Why can’t I improve 😩

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QueensKermit
I seem to fluctuate to 800 and back down to 600 and I can’t seem to get out of that space… what am I doing wrong, this is a year already? How can I break through to the next level, is it just practice? Or do I need teaching?
oPhilipz

If you want to improve, you need to learn what mistakes you're making. 

M1m1c15
Less blunders
Chuck639

I would start off with quitting blitz chess to focus on 15/10 time controls or longer if you are keen on improving.

Mix in some rated puzzles training and analyze each game.

If you do need lessons or reviews, start off with opening principles and end it with that.

Other than that, go play and have fun. Good luck.

oPhilipz

After reviewing some of your games, I noticed you have a tendency to push pawns on the side of the board in the opening. Whereas, the general strategy is to control the centre of the board, and develop your minor pieces (knights, bishops), by getting them active. 

JubilationTCornpone

One thing I have found, climbing only to 1450 or so, is to actually play correct principles.

Now, this seems obvious, though many don't do it, but consider:  suppose I leave my knight unguarded in the middle of the board.  You are puzzled why I would do it, and you can't see a forced win by taking it, so you just leave it there, right?  No!  You take the free knight.  You will worry how to win later.

So, do this with smaller things too.  If your opponent is moving pieces twice, you move yours once each and get them all developed.  If your opponent doesn't castle, you castle and get your king safe.  Get your rooks connected.  Put your rooks on open files (ideally ones that lead to kings and queens).  Get the two bishops if you can (and spend a bit of effort to keep them).  Outpost a knight if you get the chance.  If you can take over the long diagonals, do it.  Etc.

Do these things exactly as if they are goals, just like you would snap off a free piece, even if you can't see why it matters right now.  Then you will find yourself in positions around move 12 or so where you say "well, I have all my pieces developed, and I'm castled, and my rooks are centralized, and I have two bishops, and a knight outpost, etc., and my opponent doesn't have all that...so, I MUST be winning."

And then you have to find the move that proves it.  And that move probably exists.  Because he's not developed, not castled, doesn't control the best squares, etc., then there MUST be something you can do with that.  But you have to get to that situation.  A lot of times, all you have to do is follow the rules to get there.

Jenium

Well, the first stept to improving, is to decide you really want to improve.

Aleks267
Hello
jogzy123

I can give you a massively important piece of advice straight away. Just glancing at your recent games, you play a lot of blitz. DON'T PLAY BLITZ IF YOU WANT TO IMPROVE. 

 

Playing fast time controls is terrible for learning for 2 reasons. For one, many of the games that you win will not be because you played well, but because your opponent ran out of time or simply missed your mistakes. Secondly, playing long time controls forces you to play better chess, you have more time to look for your opponent's mistakes, and you have to play better moves because they have more time to look for yours. Play 15+10 or 30 min games, take the time to think, and as you practice you will get better (and naturally faster) and start making less blunders. Play blitz for a bit of fun if you don't have a lot of time like on a bus or something. But if you want to improve and start climbing, learn some basic principles and basic openings, and play them in longer time controls so you have time to think. When I first started playing I spiked in rating just by switching from 10 minute games to 30 minute games. 

 

Quality over quantity. Play fewer games for longer, and you will start to see some improvement. 

sndeww

Are you reading books? Watching videos? Doing puzzles? I see that you’re a free member. Do you do the free lesson of the week that chess.com offers? Other sites offer unlimited puzzles as well.

If you increase your playing strength, you will increase rating. However, an increase in rating does not necessarily equate to stronger playing strength.

nklristic

Pozdrav.

Najduze partije koje vidim u istoriji su 10 minuta po osobi. To je prebrzo za najveci broj ljudi, posebno ako zelite da napredujete. Ne samo to, nego i u tim partijama igrate prebrzo. Recimo u poslednjoj partiji ste izgubili figuru posle 20-30 sekundi igre, a pre toga ste za 2 sekunde odigrali potez lovcem posle kog je protivnik mogao da uzme pesaka na samom pocetku partije.

Ako zelite napredak, najbolje bi bilo da igrate duze partije. 15|10 partije su apsolutni minimum, mada bi idealno bilo da se igra nesto jos duze od toga. Naravno, u tim partijama je poenta da razmisljate, da ne biste tako lako gubili figure. Dakle kad igrate, gledajte da na kraju partije imate manje od pola vremena na satu. Ako igrate i partije od sat vremena po coveku, to nista ne vredi ako vam ostane recimo 55 minuta na kraju partije.

U samim partijama treba da imate 2 cilja dok ne dostignete rejting preko 1 000 ili 1 200.

Prvo gledajte da postujete osnovne principe otvaranja. Dacu jedan link gde sam to objasnio, uz neke druge stvari vezane za napredak, na osnovu licnog iskustva.

Drugi cilj je da ne gubite materijal bez razloga. To ce se neminovno desavati, ali je cilj da se to svede na minimum.


Tekst je na engleskom, opisuje sta sam sve radio da bih napredovao:

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

Srecno, i ako ima jos nekih pitanja, slobodno.

Gugotico
👏🏼
dorthcaar

Without checking your games, i can make some assumptions and can give some advices.

1) Do less blunders. Double check your moves before you play them, try to imagine how they will look after you played them, try to see your opponents first natural response after yours. See if it is good for you.

2) Learn opening principles, what are they? They are the things you should do in the opening, develop your pieces in the right ways (as much as your opponent allows them of course) but do not go for theory openings.. just learn what to do in the opening, dont play gambits and traps. Play simple and solid.

3) Learn all checkmate patterns, i mean simple endgame ones. Rook versus king, Queen versus King or +Rook, some simple pawn endgames etc. This part will require solving lota puzzles. You can only remember them by repeating a lot.

4) Do not play 3-5 mins games. 10-15mins are good choices to begin with. Some may say 30minutes are better but i don't recommend them for you. More practice is better for your rating but too short games.. are.. well, too short happy.png to think and double checks..

5) Do not play for rating, try to learn. Points will change, knowledge will stay.

Good luck.

RookOnWax

Just stick em with the pointy end.

ypos

Play more bullet

MisterWindUpBird

Do puzzles. Free training... Play slower time controls and apply good principles. You seem to have maxed out your ability to improve by winging it.

Don

https://www.chess.com/blog/DonRajesh/how-to-bring-up-your-rating

It's my most popular blog, so it should help.

eric0022
JubilationTCornpone wrote:

One thing I have found, climbing only to 1450 or so, is to actually play correct principles.

Now, this seems obvious, though many don't do it, but consider:  suppose I leave my knight unguarded in the middle of the board.  You are puzzled why I would do it, and you can't see a forced win by taking it, so you just leave it there, right?  No!  You take the free knight.  You will worry how to win later.

So, do this with smaller things too.  If your opponent is moving pieces twice, you move yours once each and get them all developed.  If your opponent doesn't castle, you castle and get your king safe.  Get your rooks connected.  Put your rooks on open files (ideally ones that lead to kings and queens).  Get the two bishops if you can (and spend a bit of effort to keep them).  Outpost a knight if you get the chance.  If you can take over the long diagonals, do it.  Etc.

Do these things exactly as if they are goals, just like you would snap off a free piece, even if you can't see why it matters right now.  Then you will find yourself in positions around move 12 or so where you say "well, I have all my pieces developed, and I'm castled, and my rooks are centralized, and I have two bishops, and a knight outpost, etc., and my opponent doesn't have all that...so, I MUST be winning."

And then you have to find the move that proves it.  And that move probably exists.  Because he's not developed, not castled, doesn't control the best squares, etc., then there MUST be something you can do with that.  But you have to get to that situation.  A lot of times, all you have to do is follow the rules to get there.

 

This, on its own, is actually not sufficient. The OP needs good tactical knowledge to exploit some errors from the opponent and have basic endgame/checkmate skills to finish the game.

 

I feel sad whenever my lower rated opponents impress me in the opening, only to disappoint me later on in the middlegame.

eric0022
jogzy123 wrote:

I can give you a massively important piece of advice straight away. Just glancing at your recent games, you play a lot of blitz. DON'T PLAY BLITZ IF YOU WANT TO IMPROVE. 

 

Playing fast time controls is terrible for learning for 2 reasons. For one, many of the games that you win will not be because you played well, but because your opponent ran out of time or simply missed your mistakes. Secondly, playing long time controls forces you to play better chess, you have more time to look for your opponent's mistakes, and you have to play better moves because they have more time to look for yours. Play 15+10 or 30 min games, take the time to think, and as you practice you will get better (and naturally faster) and start making less blunders. Play blitz for a bit of fun if you don't have a lot of time like on a bus or something. But if you want to improve and start climbing, learn some basic principles and basic openings, and play them in longer time controls so you have time to think. When I first started playing I spiked in rating just by switching from 10 minute games to 30 minute games. 

 

Quality over quantity. Play fewer games for longer, and you will start to see some improvement. 

 

For probably 99.99% of chess players, it's true.

 

For me, it's a different path entirely, considering my other priorities in life and the fact that I use fun to actually pick up skills along the way

QueensKermit
I can’t figure out how to reply individually… but I’ll post in the thread. THANK YOU all so so much for all the great advice, none of it is contradictory so I’ll take under advisement everything you’ve all shared and try to bring up my game 😅 longer games it is!! Thanks again and happy new year everyone 🙃🌸
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