Im mostly an OTB player and im hoping to improve my game. I have a FICS standard rating around 1530 and ive been playing seriously for about 3/4 a year(before that just a couple times a year). Im 14(not sure if that matters) and i spend about 2 hours a day playing chess. I ordered a program called Chess Tactics for Intermediate Players from convekta and it should be here soon. I know chess terms and ideas, i think my problem is setting long term strategies and knowing when to make sacrifices that won't immediately gain back. I'm also starting to go to a chess club and joining USCF tournaments. With all that information, what is the best thing I could study (and if i need anything for that where could i get it?)?
I actually have chess tactics for intermediate players, and I highly recommend you get chess tactics for beginners, the first CD in the series, first. I was stuck at around 1100s USCF for a year in a half (currently mid 1800s) and I did that CD 7 times over, doing 50 puzzles a day, played many tournaments, and studied basic King and Pawn endgames (a good book is Silman's Complete Endgame Course) and strategy (Yasser Seirawan's Winning Chess Strategy) and a little bit of openings, and in about two and a half years I made class A. My best bit of advice is to play as much OTB as you can, and analyze your games, and practice many tactical problems, and you will improve quickly.
Originally posted by jjjeff1 Im mostly an OTB player and im hoping to improve my game. I have a FICS standard rating around 1530 and ive been playing seriously for about 3/4 a year(before that just a couple times a year). Im 14(not sure if that matters) and i spend about 2 hours a day playing chess. I ordered a program called Chess Tactics for Intermediate Players from convekta and it s ...[text shortened]... what is the best thing I could study (and if i need anything for that where could i get it?)?
You seem to be on the right track for improvement. I would add a solid opening system, and some endgame study to your list of things to do. Not a lot of rote memorization required here, just playing through games in your opening system, looking for for new ideas, and 1-2 hrs a week spent on endgame study can be a big help. 😏
The first ever World Correspondence Chess Champion, IM Cecil Purdy, once wrote that the only infallible (his word!) method of improving one's play is to play over well-annotated master games.
Originally posted by gaychessplayer The first ever World Correspondence Chess Champion, IM Cecil Purdy, once wrote that the only infallible (his word!) method of improving one's play is to play over well-annotated master games.
I Agree! Actually, I was going to recommend the same thing, well-annotated master games. You get all facets of the game, explained, and shown completely. Plus, I think it really helps your chess intuition. When you go over plenty of games you gain not only pattern recognition, but positional knowledge. It helps you make plans during your own games. This is also the most fun way to "study," at least for me. It's enjoyable going over great games.
Ok. Ive been reading winning chess strategy, which has annotated games showing strategy plus tips. Ive also been reading a chess puzzle book and solving those. I also have a book checked out that talks about calculation and i might read that. What im assuming is the way to play over annotated games is to read the book and play with a real life board? Ive heard of books such as "Logical chess move by move" and "The most instructive games of chess ever played". Are those recommended for a class C player? I also tried a website called chess.emrald.net. Is that worth doing? Also, I know some of you say that only annotated games will help you improve, but will doing chess puzzles help? And playing?
Also, for what its worth, i actually do around 3 to 4 hours of chess a day, and ive been playing for about 3/4 of a year. Also, are chess coaches important to help you improve? Did the grandmasters usually have coaches when they were "coachable"?
Originally posted by jjjeff1 Ok. Ive been reading winning chess strategy, which has annotated games showing strategy plus tips. Ive also been reading a chess puzzle book and solving those. I also have a book checked out that talks about calculation and i might read that. What im assuming is the way to play over annotated games is to read the book and play with a real life board? Ive hea ...[text shortened]... p you improve, but will doing chess puzzles help? And playing?
-Thanks for all the help-
Solving chess puzzles should improve your standard of play a lot. At class level, most games are decided by tactical lapses. If you're sharp at tactics, you'll also "pull rabbits out of hats", i.e. you'll win some games that you should have lost.
Also, strategy is based upon future tactical opportunities (e.g. isolate a pawn, and then look for a combination to win it.) It's basically impossible to be a good "positional" player and not be good at tactics.
if you are to play as often as you do you better go over every game played and find your mistakes. If you play a game and don't go over it and find why you made a mistake you'll keep making the same ones. ALWAYS ALWAYS go over your games win loss or draw. This is the best way to improve.
Best way to improve?
03 Mar '09 02:57
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