move. Remember to take your time to see the entire board. Easier said than done but with a lot of practice ( wins and especially losses) you'll become acquainted to familiar plays. Most of all have fun and enjoy the game, I'll play you anytime.

BeginnerLevelPlayer

Jun 7, 2019

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#12

well, my game is over with moezilla18, it wasn't a long game, if anybody wants to check it out and give any pointers feel free, thanks again for all the comments already

ANOK1

Jun 7, 2019

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#13

those backward knight moves ,,,,, but agree with the knc3 to get same defender to attacker ratio

Caesar49bc

Jun 7, 2019

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#14

Here's something even intermediate players can fall victim to in the openening.

Spend several moves in your pet opening or defense and you realise your opponent made an inferior move!

Not a blunder, but something you can capitalize on. You get sucked into figuring out how to squeeze a solid advantage, and play, you think... a good move.

A few moves later your busted because you completly forgot to do something simple like Castling, or some other no brain move that completes you opening phase and protects your king.

Caesar49bc

Jun 27, 2019

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#15

There's an art to defense. There are a many ways for an opponent to launch an early kingside attack. Some players practically specialize in it. No doubt it gives them a feeling of superiority over lesser players to crush them.

It's can be near impossible to prevent that sort of offense, so having a good grasp of defense is important.

Most early kingside attacks follow a predicable pattern though: pressure with a queen and bishop on h7 pawn if your playing black, or h2 pawn if your playing white. Plus support from the H file rook. The goal is to be able to achieve mate with either the Q+B or Q+R.

Usually the attacker doesn't castle, or castles queenside.

I generally look at those attacks with idle amusement, but they're not a cakewalk per se, because even though the general idea of most kingside attacks are similar, each one is subtely different.

In any event, early kingside attacks will always have an audience of low level players because it's much easier to teach the basics behind those attacks than how to defend them, so the players can win lots of games that way.

But it's not good for long term progression, because at some point, all the opponents will easily defend the attacks, and the player's knowlege about chess will be far less than the oppenents he is facing.

Nwap111

Jun 27, 2019

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#16

I looked at your longer games. This is what I saw: you need to ask yourself after every move(during the game) why did my opponent move there? Equally, after the game(ask the same question). In most cases you will see why. In the savage game, for example, you missed that your opponent was attacking a pawn. Ask yourself why you missed it. Whenever you push a pawn, you open one line and close another. Pay attention to lines you open especially in the opening. When you opened the diagonal, you allowed a tactic called double attack. The king was checked but the rook was also attacked. Again ask yourself why you did not see this. Your goal is to find these errors, and eliminate them one by one.

In your other long game, with moe, you made an error that even strong beginners make. Your opponent attacked something, you defended, then attacked it again,, and you defended, but then later you moved away a defender and undefended a pawn. As someone mentioned earlier, always count attackers and defenders every move. But to be safe, don't just count attackers and defenders. Analyze two moves ahead. I go there; he goes there. one move, for example. Sometimes just counting doesn't work.

Last, at even the highest levels, chess is won in the analysis. So analyze two moves ahead. Look at your intended move and your opponent's move. Most of all, always ask yourself after every move why he moved there. Many chessplayers get into trouble simply because they either never consider their opponent's move or get wrapped up in their own idea and forget or ever bother to look for the opponent's intention. So books are fine, but these are all errors you can find just looking at your games. I do suggest Why You Lose At Chess, by Tim Harding, especially the chapter on tactics. most beginner games are decided by tactics alone.Read this book twice, apply his observations, you will get to where you want to go;namely, elimination of game losing errors. Good luck.

Thee_Ghostess_Lola

Jun 27, 2019

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#17

Don't feel bad. Magnus Carlsen had a rating of 904....19 years ago to this day.

Nwap111

Jun 27, 2019

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#18

All grandmasters start at beginner level.

Thee_Ghostess_Lola

Jun 27, 2019

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#19

Tho' I did fail to mention that by the end Y2K ?....his rating was over 2000....6 months later.

Hilarious thing ?....he implied to Charlie Rose that he had no idea how it happened.

moezilla18

Jun 27, 2019

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#20

It's more believable to say he probably just kept playing. Diving deep into the abyss that is chess. They say time flies when you are having fun.