"I'm sure greenpawn will be here shortly with a comprehensive advice." 🙂
I think the lads are doing just fine.
Patanjali if you can join a chess club then do so.
Here you are in one but playing in an OTB club you will be playing just one
game at a time and doing nothing else but playing that game not reading the
forums, playing a dozen or so other games at the same time....watching TV.
You will find things start to gel quicker.
Also there is every chance you will get some face to face advice which is invaluable.
You never said which books you have read but if you have the time and the
inclination then a good book will help bring you along.
Originally posted by Patanjaliby solving tactical problems. which you CAN do from a tactics book (has it's own advantages, like solving in a bus or at bed etc.), or on computer. it doesn't really matter all that much what source you use, the important thing is you DO them, preferably daily. someone said chesstempo earlier, I like the non-commercial chess tactics server better:
So I need to study tactics? But you say reading is not the best use of my time. How then, do I study tactics?
http://chess.emrald.net/
but it really doesn't matter which source you use. most chess softwares have their own problem sets, and so do many chess servers. pick one, do some tactics daily, keep at it, and I guarantee you'll start improving.
I did a little over 100 000 tactics problems during my first 2 years after starting chess, and got to around 1800 here. I'm not saying it'll be easy to sustain the effort, but it IS necessary.
Originally posted by PatanjaliAs far as tactics go, I can recommend a book (if you do indeed enjoy the book studying you mentioned earlier). I haven't worked all the way through the thing (honestly...who has?) but it is an invaluable primer for every class of player.
I just fell in love with chesstempo.com
Thanks!
5,334 (+1) by Laszlo Polgar - I picked this up at a chess club in Los Angeles awhile back. Each time I pick it up it both maddens me and makes me smile. Thats a delightful one when it can do both!
Outside of that Mr. Patanjali you have had some really really great advice. Although I must admit I'm a bit shocked at one missing piece of the growth puzzle. Studying games although at this stage in your development I don't recommend it as a crutch...I do think its time for you to start embracing this type of study - and moreso as your tactics progress. Check out the server at http://www.chessgames.com Redhotpawn.com (here duh!) also has master games...though I don't know how to get to them ... Chessgames.com is great, you can search by opening (I recommend openings you prefer to begin with) and find players which favor it. There are hundreds of books that have been written as game collections... Mammoth Book of Chess is good... 500 by J. Dumont and Taratakower, my 60 by Bobby Fischer, Lessons from my games Reuben Fine (I also liked Fines "Worlds Great Chess Games" though many didn't)... a long list indeed. Try chessgames.com first I think.
Find the player who favors your opening and watch. You don't have to concentrate on every move (not yet - you'll do that later in your chess life) but instead just watch where he puts his pieces. Every once in awhile you may feel a little spark (WHOA! NOW THATS AN IDEA!!) go over that 2 or 3 more times. If you get the chance, try and recreate it in a game 😉
So to recap...
Don't play a game until you know what went wrong with the last one.
Tactics whether its puzzles in a book, on a board, or a computer. They are important.
(note: I haven't looked at this tempo site...hopefully its good gravy... I'll take the boys word for it!)
Study the games of masters especially those masters whose play appeals to you and your style.
Finally if your computer stops working correctly, smack tomtom upside the head take a few of the nations best coin from his wallet and buy yourself a respectable brew. 😉
Q
Too late Q
He posted "I just fell in love with chesstempo.com."
We have lost him. The techno crowd got to him before me.
He has found the quick fix.
Your way will work 100% but that is too much like hard work.
We must not anymore slip through our fingers.
You patrol the forum from dawn to dusk. I'll do the nightshift.
🙂
Gosh it must be awful posting on here asking for some advice.
Usually 10 post in and the poster gets loads of conflicting advice and everyone
starts arguing with each other. I bet most leave thinking chess players are all mad.
We are.
Originally posted by greenpawn34Oh dear Mr. Pawn.
Too late Q
We must not anymore slip through our fingers.
You patrol the forum from dawn to dusk. I'll do the nightshift.
🙂
What have we done? Or worse - what have we got ourselves into?
swabbies, tikes, and rugrats off the port bow!
Dawn it is I suppose... I'll trim the wick of yesternights my friend.
Q
Originally posted by robbie carrobieActually ...e5 is tactically plausible so I change my mind and would play this. The other decision wasn't very pleasant for black but there wasn't much else if you miss ...e5.
[pgn]
[FEN "rn1q1rk1/p2bbppp/1p2pn2/8/3PP3/1QNB4/PP1BN1PP/R3K2R b KQ - 0 12"]
{hi, consider this position, here you played, ...Bc8?? undeveloping your bishop, why? what led you to consider this move? almost any other developing move would have been preferred, ...Nc6, or even ....Bc6. Was it a misplaced estimation of whites attack, what in fact i ...[text shortened]... y attractive possibilities to prevent this} 12... Bc8 13. e5 Ng4
14. Be4 Nc6 15. Bxc6 *[/pgn]
What seemed to help me a lot was analyzing my games using a chess engine (Chessmaster 11).
I also love watching annotated games at http://www.chessvideos.tv. They have complete GM annotated games, videos on opening, middle-game and end game theory. There are also hundreds of videos on many different aspects of the game. It's quite addictive
Significantly improving in chess is an excruciatingly slow process and a very humbling experience. Every time I feel like I am making headway, I get slapped back to reality. I love this game, but sometimes I friggin hate it.
Originally posted by tomtom232its no use tomo my friend, there is no use discussing these things with a super grand
Actually ...e5 is tactically plausible so I change my mind and would play this. The other decision wasn't very pleasant for black but there wasn't much else if you miss ...e5.
patzer, i dont understand anything, you can study, you can read annotated games, you
can look at pawn configurations, you can read opening books on the latest fashionable
ideas, you can study strategy, tactics, strong and weak squares, knight outposts, do a
thousand mates in three puzzles, know how to mate with a king and pawn, with a
bishop and knight and some swindler will come a long and bust your position because
he knows how to fork pawns with his queen, there is no justice in chess.
Until you realize something that you can do differently, then you aren't going to get any better. As long as your decision making is based on the same ideas, then your results will remain the same.
It's tough to figure out how to do something different, especially when you are dealing with a deck of cards that one false move can bring crashing down.