First, my "serious" rating with another postal organization is 2021. I went from about 1600 doing the following: Play over a couple hundred UNANNOTATED master games using 5-10 min a game & trying to guess the next move. You are going after quantity here. This reinforces pattern recognition; this is how GM's play simuls so successfully...they recognize patterns and know what to look for. US Master Ken Smith used to recommend this.
Next... (1) Only consider the first 2-3 moves that pop into your head (2) Only look 3-4 moves deep. If you don't see how it loses a piece, play it. (3) Pick the move that looks the most threatening, even if it’s only in a general sort of way. (4) After your opponent moves and before you move, scan the ranks, files and diagonals.
You will then find yourself improving because you start zeroing in on opponent’s weak squares, loose pieces, things like that, and that is what chess is all about – pattern recognition and tactics; at least below Master level.
You may also want to read Search for Chess Perfection by Purdy. It's a collection of his magazine articles, so you can open it up anywhere and find some really good advice.
Originally posted by masscatThanks thats great help.
First, my "serious" rating with another postal organization is 2021. I went from about 1600 doing the following: Play over a couple hundred UNANNOTATED master games using 5-10 min a game & trying to guess the next move. You are going after quantity here. This reinforces pattern recognition; this is how GM's play simuls so successfully...they recognize p ...[text shortened]... ction of his magazine articles, so you can open it up anywhere and find some really good advice.
One thing was what do you mean by "scan the ranks, files and diagonals.
" Do you mean just look up and down the diagnols and see if they are clear for your bishops or something?
thanks alot though
I mean run your eyes up & down ranks, files and diagonals....this prevents you "fixating" on just a small sector of the board and will help you see when you're about to plop your Queen down on a square where it can be taken. This prevents those gross blunders. It also helps you see a lot of things you might otherwise miss.
I started 5 months ago from zero. at first I played against chessmaster for a month or so. then I started doing tactics about 15min/day when I read somewhere that it would help. after two months, a friend of mine directed me to 'chess tactics server' and I started doing that every day. I became badly addicted to it, and now I do on average 2-3h tactics a day. after about three months I dipped my feet in RHP for the first time, being about 1200RHP then. I crossed 1600 briefly some time ago, but 4 losses in a row dropped me back to 1540. the goal is to stabilize rating over 1600 by christmas. oh, and I also do some elementary blindfold-training, but thats mainly to get a tool for reading algebraic lines in books.
I read a lot about chess, but mainly for fun and curiosity. I don't think I'm really ready to absorb book-knowledge just yet.
that's how I've been going at it. I thought it might interest you. I have the same shimmering dream of some day crossing that magical 2000-level, but I don't obsess about it. I might make it or not, but in the mean time I'm just having fun.
