Yea, Murrow, your chart shows you going down, but that's an illusion. You can't be getting worse unless you're slowly losing brain cells. You're just losing games. My advice. Do read a good book. I like the Jeremy Silman ones, but there are plenty of others. Get a piece of sofware like Fritz, Chessmaster, etc. to practice against and let it beat your brains out for a while. YOu'll emerge a better player. And remember EVerybody is trying to improve, so you're shooting at a moving target. Also get a book on simple endgame strategy, rook and pawn endings especially. Everybody runs into those. Don'e play when your exhausted or just had a fight with your girlfriend or wife. Oh, by the way, where are the Fortuna Islands?
Originally posted by murrowaim for compicated possitions and study tactics before all.
hi, i suck and i seem to be getting worse - just look at my rating: used to be in 1400s now lucky to stay above 1200.
what's the best way to improve my game? i've never tried a chess book: anyone recommend a good one? or anything else?
- thanks, murrow
Books are good for stories, but pretty useless for "teaching" you chess.
I hate playing against computers. Why do that, when you can play all the games you want on RHP?
The best tool to improve your play is a strong desire to win. You have to win so badly that you come to realise that the game is not so much about advancing your own brilliant plans, but rather about thwarting the brilliant plans of your opponents.
Anyway, if you want to do some reading, I haven't seen anything useful in a book (and I've got plenty) that can't already be found online. And the best place to start is:
http://www.chessville.com/instruction/instr_gen_collection_wisdom_intro.htm
Good luck.
BTW: All things are relative... I would also love to know how to improve.
Originally posted by GatecrasherThis advice about looking for your opponent's plans can be summed up as "don't make mistakes" as I've read by some author whose name I can't pronounce, or spell.
Books are good for stories, but pretty useless for "teaching" you chess.
The best tool to improve your play is a strong desire to win. You have to win so badly that you come to realise that the game is not so much about advancing y ...[text shortened]... rather about thwarting the brilliant plans of your opponents.
When I started realizing that chess is about mistakes, and that a mistake is a move that I make that allows my opponet to make devastating replies, I think I started getting better. Now someitmes I spend more time thinking of my oppoent's possible moves than I spend thinking of my moves, unless I can force a reply.
I feel that the best time to learn occurs when you lose. You lose not because of a lame careless mistake but rather you tried your best to execute your plan but still lost out to your opponent. Then you should analyse your game and spot the moves that allowed your opponent to slowly gain the advantage over you. You could use some chess software or a stronger player to help you go through the game.
I guess everyone's different, but personally I think it's important to read as much chess literature as possible. I just can't understand how people can claim that reading chess books is a waste of time. I think maybe they're just frustrated that the information in the book doesn't suddenly become ingrained in their memory. Sorry, but it doesn't work that way. It takes time and much study to become good.
Personally, I've recently been going through "best game" books from the masters and I can notice that this has helped me considerably as I make far fewer blunders than I did just months ago.
thanks everyone - that's really useful... i'm going to get a jeremy silman book; get some software with which to analyse my games; and stop playing when i'm knackered (VERY guilty as charged!). ironman watch out? i'll keep you posted on how i get on! my project for the next 12 months: to get over 1500.
I can tell you right now, chess books are useless, I have read over 30 chess books, many of them 3 times over, on many different facets of the game (not just openings if you are wondering) and I have seen no improvement in my play. I've donated like 4 hours a day to chess, and I still suck wallops, so don't feel bad if you are not improving, it could be worse, you could be me. . .
Originally posted by mateuloseDude, its not your knowledge...its your attitude. A desire to learn is all one needs...This constant self-loathing you do only creates doubts in your mind as you play. Losing a chess game is not going to end the world. Just a bit of perspective from someone who has been where you are and found his life wasn't worth living until he let go of misplaced priorities.
I can tell you right now, chess books are useless, I have read over 30 chess books, many of them 3 times over, on many different facets of the game (not just openings if you are wondering) and I have seen no improvement in my play. I've donated like 4 hours a day to chess, and I still suck wallops, so don't feel bad if you are not improving, it could be worse, you could be me. . .
Originally posted by KWCoronaYou do know, I wasn't like this forever, I used to be a happy child. A lot of ppl assume that ppl like me simply develop pessimism and it's part of some disease consuming you. It's not, when I was a kid, I worked hard, and had results, and I was simply happy. However, as a teenager, that work turned to failures, and now the failures are continuing until now, despite all the work. So please forgive me if I have doubts, or why I perhabs even hate learning, because for whatever reason, I'm not good at it.
Dude, its not your knowledge...its your attitude. A desire to learn is all one needs...This constant self-loathing you do only creates doubts in your mind as you play. Losing a chess game is not going to end the world. Just a bit of perspective from someone who has been where you are and found his life wasn't worth living until he let go of misplaced priorities.
I'm in such a crapper and just STARVING for success of any kind, even a "silly game" like chess for example, and that's the only way I will start to feel better about myself. Contrary to what phyciatrists think, success is necessary to fight depression when you live in a capitalistic society, success is like food when it comes to capitalism, without this food, you are starving, and it's hard to be happy about it when you are just hungry. . .
It just pisses me off that the average joe can works 2-3 times less then me, and always acheives the better results in just about anything imaginable. I can only cue this down to me simply being unable to learn at an acceptable fast paste in this fast moving money driven society. Geting a chess teacher or whatever won't help, because I'm sure he/she will be like most teachers in my life, and say, "I can't help you, I'm sorry, I don't know what to say, I wish I could find out what makes you learn better."
Originally posted by mateuloseSuckyboy
I'm sorry, I don't know what to say, I wish I could find out what makes you learn better."
I already told ya before where to find the answer to daft question! in a book called lessons from the art of juggling. You know you have got two ears and only one mouth, so you should listen twice as much as you speak.🙂
Originally posted by Jay PeateaSuggesting sarcasm doesn't solve the situation. I doubt picking up a book about juggling will help my chess playing.
Suckyboy
I already told ya before where to find the answer to daft question! in a book called lessons from the art of juggling. You know you have got two ears and only one mouth, so you should listen twice as much as you speak.🙂
Originally posted by mateuloseSuckyboy (you have too pronoun this the same way as Pegasis says Yugi-boy)
Suggesting sarcasm doesn't solve the situation. I doubt picking up a book about juggling will help my chess playing.
It is a book on learning how to learn, using juggling as a metaphor. The basic principles can be applied to all subjects, if you really have learning difficults and are not just trolling around trying to wind people up with your spam, then you should at the very least attempt to read it.
😉
Originally posted by Jay Peatea"It is a book learning how to learn"
Suckyboy (you have too pronoun this the same way as Pegasis says Yugi-boy)
It is a book on learning how to learn, using juggling as a metaphor. The basic principles can be applied to all subjects, if you really have learning difficults and are not just trolling around trying to wind people up with your spam, then you should at the very least attempt to read it.
😉
Well, if you have trouble learning, how can you learn how to learn using this book? It all seems kinda oxymoronic and a real paradox, this book seems to be a sham for ppl like me trying to get money off our already poor arses, but I'll look for it anyways, but seeing that I cannot learn, I dunno the point.