51–60 of 126 posts
Doing a few chess puzzles a day (and aiming to get them correct, rather than trying to get through as many as you can) has done wonders for my move speed. For example, I recognize forks much faster now. Lichess lets you pick several themes as well, if you want to focus on particular situations.
For mediocre chess players like me I recommend trying online speed chess for a few months. Bullet chess where each player gets a minute total clock is a completely different game where you move every half second on average. Aggressive playing is rewarded - as long as you get your opponent to waste time thinking. The quick play allows you develop a better sense of positioning, game flow, and end game tactics. When you…
Of course conventional wisdom isn’t always right, but that is the conventional wisdom.
Correct play in longer TCs translate much better to blitz than vice versa.
Doing a few chess puzzles a day (and aiming to get them correct, rather than trying to get through as many as you can) has done wonders for my move speed. For example, I recognize forks much faster now. Lichess lets you pick several themes as well, if you want to focus on particular situations.
Where in the app do I got to pick themes?
Doing a few chess puzzles a day (and aiming to get them correct, rather than trying to get through as many as you can) has done wonders for my move speed. For example, I recognize forks much faster now. Lichess lets you pick several themes as well, if you want to focus on particular situations.
Where in the app do I got to pick themes?
Hijacking the comments to ask: what is the best way to get better at chess? (other than “just” playing matches, I’m already doing that)
Study and practicing openings. By this I mean you should memorise all the lines of an opening; not just the main lines. A vast majority of matches are won/lost within 30-35 moves by a few botched up opening moves. I don't recommend puzzles that much. They give you mental satisfaction. However, it is one thing to think of a good move knowing before hand that there's such a move possible but entirely different to recog…
"The ability to play chess is the sign of a gentleman. The ability to play chess well is the sign of a wasted life." Paul Murphy.
Precise thought patterns, acronyms, X seconds per move... This seems like a terrible, robotic way to play chess, at least when it comes to having fun. I've played in excess of 100k games on lichess (mostly 3 minutes, some 5 minute and bullet too, no increments) with my ELO rating being ~2100 and I don't consciously do any of these (whether these or approximations of such still take place unconsciously is a different…
For mediocre chess players like me I recommend trying online speed chess for a few months. Bullet chess where each player gets a minute total clock is a completely different game where you move every half second on average. Aggressive playing is rewarded - as long as you get your opponent to waste time thinking. The quick play allows you develop a better sense of positioning, game flow, and end game tactics. When you…
"The ability to play chess is the sign of a gentleman. The ability to play chess well is the sign of a wasted life." Paul Murphy.
Hijacking the comments to ask: what is the best way to get better at chess? (other than “just” playing matches, I’m already doing that)
* Tactics - I did thousands of tactics puzzles using a program called CT-ART while under a time limit. I would have to complete 25 puzzles within 5 minutes while making 0 mistakes. If I made a mistake I would have to start from the beginning.
* Core positional concepts - Understanding pawn structure (double pawns, isolated pawns, passed pawns, pawn majorities, etc.), control of central squares, open files, king safety, and so on.
* Endgames - Many players neglect endgames. Master the basics: common rook-and-pawn and pawn-only endgames, how to checkmate with 2 bishops and bishop + knight, etc. Read Silman's Complete Endgame Course, Basic Chess Endings, and Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual (for advanced players) to improve your endgame play.
* Openings - Many people have mentioned learning openings, but it is generally a mistake for beginners and intermediate players to focus on this aspect of their game. It is not especially useful for a ~1000-rated OTB player to learn 15+ moves of theory in the King's Indian Defense only to end up in a position where there are slightly better according to theory but have no understanding of their position. It is better to center your opening repertoire around easy-to-learn openings and focus on improving other aspects of your game until you are strong enough to handle positions outside of opening theory.