chess advice to players rated 200 points lower.

when i hear grandmaster advice given to me it is often useless.
grandmasters just do not know how us 1500/1600/1700 players play - although we can never disprove their advice - it is almost always innappropriate.

i think players are often at a situation where there is a certain step they need to take to improve their game.

i would like to know how the players rated 100 - 300 points higher than me keep beating me over and over and over and over again - the method is obviously not far out of my reach ... what is it?

i would also like to offer my thoughts to the 1400 players ... it might just be the step they need to take to climb the ladder.

dear 1400 players:
when your opponent has an extra pawn then:
focus on the enemy king,
... do anything to avoid exchange of pieces ... exchanging pieces will almost certainly leave you in a losing endgame.
instead keep your pieces on the board, and look for ANY opportunity to get at the enemy king ... you are still likely to lose but it is not going to be like clockwork, it willl be exciting, and you also may win or draw.

some 1100 players can do this against me ... and give me trouble at every stage of the game.
but most players rated 1400 or less do not ... most just lose a pawn or two early on then happily swap pieces.

Dear 1500 rated players (I view myself as a 1700 player on a good streak),

Tactics and calculation are the key. Most of your games will be won or lost by tactical measures. If you can notice the possible tactic and calculate it well enough to know the resulting position will favour you then you are well on the way to winning. After you can see simple tactics (pins, skewers, forks ) and take advantage of them look at combinations of them (a move say where you attack their queen and a forking square for example). Continue to look for more complicated tactics.
Also pick a solidish opening and learn it. Don't end up all at sea after two moves.

i think this is a great idea, ppl should pay attention to whats said in this thread
i think the major change for me between 1200 and 1400 was some basic positional knowledge. i read part of a Silman book and found what really helped was stuff like pawn structure - when doubled pawns are good and how to attack them, and backward pawns etc.
the concept of space as well, and when u shd gain more space is useful.
its really all about looking for the imbalances, or trying to create some.
for instance, if you have a bishop and your opponent has a knight, and u manage to trade off pawns so the game is completely open, then you'll probably win. the imbalance is the difference in pieces.

Originally posted by XanthosNZ
Dear 1500 rated players (I view myself as a 1700 player on a good streak),

Tactics and calculation are the key. Most of your games will be won or lost by tactical measures. If you can notice the possible tactic and calculate it well enough to know the resulting position will favour you then you are well on the way to winning. After you can see simple ta ...[text shortened]... d tactics.
Also pick a solidish opening and learn it. Don't end up all at sea after two moves.

Originally posted by Ouermyhte
i think id see basic tactical patterns as lower than 1500, tactics is the best part of my game and im around 1400. i think to make a jump around there you'd have to practice tactics a lot, or just improve ur positional knowledge a bit

heh bizarre idea. ok anyway
for RHP 1100 players, just play a lot and seek for tactical resources like pins and skewers. you surely will progress and make it 1300 RHP.

I'll give my two cents for 1400-1500, since I hover between 1600 and 1700.

My first cent is a well-worn penny: tacitcs. Around 1400 is when I first began to think strategically, paying attention to pawn structure and squares and all that jazz. As I focussed on positional considerations, I tended to neglect tactical considerations. I got excited about strategy and lazy about tactics. It was a step forward and two steps back, meaning I later had to take another two steps forward to make any progress. If that makes no sense, spare yourself learning it first-hand and don't go soft on tactics.

My second cent: endgame. More than once I have blundered early (say, losing the Exchange for a pawn, or a piece for two pawns) and come back against players who are careless in the endgame. I have drawn endgames I should have lost. I have been shown games by players, only slightly below my level, in which they have agreed to draws in won K+P endings.

dear players rated under 1700,

Please, keep looking at the WHOLE BOARD.

1) About 50% of the mistakes made against me by 1700 or less rated players is because they move too fast, they are in a haste. But this is NOT BLITZ. this is correspondence chess, and you would do good if you first look at what you are doing before you make the move. Just put a little bit more time and thought in it.

2) Know your openings. Use books for them.

Originally posted by schakuhr
dear players rated under 1700,

Please, keep looking at the WHOLE BOARD.

About 50% of the mistakes made against me by 1700 or less rated players is because they move too fast, they are in a haste. But this is NOT BLITZ. this is correspondence chess, and you would do good if you first look at what you are doing before you make the move. Just put a little bit more time and thought in it.

some good rules to follow ---
1) develop pieces in the opening and centralize them
2) push central pawns so that the pieces can be posted in the center
3) castle so the rook can get centralized

go to chessbase.com and go over capablanca's games and see the great master's classic style of play.