Chess and General Rules

Originally posted by @eladar
Yes but the question is how does the 800 develop that skill efficiently? I have gotten better after losing many many many games.

The only way I can know to get better is to lose many more. My visualization skills are far better than they used to be. I think chess has changed how my brain is wired in that area.

Losing many games helps, but only if you learn from your mistakes. Go back and try to find out what went wrong. Sounds like you've done some of that with your own games.

As far as "efficiently" - I am not sure. I never was an 800 player. I think at that level you'd have to start with recognizing that your entire approach to the game must change.

Originally posted by @bigdoggproblem
Losing many games helps, but only if you learn from your mistakes. Go back and try to find out what went wrong. Sounds like you've done some of that with your own games.

As far as "efficiently" - I am not sure. I never was an 800 player. I think at that level you'd have to start with recognizing that your entire approach to the game must change.

My lowest rating at fics blitz was 650.

Hi Eladar,

Rules such as "castle early" won't help you much without a more general understanding of strategic elements. Get yourself a good book which explains them. I recommend Hermann Grooten's "Chess Strategy for the Club Player", but there are plenty of others, too.

Originally posted by @eladar
What frustrated me when I started playing chess is that even when I tried to follow general good rules, I still got beat by people who broke those rules.

I suppose it was because I didn't understand the idea behind the rules. Of course my board vision was horrible and that doesn't help either. But still I think understanding the reason for the rule is more important than knowing the rule itself.

The problem you were suffering from is quite a common one, I think. I think that there are three basic ways people go wrong attempting to apply general rules:

1) The strategic objective of occupying an open file, for example, might not be possible straightaway for tactical reasons that a beginner isn't going to see because their ability to see forwards in the position is limited compared with a more experienced player.

2) Although putting a rook on an open file is good in general, it might not be particularly important in a given position, or even bad because the rook is needed elsewhere for some reason.

3) Some strategic advantages can quickly become disadvantages - space is a clear advantage, but a few exchanges can turn a spatial advantage into an overstretched position.

But I think BigDogg's point is the key one, the ability to see forward in a position accurately is the key skill in chess. Someone who can do that effectively but has no idea about "general rules" will be at an advantage against a player who has heard of all the general rules you refer to but can't accurately see the position ahead.

Originally posted by @moonbus
Hi Eladar,

Rules such as "castle early" won't help you much without a more general understanding of strategic elements. Get yourself a good book which explains them. I recommend Hermann Grooten's "Chess Strategy for the Club Player", but there are plenty of others, too.

I have that book. Need to read it lol.

Originally posted by @deepthought
The problem you were suffering from is quite a common one, I think. I think that there are three basic ways people go wrong attempting to apply general rules:

1) The strategic objective of occupying an open file, for example, might not be possible straightaway for tactical reasons that a beginner isn't going to see because their ability to see forwa ...[text shortened]... who has heard of all the general rules you refer to but can't accurately see the position ahead.

I agree. You must be able to see the plus and the minus of the move and what you are allowing to happen.

Of course there is a more basic skill that comes to some more naturally than others, board vision.

Originally posted by @deepthought
The problem you were suffering from is quite a common one, I think. I think that there are three basic ways people go wrong attempting to apply general rules:

1) The strategic objective of occupying an open file, for example, might not be possible straightaway for tactical reasons that a beginner isn't going to see because their ability to see forwa ...[text shortened]... who has heard of all the general rules you refer to but can't accurately see the position ahead.

Good point. Novices tend to waste calculating energy and clock time on variations which won't work because there is an immediate tactical refutation. Engines are particularly efficient at finding immediate tactical refutations, so playing against an engine will sharpen your sense for tactical refutations.

You will still need a solid understanding of strategic elements though, and you won't get that from playing engines. Books and a human coach are better for that aspect of the game.

However, seeing many moves ahead by itself will not help you. If you don't know what the positional factors are which make the current position advantageous or dangerous for you, then you won't know that for an imagined position 5 or 10 or 20 moves down the road either, so you won't know whether to steer towards or away from that imagined position on your next move.

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