in a game such as chessmaster what level is one to play at to get better because repectivly if your playing at a 1200 level should you play the chess master at 2800 or should you play someone in your range keeping in mind you want to get better..i beleive playing someone your own rating is interesting but won't make you better..im mean sure you might win but in the long run what did you learn??..any advice???
I read somewhere, and this about human opponents, that the most productive play is against people not too far from your own rating. That is, around 100 to 200 points off. Within that range, about 75% of your games against higher rated opponents and 25% against lower rated is a good balance. The importance of playing lower rated opponents is learning how to press home the advantages you may get. And as you improve you'll build on the winning techniques you've learned. But of course the real meat is the lessons you can learn losing a close-fought game. Playing people too much better isn't necessarily good, as you may not entirely understand how they beat you. I don't know if this is all true, but it sounds good to me. Anyway, that's what I read. Somewhere.
I suppose it probably goes for computers, too. More or less. Roughly speaking, of course.
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- 20 Oct 02
- Moves
- 599520
Originally posted by huntingbearI like to play chessmaster at its top strength for a couple of games, then play a game at my rating. I dont always win when I play at my rating after this, but I do seem to play better. When I start gatting sloppy again I go back to the top rating for a little more punishment, than come back to my rating again.
I read somewhere, and this about human opponents, that the most productive play is against people not too far from your own rating. That is, around 100 to 200 points off. Within that range, about 75% of your games against higher rated opponents and 25% against lower rated is a good balance. The importance of playing lower rated opponents is learning how ...[text shortened]... here.
I suppose it probably goes for computers, too. More or less. Roughly speaking, of course.
I play up to about about 200 points higher than here. Playing at Max strength can be demoralizing as he doesn't make mistakes. Same with Fritz, I play at about 1500 - 1600 level with Fritz as it seems to play tougher than Chessmaster at these levels.
Make sure you analyze your games using the software. That's where the real learning takes place and you can learn from playing 900 level players if you do this as it helps you see their mistakes and learn how to take advantage of them.
Bryan