Getting better

I was wondering is there really a best way to get better.
If I were to study end games, wouldn't that improve my game?
If I were to study middle game, wouldn't that also improve my game?
If I were to study one or more openings, wouldn't that too improve
my game?

I guess it all of that is true it is really only effort to improve that matters?
Kelly

Originally posted by KellyJay
I was wondering is there really a best way to get better.
If I were to study end games, wouldn't that improve my game?
If I were to study middle game, wouldn't that also improve my game?
If I were to study one or more openings, wouldn't that too improve
my game?

I guess it all of that is true it is really only effort to improve that matters?
Kelly

Start cooperation with Fritz 🙂 or Rybka, even better. It is very popular among chess players 😞

Originally posted by KellyJay
I was wondering is there really a best way to get better.
If I were to study end games, wouldn't that improve my game?
If I were to study middle game, wouldn't that also improve my game?
If I were to study one or more openings, wouldn't that too improve
my game?

I guess it all of that is true it is really only effort to improve that matters?
Kelly

On serious note, I wonder too what's the best way to improve.

Originally posted by ivan2908
On serious note, I wonder too what's the best way to improve.

I think it depends on the person. In my case i tried studying several times but everytime I ended up getting thoroughly bored. I found that way I improve (or maintain) my skill is by playing. So I play a lot of games at various time controls against humans and (shock! horror!) computers. I did read a chess book all the way through once but that was 35 years ago.

Originally posted by Kepler
I think it depends on the person. In my case i tried studying several times but everytime I ended up getting thoroughly bored. I found that way I improve (or maintain) my skill is by playing. So I play a lot of games at various time controls against humans and (shock! horror!) computers. I did read a chess book all the way through once but that was 35 years ago.

I have a difficult time reading chess books too, if they impart some
nugget I can think about it helps. Basically just seeing moves
made doesn't do much for me. I don’t know if it is the writer or
the topic, I basically believe it is the writers, because I love the
topic.

Anyone have a good chess book they like because of the way it was
written?
Kelly

Originally posted by KellyJay
I have a difficult time reading chess books too, if they impart some
nugget I can think about it helps. Basically just seeing moves
made doesn't do much for me. I don’t know if it is the writer or
the topic, I basically believe it is the writers, because I love the
topic.

Anyone have a good chess book they like because of the way it was
written?
Kelly

I think that any annotated chess book is good. Because that's just the moves but the ideas too. Logical Chess Move by Move is a good choice, though at the third game of 1. e4 it starts to get boring to see the same comment with new word over and over again. But that is probably a little too imature for you. So I'd sugest a book of Kasparov's games or a book with lot's of good games with so that you get exposed to a lot of different styles.

Originally posted by KellyJay
I have a difficult time reading chess books too, if they impart some
nugget I can think about it helps. Basically just seeing moves
made doesn't do much for me. I don’t know if it is the writer or
the topic, I basically believe it is the writers, because I love the
topic.

Anyone have a good chess book they like because of the way it was
written?
Kelly

I. Chernev - Logical chess move by move is good one. And popular for more than 50 years

Blackmar, Diemer and Gedult by Tom Purser and Anders Tejler is genuinely entertaining. Probably won't make you any better at chess though. "Coffeehouse superb" indeed!

If you understand Latvian or Russian then I'd suggest you to read Alexander Koblenz's 'Chess School'. A bad think about it is that it's extremely rare. A brilliant book though written in the fifties. Btw, Koblenz was Tal's coach for a long time.

Originally posted by Kepler
So I play a lot of games at various time controls against humans and (shock! horror!) computers.

I find it really hard to get anything out of playing a computer - it can never really explain the principals behind why it has beaten me and often it comes through some sort of unseen tactical combination rather then the result of a well prepared plan.

I guess they do force you to play the absolute best moves to win with - otherwise there are always resources that they seem to find, even in terrible looking positions.

Originally posted by Tyrannosauruschex
I find it really hard to get anything out of playing a computer - it can never really explain the principals behind why it has beaten me and often it comes through some sort of unseen tactical combination rather then the result of a well prepared plan.

I guess they do force you to play the absolute best moves to win with - otherwise there are always resources that they seem to find, even in terrible looking positions.

That's true, but you can tune them downwards or get one of the more elderly standalone chess computers. I have a Radio Shack 1750L that doesn't play stupid moves but is ate least beatable occasionally. It may not explain why it has beaten me/forced a draw/lost but neither do my human opponents! I do find that playing something like HIARCS or Crafty on a reasonably modern Mac (later than 2000 say) is a depressing experience, i just get hammered flat time after time, so I keep an old Commodore 64 with Colossus on it just to in case the standalone thing has run out of battery or turns into silicon scrap.

Originally posted by Tyrannosauruschex
I find it really hard to get anything out of playing a computer - it can never really explain the principals behind why it has beaten me and often it comes through some sort of unseen tactical combination rather then the result of a well prepared plan.

I guess they do force you to play the absolute best moves to win with - otherwise there are always resources that they seem to find, even in terrible looking positions.

I beat the chess computer playing against Microsoft's chess game
they have in Vista 9 out of 10 times at it strongest setting, but
computers treat me the same way too if they have good software.
Kelly

I know my rating here doesn't show it...but I think that I could give some advice at the very least. TACTICS!!! I was plodding along in chess until somebody told me to study tactics...now I can play games like this

http://chesshere.com/pgn.php?id=300110&act=db&archive=1


keep in mind that I still suck at chess compared to most people but I still think that I can lend some advice.

I think the root of the problem is that you're a Cubs fan🙂

i think its a mixture of tactics, belief in yourself and a hunger to win