Help me To Improve?

@sayedizhaan said in #6:

... I have mostly heard my coaches say to play ten games minimum per day, and people don't have time to play 10 rapid or 10 classical games unless they are retired.
For your kind information I am doing 3 Chess classes private lessons by 3 different expert coaches
And in my career, I have experienced more than 30 to 45 coaches, as I was changing my coaches regularly to find my best coach ...

@kindaspongey said in #9:

... [Event "rated rapid game"] [Site "https://lichess.org/game/tNlgRvud"] [Date "2026.09.07"] [White "sayedizhaan"] [Black "ganawafy9"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "1399"] [WhiteRatingDiff "-24"] [Variant "Standard"] [TimeControl "600+5"]

[Event "rated rapid game"] [Site "https://lichess.org/game/Y9NQ28mv"] [Date "2026.10.23"] [White "sayedizhaan"] [Black "SteveCurrieChess"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "1378"] [WhiteRatingDiff "-21"] [Variant "Standard"] [TimeControl "600+5"]

Are you sure that you are making progress? ...

@sayedizhaan said in #10:

... Yes because my ratng was 900 very poor now it took me 8 months to reach till 1200 and 1300

Well, going back to June:

[Event "rated rapid game"] [Site "https://lichess.org/game/rpszKrOZ"] [Date "2026.06.14"] [White "sayedizhaan"] [Black "Mohammadhasan13911"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "1355"] [WhiteRatingDiff "-11"] [Variant "Standard"] [TimeControl "600+5"]

Perhaps the demands of getting to the 1400s are somewhat different from the demands of getting from 900 to where you are now.

"... If you want to get better, then go with the longer time controls. Once you improve, then you can go back to blitz or bullet from time to time, or devote yourself to it permanently. Just not now. ..." - IM Jeremy Silman (2016)
https://www.chess.com/article/view/longer-time-controls-are-more-instructive

@saoirsia said ^

Need Help

---

I need help improving my chess skills. My current rating on Chess.com is around 800 Elo, and my goal is to reach 2000 Elo within the next year.

I solve chess puzzles every day, but I haven't noticed much improvement in my actual games. Please help me understand what I'm doing wrong and how I can improve.

Please provide me with a proper, step-by-step Roadmap to achieve ...

https://www.chesslecture.com/steps.php?screen=0&nav=&use=all&sort=date&dir=down&skill=Any

You are welcome.

@saoirsia said ^

what I'm doing wrong

You are solving problems incorrectly. I don’t see in your profile that you have solved many problems. You have more incorrectly solved problems than correct ones. Think about every task. You can't go at random.

I'll coach you but I'd need payment.

800 elo to 2000 elo in one year is unrealistic tho (I assume you means chess.com blitz or rapid). 2000elo is like 99.5%, many 1700 players trying to achieve it for many years not suceeding.

You can achieve it (I have >2000 rapid on chess.com) but it will take a long time.

This guy been at it for years for example : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=493oUgQYyRs

Write this in big, black letters in plain view in your chess study laboratory:

"The biggest ratings gains usually come from Middlegame planning, Pawn structure understanding, and Endgame technique."

These should be at the forefront of any study routine. You are cheating yourself and wasting time if you do not focus on these areas during your chess studies.

Middlegame Planning: How to Reassess Your Chess by Jeremy Silman
Some here will scoff at this book because they say it has "mistakes" but the information is solid, mistakes or not. It's the basics of the planning method in chess for the rest of us.

Pawn Structure: Chess Structures: A Grandmaster Guide by Mauricio Flores Rios
Teaches you how to play five structure families plus a miscellaneous section.

Endgame Technique: Capablanca's Best Chess Endings by Irving Chernev and/or 100 Endgames You Must Know by Jesus de la Villa.

A Book to run away from as if your hair were on fire:

Think Like a Grandmaster
Nobody thinks about positions like he claims, most of all, us real players. If you did, you'd be exhausted after 1 game and would not survive a tournament. It's only popular because of it's novelty when it was pubished 50+ years ago, in the early 70's. There are much better books based in reality out there. That is not one of them.

[steps down from pedestal]

@ChessPriyome said in #15:

... Middlegame Planning: How to Reassess Your Chess by Jeremy Silman
Some here will scoff at this book because they say it has "mistakes" but the information is solid, mistakes or not. It's the basics of the planning method in chess for the rest of us.

I wouldn't scoff, but I would suggest paying attention to some of what was written by the late IM Silman himself:
“How to Reassess Your Chess, 4th Edition was designed for players in the 1400 to 2100 range.” - IM Jeremy Silman (2010)
"... If it’s instruction, you look for an author that addresses players at your level (buying something that’s too advanced won’t help you at all). This means that a classic book that is revered by many people might not be useful for you. ..." - IM Jeremy Silman (2015)
https://www.chess.com/article/view/the-best-chess-books-ever
"... The Amateur's Mind ... (for players 1000 to 1600) ..." - IM Jeremy Silman (2010)

"... The Amateur’s Mind ... is one of the best instructive books in print. ..." - Taylor Kingston (2009)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708094419/https://www.chesscafe.com/text/ammind.pdf

@ChessPriyome said in #15:

Pawn Structure: Chess Structures: A Grandmaster Guide by Mauricio Flores Rios
Teaches you how to play five structure families plus a miscellaneous section.

"... Chess structures: A Grandmaster Guide is not a primer of positional play; ... Instead, you might think of Chess Structures as positional chess 'finishing school.' ..." - John Hartmann (2015)
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/chess-structures-a-grandmaster-guide/
A sample can be seen at https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7495.pdf .

@saoirsia said in #1:

... My current rating on Chess.com is around 800 Elo, ...

For now, my guess is that an adequate introduction to pawn structure could be found in the 38-page-chapter on the subject in The Amateur's Mind.

@ChessPriyome said in #15:

Endgame Technique: Capablanca's Best Chess Endings by Irving Chernev and/or 100 Endgames You Must Know by Jesus de la Villa. ...

"... the 2000+ player for which 100 Endgames You Must Know [(by Jesus de la Villa)] is really intended ..." - Steve Goldberg (2008)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708105702/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review645.pdf
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9026.pdf

For now, I would think that it would be more than sufficient to work on pages 1-54 of Silman's Complete Endgame Course.
"... I'm convinced that Silman's book will take its place in history as one of the most popular endgame books ever. ... He writes in a clear and casual style, and time and again has shown the ability to reach those who feel intimidated by the lofty approach that a grandmaster will often take. ..." - IM John Watson (2007)
https://theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/theres-an-end-to-it-all
https://www.amazon.com/Silmans-Complete-Endgame-Course-Beginner/dp/1890085103?asin=B00H273OJS&revisi5a3244f2&format=2&depth=1

More reading ideas can be seen at https://lichess.org/forum/general-chess-discussion/what-books-to-read-for-improvement-rating-1400-1500-fide.

I wouldn't be too fast to give up on tactics, it's by far the simplest and most effective method of improving results under intermediate level - assuming there is not some big defect in your gameplay, i.e. playing too fast etc.

However improving tactics requires a bit of planning. For the training to pay off you have to convert your conscious thoughts into unconscious thought - i.e. you have to instantly see potential tactical opportunities for yourself and opponents - and that is the hard part as it involves doing lots and lots of the RIGHT puzzles to bring about the conversion. Worst, tactics tends to be structured, you have to convert the simple to be able to do the complex - it's like arithmetic, if you can't add numbers you're not going to excel at multiplication.

To that end I would recommend Puzzle Streak rather than the default LiChess puzzling, set yourself a daily target and hammer away till the target is reached EACH DAY, increase the target weekly. As an example, I aim for 30+ each day being an intermediate OTB player. I should also add that it takes 2 to 3 months for a distinct improvement to be apparent and failing to practice results very quickly - days - in under performance.

Also note that the shorter the game duration the longer it will take for superior tactical ability relative to your opponents to be evident - the reason for this is that lower level Blitz games tend to have high random outcomes thereby requiring a huge number of daily games for objective benefit to be verifiable. So try to play longer games, minimum 15m|10s say - longer games remove some of the random elements.

As for blueprint, consider the book "Chess Blueprint" by Viktor Rozhinsky - as well as being very solid it's very cheap on Kindle.

To reach 2000 within a year I suspect the key is almost certainly objective assessment of your weaknesses - some of which will be human factors (some of which will not be correctable!) rather than actual gameplay elements.

@kindaspongey said ^

... Middlegame Planning: How to Reassess Your Chess by Jeremy Silman
Some here will scoff at this book because they say it has "mistakes" but the information is solid, mistakes or not. It's the basics of the planning method in chess for the rest of us.

I wouldn't scoff, but I would suggest paying attention to some of what was written by the late IM Silman himself:
“...

I've read all of silman's books, Assess, Amateurs Mind, Endgames. I would hand those books to an 1000 player and he would be happy with it and be able to handle them and probably march right up the rating ladder if taken to heart.

Chess Structures is not strictly a positional book. It deals with Pawn Structures and how to play for and against them. This I have read mostly, as well.

I'd say you are talking out your hat but all you do is gather google search results and quotes for posterity, so I guess you can claim ignorance. But hey - you be you!

;)

@kindaspongey said in #16:

... “How to Reassess Your Chess, 4th Edition was designed for players in the 1400 to 2100 range.” - IM Jeremy Silman (2010)
"... If it’s instruction, you look for an author that addresses players at your level (buying something that’s too advanced won’t help you at all). This means that a classic book that is revered by many people might not be useful for you. ..." - IM Jeremy Silman (2015) ...

@ChessPriyome said in #18:

... I've read all of silman's books, Assess, Amateurs Mind, Endgames. I would hand those books to an 1000 player and he would be happy with it and be able to handle them and probably march right up the rating ladder if taken to heart.

Well, IM Silman WROTE the Reassess book, and his opinion about it would seem to have been somewhat different from what seemed to be indicated in #15. Does this (#18) reference to “march”ing “right up the rating ladder” indicate that you now recognize that it might not be a good idea for saoirsia to start on the Reassess book right away?
By the way: “... My current rating on Chess.com is around 800 Elo, ...“ - saoirsia (#1)
I would guess that 2010 Silman was thinking of a 1400 USCF rating.

@kindaspongey said in #16:

... "... Chess structures: A Grandmaster Guide is not a primer of positional play; ... Instead, you might think of Chess Structures as positional chess 'finishing school.' ..." - John Hartmann (2015) ...

@ChessPriyome said in #18:

Chess Structures is not strictly a positional book. It deals with Pawn Structures and how to play for and against them. This I have read mostly, as well. ...

Well, if you get in touch with John Hartmann (who wrote for Chess Life), I suppose that you can communicate with him about his use of the word, “positional”. I would guess that it would be of more interest to saoirsia (and other similar readers here) to note that your reading does not seem to have moved you to dispute the “finishing school” characterization. I suppose that some sense of the Structures book might be acquired by looking at the free online sample at https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7495.pdf .

@ChessPriyome said ^

Write this in big, black letters in plain view in your chess study laboratory:

"The biggest ratings gains usually come from Middlegame planning, Pawn structure understanding, and Endgame technique."

I agree with this. Also your remarks about pawn structures. Flores Rios is good, as is Sokolov. But then I say that if you understand how to play the structures, you shouldn't need Silman's book, which I didn't like much. IMO it's a little gimmicky, or maybe unnatural?.

I think one would do well to differentiate between training games and "serious" games. I like thematic correspondence chess for training games, as an way to get directed middle-game practice. Also I recommend playing both sides of an opening in training games.