How can I get better at chess?

[Viola_456]

I started playing chess again after few years. I got to 1600 elo but got kinda stuck there. Are there any good books or videos that might help me?

[Bricealan]

@Viola_456 There are good books, and I had several, but alas I was too stupid and obtuse to keep them once I had them, much less, read and understand.

Like the AI suggested, good players play a lot... watch, "The Queens Gambit"

My chess board is permanently set up on a table in the Solarium... with comfortable chairs on either side. I don't have a "clock" and we may not need one. While in Huntington Beach, drop by and we can play a game or two 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️😁😁

If you have a rating of 1600, you certainly are no 'slouch' at the game. Find where a 'simul' is being played near you and go and watch other good players, and see how they move.

Go on line and look for books or at your local library and look books at your level of play 1600.

Good luck..."Check Mate" ...

Bruce

[abc3643]

There is an old book that I loaned to a friend over 45 years ago and I haven't seen it since (and he died last month). It's "The Blue Book of Charts to Winning Chess".
It is a statistical analysis of many games in history to that point (probably about 60 years ago). I remember the first line was something like... "White has a 62% chance of victory."

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Book-Charts-Winning-Chess/dp/4871878848

The book has likely been updated because, 60 years ago, we were using "Description Notation" which is what I still prefer. "Algebraic Notation" was not common yet and not the standard. So, I suspect the book was updated using Algebraic Notation.

[abc3643]

This is the NYT Book Review from 1969 which, I guess, is when it was first published. Read it carefully... (And I was wrong; it's 59%.)

The Blue Book Of Charts To Winning Chess; By Arthur M. Stevens. 449 pp. New York: A. S. Barnes. $12.

Sept. 7, 1969

The Blue Book Of Charts To Winning Chess; By Arthur M. Stevens. 449 pp. New York: A. S. Barnes. $12.

September 7, 1969, Section BR, Page 40

(more)

[abc3643]

Others than Bobby Fischer have long suspected that White can obtain a positive initiative by opening with P-K4. Yet no one before Arthur Stevens was sure that this advantage could be demonstrated statistically. When Stevens, a systems analyst, turned after retirement to chess, he completed 14 years of compiling a statistical analysis in chart form of 56,972 Master's tournament games. Emphasizing contests in which those fearsome Russians participated, he set up his Index offering a scientific way to evaluate chess openings, with the winning percentages given for every succeeding move through the first 10. To understand the immensity of this task we should remember Irving Chernev's calculation that if everyone in the world were to spend every waking hour playing chess, at the unlikely rate of a game a minute it would take 217 billion years to use all the possible variations on the first 10 moves of Black and White.

(more)

[abc3643]

Obviously the charts making up the Index cannot bother with illogical or unlikely variations merely those observed in Grandmaster play. What inspired Mr. Stevens to this Herculean endeavor? He repeatedly makes clear that his motive has been to train Americans to recapture from the Russkis the world championship they have not won since Paul Morphy relinquished the title in 1862. How about, then, Bobby Fischer's lifelong affection for White's opening P-K4? Coming to grips with this opening, Stevens put into his Index 28,659 games with that overture and discovered that White could win by it 59 per cent of the time. This would seem to settle the question once and for all. Or does it? For in the other games of the 56,972 he charted, games where White did not open with P-K4, the percentage of wins was over 59.1! What would Bobby Fischer say to this? Obviously Mr. Stevens's charts (in book form now) should be carried by every American player into his clubs and tournaments and consulted move by move, thus getting the greatest duffers safely through the first 10 moves. The statistician does not mention the possibility, but his charts could be programmed onto our chess-playing computers which are autodidactic and never make the same mistake twice, thus establishing them as even more formidable opponents than the Russians.

[abc3643]

www.nytimes.com/.../...rthur-m-stevens-449-pp.html

[Iron_Man]

if you ever get that book back, would you loan it to me for about six months?

[abc3643]

@Iron_Man LOL... sorry, but that won't happen. The guy, Frank, who had it lived in Florida and he died recently. I loaned it to him in 11th or 12th grade long ago. At that time, a woman named Ruth Donnelly was a science teacher at our high school. At one point, she was the best woman chess player in the USA. She ran the Chess Club and, I believe, in 1972 or 1973, my high school won the USA High School Chess Championship... I gotta ask a friend of mine; he's the one who gave ME the book and he was a member of that team. (He turns 70 in 2 weeks.)

Anyway, the book is a bit antiquated because the copy I had was from over 50 years ago... before Algebraic Notation was the standard. While I appreciate AN, I hate it because I grew up with and my books are in Descriptive Notation. While AN is clearing and more accurate, it's not as intuitive as DN. You can look at an annotated list of moves written in DN for a game in DN and get a better sense of what is going on than with AN.

So, consider buying a later edition of the book; I believe the latest edition was 2011 and almost certainly would have been adapted to AN which may be better for you.

[abc3643]

Frank was a member of the Chess Club (I was not) and that's why he asked to borrow the book from me.

[Iron_Man]

Everyone is on at the same time right now on this late night replying back to my post.. Thanks for the high detailed explanation. My middle name is Frank. I’m sorry to hear about his death.

[DangerouslyCute]

the best way to get better is to play with players better than you... analyze their moves and learn new strategies...

[Anonymous]

https://zenhabits.net/

[AI Opinion]

Improving at chess requires a mix of practice, study, and strategic thinking. "My System" by Aron Nimzowitsch is a classic book that provides a strong foundation in strategy and positional play. "The Art of Attack in Chess" by Vladimir Vuković is another valuable resource, focusing on attacking play. For videos, you might enjoy exploring platforms like Chess. com and the series by Grandmaster Simon Williams on YouTube. Analyzing grandmaster games and practicing tactics daily can also significantly boost your skills. Remember, consistency is key! ✨♞

[IndianPhotoAcademy]

Learn important openings, study classic games, and practice tactics every day to improve your chess skills. Play frequently against more experienced opponents and learn from your mistakes to get better. Utilize online resources for lessons and puzzles. The secret to learning strategies and improving your general game awareness is consistency, patience, and analysis.

[strateguy632]

Play a bot at a low level or at chess dot com choose a low level bot for practice. I often play the bot called intermediate , so i have a chance to maybe win, and a challenge, in contrast to hard or easy.

[NathanDavis]

you already learned the basics... and probably been practicing openings...

you should focus on the next stages... "middlegame" and also on your endgame strategies

[Lynx122]

There's like a million books about chess. You have to find which ones help you yourself I don't know what you're good at and where you need help. I never got into chess so I can't help you.

[Finchie40]

Keep playing , practice makes perfect , Chess is all about strategy and making the right moves at the right time and knowing what all your game pieces are capable of doing

[WhitneySnow]

I suck at chess but I’m very impressed by those who are good at it. Good luck on your journey.

[Static_In_The_Attic]

Practice makes perfect as they say & if you want to master it you have to play it & study other people’s moves & famous moves in past history.

[Anonymous]

Practice practice practice. You can't learn chess from books, but you can learn some strategy by watching videos of best players.

[Anonymous]

I guess surgery but a good push up bra and maybe Oscar weight so they look bigger may work as well.

[Iron_Man]

play as much as you can on your free time but get your workout done first physical training is more important

[HeartShapedHaze]

Practice makes perfect, watching content creators and reading books can help too

[Staximus]

You just have to play against better people and study their moves

[Wiredone]

Just keep practicing. You will get better over time

[beefcakebradybatson]

Have an IQ like mine.(Actually, though, I suck at chess!!!)

[Josef_89]

EI used to play on the app, now I just play backgammon

[MrChinaski]

What is your rating?

[Jennz6]

Play chess ♟️ with a teacher

[V1ka5h]

Damn you got a nice score...

[Viola_456]

Thanks but its nothing crazy 🤣

[V1ka5h]

But still😅

[AngryCarl2]

Do you know any opening theory?

[CubaPirate]

Why not join a chess club

[Viola_456]

I have a lot of hobbies dont have time for that

[CubaPirate]

OK Susan idea 💡

[CubaPirate]

Susan* just. How did autospell get that wrong lol

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

I don't Steven how

[RedInnocent69]

Read, study, and practice

[Bklynbadboy12]

Practice just keep playing. Practice makes perfect

[PeterLegg91]

Play it more often ofcourse

[Anonymous]

You need to practice more.

[robocop666]

wow I am only 550 I suck. And I am smart.

[Viola_456]

Its not bad if you're beginner 😅

[robocop666]

playing years and a few thousand games. I am just not technically minded. I am logically minded. Good at other things.

[Nora2004_]

Practice only way. Their chess apps.

[QuietRunner]

Play more, use AI, and just keep playing

[In_Trance]

Practice

[wkhan_87]

Practice and focus

[CaptanHellams]

Sorry I dont know 😏