💬〡improvement-talk

[coarse hamlet]

What opening js the best for 1000 elo

[void furnace]

Can I change this or do I just have to accept it? This game is almost all about memorization. I am currently rated 1349 online and I was able to beat a 2200 over the board, How is that possible! Well I played the london system and I had the opening memorized and I knew the plans after I finish the opening, however my opponent didn't, so even though they just follow principles and try to survive, I still come out victorious because I simply knew more about the opening

I realized that I am not able to get out of the 1300s because they usually put me into an opening that I don't know what to do in, or they know my opening more than I do. I follow principles, but I still can't win because my opponent miraculously knows all the plans and gets an 1800 rating in game review

Is it really true that to play chess if you just play openings that you can easily get and then memorize all the lines or most of the lines, that's how you get better? I thought chess was more than that.

I have also beaten multiple 2000 elos over the board because I simply know my opening better

[mint lava]

See [What is the best opening?](#1040028251965358121 message) and [the list of good openings](#1040028251965358121 message) in our FAQ.

[mint lava]

I cannot judge these OTB games without seeing the games, and knowing the context (simul? blitz? rated or not?). Also, a single game doesn't say much, especially in faster time controls. What is your FIDE rating?

But looking at your last three online games:

• Your opening went great, but you made some positional mistakes and later a tactical blunder, and lost.
• Excellent opening, but both sides blundered tactically multiple times and missed chances to win. In the end, you lost.
• Good of of the opening, but then questionable positional and tactical choices. Your opponent blundered back, but you didn't take the chance. A wild mutual king hunt ensued, decided by a tactical blunder.

So your own games are proof that openings are not everything; you were great, sometimes outright winning, out of the opening in all three games, but still went 0/3. In fact, your games are proof of the opposite: The most important factor at this rating is tactical skills, followed by positional handling. Openings come third if even that.

Hikaru proved the same when he reached 3000 chess.com blitz with the Bongcloud opening.
Even in classical chess, and even at the Candidates or World Championships, we see plenty of time where an advantage out of the opening is reversed.

If it were as simple as memorizing openings, wouldn't everyone do that? I try to memorize openings, but it doesn't help me that much. I would love to reach 2200.

[void furnace]

I have been playing a new white opening so that's why I am not used to what I'm doing. But as you can see memorizing openings is a huge part of the game, my opponents are making mistakes because of how good I'm playing the opening, but I am simply just missing it because of my poor tactical vision sometimes, I still believe memorization is very important. How would I be able to get better tactical vision though?

[karmic atlas]

Can u send the notation for this 1300 vs 2200 game?

[wraith kernel]

Hey, if I study chess for 2 hours daily, what should I do in those 2 hours, and for how many minutes, can anyone help me.

[muted gale]

It should primarily be a mix of playing, solving, and going over your games. I don't think it's a great idea to be incredibly strict about the time spent, partially because it's impossible when games and analysis aren't fixed lengths
This [FAQ post](#1040028251965358121 message) has a large range for the topics which you can narrow down on depending on what you feel you need the most/want to do

[spring carbon]

can someone help me figure out what I’m doing wrong?

I analyze my games, do puzzles, and play but I’ve been stuck at 600-700 elo for 3 weeks

[glass cipher]

How did you analyze your game

[spring carbon]

when I analyze I just go through the blunders and bad moves I made and figure out what I could’ve done instead

[glass cipher]

Uhh well give me one of your most analyzed game loss by the way

[void furnace]

No cause it was unrated

[spring carbon]

I guess this idk https://www.chess.com/game/live/169373987936

[warm mortar]

Polarizz64 (618) vs. knubbaluphaguus2nd (662)

Move List

1. e4 a5 2. Nf3 e6 3. c3 d5 4. e5 Bc5 5. d4 Bb6 6. Bb5+ Bd7 7. Bxd7+ Nxd7 8. O-O f6 9. exf6 Ngxf6 10. Bg5 c5 11. Bxf6 Nxf6 12. Na3 O-O 13. Qb1 Bc7 14. Ng5 Ne4 15. Nxe4 dxe4 16. dxc5 Qh4 17. h3 Qf4 18. g3 Qh6 19. h4 Rf3 20. Qxe4 Raf8 21. Nb5 Rxf2 22. Rxf2 Rxf2 23. Kxf2 Qd2+ 24. Kf3 Qxb2 25. Qxe6+ Kf8 26. Re1 Qxb5 27. c6 Qd3+ 28. Kg4 Qxg3+ 29. Kh5 g6+ 30. Kh6 [Qxh4#] 

[spring carbon]

maybe if someone could go through and analyze it and leave notes on the thought process it would help?

[glass cipher]

Loss right?

[spring carbon]

ye

[glass cipher]

Aside from questionable tactical attempts which i will let you go find it out with engines,here are some notable mistakes

1.you made too many trade,forced or not

The problem about this is that you traded all of the workhorse that help you control the center

Trading in chess is usually to diminish attacking resource or buys more time for long-term stuff like endgame advantages so whenever you need time to initiate something or that you are getting attacked,trading is a good choice just try to use less active piece to trade

2.they centralize every pieces where you only do some,idk what were you doing it for but centralize your piece,it can access the same square anyway and you will have a great fighting chance when they game turned tactical which it did

[karmic atlas]

Yea that explains alot of context. Im not surprised that this massive upset win happened if this game was unrated and not notated. The 2200 had nothing to lose

[spring carbon]

hmm I see

waitt I just learned the difference between a positional move and a tactical move

so what your saying is that I should’ve been focusing positionally rather than the weak tactical attempts I was trying?

[crisp spire]

Chat today i reached 200 elo in rapid

[real needle]

Well actually, that 2200 player might have been dominant, but a one-move blunder costing him a piece gave this guy the win which explains everything

[glass cipher]

Nah it’s kinda close
You see the pawn on e6?,its a backward pawn with an semi-open file having access to it

What can you do is keep putting pressure on that pawn until their pieces start getting passive to defend it then you explode into a tactical game with central or queenside pawnbreak but since there are less active pieces to cover other area you can infiltrate and have extraordinary concentration on that pawn then win the pawn,trade,win endgame

This is kind of strategic thing and this use positional concept and tactical concepts

[karmic atlas]

My point is that, for alot of ppl including me, your level of play changes drastically if theres something vs nothing on the line. Like would that 2200 have beaten a 1300 if the game was actually not unrated, meaning the 2200 had something to lose if they didnt win. And if the game was notated too

[glass cipher]

I told you positional stuff because it is easily transferable while still helping you tactically indirectly but do puzzles to get a better foundation still

[spring carbon]

hmm I kinda get what you mean but can’t picture what that would actually look like

[spring carbon]

is there any specific puzzles to be doing or should I just do a mix

[glass cipher]

Do more puzzles mix

[jovial mulch]

should i study my games ?

[muted gale]

This is a link to a response I wrote for a similar question yesterday #💬〡improvement-talk message

[sinful snow]

anyone up for a game? need tips for improvemnt

[glass cipher]

Sure

[sinful snow]

link or add?

[sinful snow]

slr

[glass cipher]

DM

[static sedge]

I have been playing for 91 days straight I played 1000 games within that time frame and went from 196 elo to 600 I recently dropped to 500 elo. Nothing changed with my routine is this a sign for me to take a break ?

[gentle robin]

is this a human move

[wooden viper]

It is, yeah. It stops the king from going to safety at g8 and threatens Qxc7+ forcing Bd7 and Qxd7#

Even if the passed pawn on e2 takes the d1 rook with check, the pawn on c7 is not defendable and black would have to sacrifice the queen for the knight and bishop to hold on.

[gentle robin]

i see

[glass cipher]

Maybe,let all those pattern recgonition consolidate

[fallow pine]

Man I keep losing in the most stupid ways

[gaunt brook]

Guys

[dark wadi]

what is this defense on the black side

I didn't know how to respond so I did the most basic ass things and got the center board into a stale-lock where I had very few good moves and had to force the opponent to time out just to win

not a win I'm proud of. I basically had to win through sheer force of bs lmao

[spark acorn]

For the e4 I did that because I thought the Botvinnik was good against kid setups. Are there moments when e4 with Botvinnik are good or do you not recommend ever playing e4? What move were you talking about that were out of prep? And the endgame was indeed pretty bad I really should have thought more about e5 but I didn't realize it was a checkmate if he took it.

[fiery merlin]

i just need a simple tip how to get out of 200 elo

[mint lava]

Ah, I misread the situation, this was because of some opening course? Yes, the Botvinnik setup is playable against the KID. But then you really need to know what you are doing, because it is such an extreme setup.

What move were you talking about that were out of prep?
When do you think you left prep?
There should be a sharp distinction in the time management of when you leave your prep. But I didn't see this here.

[mint lava]

This is the beginnings of a Hippo setup.
I would put three pawns in the center, so c4 instead of Nc3.
But in any case, you defeat it by developing quickly and then gaining space, often by pushing the h pawn.

Be patient, don't play d5 nor e5. They have a huge space disadvantage and can barely maneuver. Just keep tightening the screws.

[dark wadi]

Yeah I noticed that it punishes you for a center attack. I played having wished I had also developed my pawns on a and h

he brought out both his knights and I had to kick them

Literally an any other defense at my level, I'm usually okay because the intent is clearer and it's easier to punish an aggressive opponent. Hippo flips that around and boy is it annoying

apparently my irl friend is using it unintentionally with a weird zigzag setup. Only reason I can beat him is because I recognized his moving pawn wall allows me to use tempo to advance my pieces

[spark acorn]

My opening prep was until around here and I saw no real risk with his f5 so I did Kh2 so the king would be as safe as possible and later played g4 also to protect the king from his battery with his queen and bishop

My prep was more 'finishing the development before f4' as I have never seen my opponents position before

[bleak karma]

Is this good in 8 months of playing chess?

[dark wadi]

Is my understanding correct? 😮

[plain comet]

Above average

[fallow pine]

I’m 1700 in rapid but stuck 1100 in blitz

How does that work

[zealous trail]

you just need to think quicker