Introduction

Do you know every chess player only wants one thing: to become a better player? Obviously, they are all different; they all have their temperament and own learning speeds. However, if you are one of those and want to improve your chess skills as a stronger player, then you have come to the right place!

This article will help you go through this process, irrespective of your chess level. The basic principle is that you practice each of the following steps during your preparation and use them.

The majority of the ways to improve is found on chess.com and we will be referencing it tons below.

So let’s start now!

Learn Chess Tactics

For the regular player, learning or improving chess can yield better results more easily than any other player. You can either win or lose a piece after a planned combination. In other words, variations of short-term combinations lead to material gains or a draw, for example, pins, forks, skewers, checkmates, etc.

Based on your ELO rating you can choose to read the following books https://www.chess.com/blog/SamCopeland/25-books-guaranteed-to-improve-your-chess

Study and practice pattern recognition

The same type of chess situation comes up again and again in several tactical themes. You only need to learn these spots when it’s your time to move and understand the moves of your opponent. During the game, it will give you great confidence. Spotting the move will save your time or give you a chance to have the upper hand over your opponent.

A handy trick again on chess.com is to practice Puzzles. Puzzles is a fast way to learn get muscle memory on how to handle different situations with the most optimal move. Hikaru himself mentioned that this is one of the best ways to develop intuition!

Vision

Learning how to quickly spot different tiles based on the tile numbers like a1, h2 etc will help you greatly when reviewing videos, livestreams or even reading on chess.

Tunnel Vision

During matches you will have the tendency to focus on only part of the board or part of the strategy for example only offensive moves or only defensive moves. You need to learn to take a step back and reevaluate your weaknesses and opportunities at every move.

Videos

Look at livestreams at https://www.twitch.tv/Chess they are usually commented by top level chess players. Their commentary will help you immensely with learning how to think and how to play. This is a kind of tutoring that is available free from the best.

Another advice on videos is to look for top chess players training Twitch streams for the Pogchamp tournament. They are coached on everything from openings to best practices to how to checkmate. An example video:

Learn How to Control the Center

The four squares in the middle of the board should be used properly. This is the crucial part of your tactics for the rest of the board, so you can move your pieces wherever you want. Please do not leave your king for a longer period in the board’s center; it exposes the all-important piece to attacks.

Endgame is crucial for winning. 

From my training at my beginner level, I’ve learned that I also need to spend more time on chess endings. There’s no reason for losing a match that you can easily win! The endgame is fun, full of twists that every player needs to know. It is crucial for winning the game.

Opening Basics

It is impossible to know all the openings, so basic learning of what opening you are in will greatly help you. It will help you to consider what types of steps and moves you should use. You need to study them closely.

Playing and Analyzing, Repeat the Cycle

This rule is very simple. The more you play, the more understanding you can have about the game. One part is about learning a new chess concept, and then the second part is the excellent execution of it in a game.

The third part is analysis. After any move played by your opponent, you can have a gap and ask this set of questions to analyze the step:

  • What is the point of this move?
  • Does it require any urgent action?
  • Is it a good or bad move, and why?

You can also go through the same set of questions, even though the moves seem to be clear. To sum up, (1) plan, (2) play, (3) evaluate, (4) play again, and repeat the process over and over again.

On chess.com you will be given the option to analysze the whole match with an AI which will evaluate and suggest the best moves at different points in time during the match.

Lastly, Be Motivated

After a certain level, the loss of passion, is one of the key challenges most players face. Motivation is the most critical component for progress in chess. You need to find the right inspiration to help you keep going.

Finally

You can always improve your game in chess. Getting better at chess can be both fun and simple with the right habits and mindset. You will only need to learn the rules, play a lot of games, analyze the game, study the endgame, not waste time on openings, and carefully play your moves to improve at chess.