Hi all.
Just a question about chess in general. How do you guys try to improve your game as much as possible? Do you read lots of books, analyse past games in great detail or simply play a lot of games? Or a mixture of the three? Only I dont feel im inproving as quick as some others. 🙁
Thanks
Originally posted by KingoftheRinkI study tactics and endgames.
Hi all.
Just a question about chess in general. How do you guys try to improve your game as much as possible? Do you read lots of books, analyse past games in great detail or simply play a lot of games? Or a mixture of the three? Only I dont feel im inproving as quick as some others. 🙁
Thanks
I try to analyse my own games.I should play more OTB though.
I look for annotated GM games that feature the openings I use and replay those.Method used for this: I cover the moves with a sheet of paper,then I follow the game untill I'm out of theory.At that point I start to think what I would do and compare it with the move made in the game.If different,I try to figure out why the GM's move might be better.Then I check if it's explained in the annotations,if not I mark that move and will check my ideas later with the help of fritz.It's a time consuming process,but extremely rewarding,IMO.
I do NOT study openings in depth,'cause I'm convinced it's futile without a thorough understanding of the middle-and endgame,which I currrently do not yet possess.Of course,some basic opening study must be done.No need to try and invent the wheel.
Sir Lot.
Yea, look for a book that has lots of master games and is heavy on the annotations, like, Chernev or Nunn's Chess Move by Move. Choose the winning side and try to guess the next move. Do one a night in depth. Don't memorize openings, except for the first few moves. It's a waste of time. Study some basic endings and middle game pawn structures. And don't get discouraged if you lose a game. All the great ones lost thousands of games before they got good. I myself am working on my second thousand of losses.
Originally posted by KingoftheRinkI own over 100 chessbooks,so for me it's not so difficult to find games.You might try a library,look for tournament books or best games collections.Usually they have a summary of openings in the back,check if what you play is in there.If it doesn't feature your openings,take it anyway,examining mastergames will benefit you regardless of the openings played.
Thats a big help thank you. Where do you look for grandmasters games with openings that you use?
Browse the internet,lots of annotated games to be found,though not always easy to find them.2 great places to start:
http://www.angelfire.com/games3/smartbridge/
http://www.chessdoctor.com/chessdownloads/
Sir Lot.