Top tips for improvement?

Hi Alex,

I think your openings are a little ropey for someone aspiring to be 160+. Do you play the Centre Counter as Black against 1.e4? It's an OK opening, but really not something you should be using beyond 150 grade. The same thing with the Closed Sicilian as White. You should be more ambitious now, though it may mean a little bit of book work!

Computer programs have their place, they're great at pointing out tactical errors in our games. But there's nothing like going over a game with other chess players, preferably about your strength or slightly better (not too good or the analysis just becomes a lesson from the strong player). You can bounce ideas off each other and they may be able to suggest plans that you hadn't considered. Old players are great for this as they have played a lot more games of chess than you, even if they are not as good as they used to be at converting a better position into a win.

Personally I find the combination of trying out something new in lots of online blitz games before using it in a real game works well.

Finally, although a lot of people say that you can only improve by playing people better than you, I think it is essential to ensure that you can still beat weaker players fairly efficiently as well.

Originally posted by Data Fly
Hi Alex,

I think your openings are a little ropey for someone aspiring to be 160+. Do you play the Centre Counter as Black against 1.e4? It's an OK opening, but really not something you should be using beyond 150 grade. The same thing with the Closed Sicilian as White. You should be more ambitious now, though it may mean a little bit of book work!

Com ...[text shortened]... ink it is essential to ensure that you can still beat weaker players fairly efficiently as well.

I do, I play e5 and learning the french too against e4, in the process of changing my openings a bit. I commonly go for the Grand Prix Attack against the Sicilian, it's my favourite opening by a long way and I've had great success with it OTB.

I agree with your point about analysis being at its best around experienced players, need to make the effort to go to my club on nights other than match nights to manage that I think.

Lately things have gone well playing people 140+ but I need to play more people 180+ i feel, for example I won an under 165 tournament this season but will be playing the open next time round!

Thanks for taking the time to reply,

Alex

Alexzummerset,
Perhaps, playing fast games where you keep on playing the same moves as the last game, and the last game, and the last game, etc., isn't really learning while you are playing. Slow enough games are needed.

It gives you time to develop with principles and ideas of your own, as well as, of theory players. It gives time to examine your ideas while you are playing so that you can really learn what was good and what wasn't so that you can carry learning into future games.

Perhaps, one good thing to keep in mind is to play opening moves which do more than one thing at a time. You can also try to carry this into the middle game. You may already know this, but whatever you see, play the position you have in front of you and not necessarily standard theory. You may find many games that deviate from standard theoretical moves.

If I am not wrong, GreenPawn learns from books about chess rather than databases. I think databases are useful, but knowing why you make a certain move gives you knowledge you need.

And P.S. . .If I am not wrong, Magnus Carlsen depends more on his middle game and end game abilities than his openings. Perhaps, you can determine where you are strongest and use that point or points to your advantage.

Just had a few blitz games, including a nice win against a 2100! pretty happy with my play in this one, really like f5! although I played it very late considering it was a grand prix attack 😛