@@dylanc6174 tactics. Don’t focus on openings too much, just develop your pieces and don’t worry about theory. Do lots of puzzles and learn to make a plan. No sacrifices, no blunders, just a nice orderly game of chess.
@@dylanc6174 tactics AND MAKE GOOD PLANS also when calculating if you really like a move but it doesn’t work out because of a move your opponent has let go of the idea and find a better move or fix the problem if your opponents move don’t just say fuck it and hope he won’t play it trust me tactics are everything I’m only 1267 but I’m 2100 in puzzles my rating always goes up the higher my tactics rating goes up and makes sure u actually calculate when doing puzzles for the right answer. You can study openings and theory just make sure your doing tactics just as much I feel studying an opening you like and it’s theory is very important and most of the times gives you the upper hand at our level
I heard about that one on a Botez clip, ngl. They're pretty decent content-wise, they just like to meme and they don't do as much focused tutorial stuff like this.
Blunder Check: 1. King in danger? 2. Queen in danger? 3. Afterwards, will the piece I'm moving be in danger? 4. What was my opponent's last move and what does it do?
The problem of blunders is often playing while tired, being impatient to start a new game and get into it, or other emotional things like that. How to deal with that?
@@valskorupko8714 If I wanted to play when not at my best I'd play a creative game where I have all the time in the world rather than a competitive one.
Play less games and only play when you are sharp. I tend to play blitz when I'm in one of those moods and rapid when I'm really trying. Don't really care about my blitz games they are for getting to see lots of positions. Oh and do puzzles every day. It will really help.
For the knight forks i have few tips maybe it might help some people : 1) When you consider 2 of your pieces and wonder if they can be forked by an ennemy knight, look at the color of the square below them. If your two pieces are on the same color, they might get forked. Otherwise no fork possible 2)you need to learn the shape of the knight, it will help you prevent and find forks, knight maneuvers etc.. you know the knight spider with the eight maximum possible moves that a knight can do from a given square ? A fork is just two of these, with two of your pieces inside. Maybe im rumbling but if it can help someone out there
So, the biggest thing I have gotten out of this series of videos is how to analyze and breakdown my reasons for losing. Then, taking advantage of the recommended lessons the app gives me after each game. Videos, lessons, puzzles and then playing less has helped me the most. Thanks for all the knowledge you share!
These concepts are probably new to people who are brand-new to chess rather than intermediate level. I think as a 1400 player, the takeaway is to have a mental checklist before you make a move to prevent immediate losing moves.
thats really what it comes down to. as 1400-1500 player, i have games where i play the best move the first 10-15 moves, and then one mental lapse and i hang a piece. game over. it really sucks but i just need to triple check that my next move isnt losing. cuz players at this elo arent making super deep plans. most games are lost from 1-2 bad move sequences.
You can't play effective blitz by going through a "mental checklist" with every move. That is good advice for classical chess with longer time controls. Good blitz players are good because they have good chess intuition. They are good at instinctively making good moves. That only comes with experience or lot of natural ability.
Another really good practice that has cut down on my getting forked by a knight: when considering your opponent’s knight moves look not just to where it could go next but where it could go after that-at least 2 moves. Sometimes even the threat of that fork will force you into a given move.
That was very insightful. I often suffer from tactical miscalculations and time trouble. Thank you for making these videos, they really help lower rated players like myself.
Those are “misses” or “missed wins”. Blunders are very bad moves that lose material or the game, that also worsen the position. Misses are failed attempts to spot and take advantage of a blunder.
Literally 1:07 in to the video and I already know what I need to work on. This is extremely well done and informative; you actually gathered data, made a spreadsheet, and hit us in the face with calculated results that show a statistically significant reason what players around 1400s are struggling with. Now THAT is convincing and I had an immediate revelation. Thank you, liked and subscribed. 😁
From my experience 90% of slow chess games I lose at 1400-1500 fide are because of bad strategical decisions (put pieces on wrong squares or bad trades long term) and only 10% because of tactical misses.
Good point. I think this entire video series suffers from the fact that the analysis was done on rapid games, not classical games. At 1200 and below, I'll buy that even in classical games, players will make tactical mistakes, but once you start to approach 1400, classical games aren't decided by tactics (at least not short tactics) as much as rapid games are, and are more often decided by strategic errors that eventually lead to inevitable tactics.
Thanks for the video very instructive you explain things very well and clear. Also your video's look very professional. I'm very happy that I found your channel.
To get over 1400 you need to drill simple tactical patterns over and over so that you don't make the tactical errors which are highlighted in this video. It takes time building up tactical knowledge so don't worry if you are making such errors. It comes with practice.
This is the greatest chess channel on youtube for title-less players like me, period! There is hardly anything like this anywhere else. All I see is bunch of GMs and IMs either instructing like pros or trying to sell their courses. Danya Naroditsky is great but still needs patience to sit through. These are great capsule lessons which can be consumed during our busy day-to-day schedule.
Great video. Every move creates a weakness. Blitz and Rapid games are becoming the norm and time constraints hinder thinking and it follows that these games have a high level of mistakes / blunders. Analysing games is vital. Think about The Art Of War and putting yourself beyond defeat.
I love the big comebacks like that last game you feature :-) I have a bunch of those under my belt and still below 1k rating. Climbing slowly All of the good instructors I have watched emphasize to never resign under 1800ish. It really makes a significant difference in one's rating. I win about 10 percent of my games (or more) just by never resigning unless its ridiculously lost and there are no chances for draws or stalemates. I've won scores games from completely lost positions just by pure determination and some luck. You can create your own luck. Never resign! Great video and series. Thank you
I resign the second i make a stupid move, wonder how much higher i would be if i were so stubborn... But i dont find lost positions very interesting, so i dont wanna play them out
Not everyone can reach 2200 as Nelson Lopez (the author of this series) has done (or he wouldn't be a National Master right?). Making Master probably takes ABOVE AVERAGE natural ability for chess (emphasis added). But MOST people can reach 1800 within 5 - 10 years if they are diligent (emphasis added). Anyone stuck below 1800 after 5 - 10 years probably just hasn't done the needed work to reach that level. Of course other priorities can crowd chess out but if reaching 1800+ is important to you, you must do the work. Playing serious chess games is a must but it isn't enough. Most people must do at least an hour most days of productive work in addition to playing. For this playing doesn't count. Most people need 10,000 hours of productive training in addition to being cut out for the work to be successful professionals in anything. But reaching the very modest 1800+ level requires far less than 10,000 hours of productive training. To reach 1800+ requires only that you acquire basic opening, middle game, and endgame knowledge. Roughly an hour a day equals about 365 hours a year and 3,650 hours in 10 years, far short of the 10,000 hours needed to be as good as a pro. The very hard working and talented Liam Putnam went from about 400 to 1800+ in less than two years(!) but most people can do it in 5 - 10 years. Much stronger players will usually beat you but you should rarely lose to anyone because of the opening if you're reasonably prepared. Before reaching 1800 I suggest openings that will enable you to reach playable middle games without undue risk. To do that you must know some theory and have a solid grasp of the kind of middle game plans and endgames strong players shoot for in your openings. Be familiar with numerous Master games in your openings but keep it simple until you approach 2000. Then if you want you can gradually add more ambitious (and difficult) opening lines to your repertoire. Simple does not mean passive! You must play fighting chess. Just keep it grounded in basic strategic principles all strong players adhere to as you will see from studying their games and analyzing your own with chess software and a teacher if you can afford one. I think most Masters and Grandmasters over emphasize tactics puzzles. I agree that everyone should do puzzles regularly. But as talented players, I think many strong players underestimate the importance of other things that came easily to them but are hard for many other players. Knowing all the tactical motifs there are won't help you much if you're grasp on strategy is very weak. Magnus Carlsen quickly understood all the basic strategies so at that point all he needed was to become tactically reliable. Once he did that he was on his way. Thus to him it probably became obvious very quickly when bishops are better than knights, when knights are better than bishops, and why. But the point is that you cannot get much beyond 1800 level without a solid grasp of such basics. They are beyond beginner level skills but in reality are pretty basic and fundamental to chess. Lastly there are up to a dozen endgames anyone aspiring to approach 2000 must know cold which most players below 1800 have little or no understanding of. For example if you are a serious player you simply must know how to draw Philidor's drawn pawn down rook and pawn endgame and how to win the Lucena pawn up rook and pawn ending. Endings like these are important because they come up surprisingly often and mastering them is simply a matter of drilling. For things like that chess software is available.
Sounds good for those who wish to spend time on it. I would rather just play games and not expect to be Magnus. What you have given us is indeed a path to success but it may also be the reason why Bobby Fischer now hated chess, memorizing a bunch of stuff instead of the pure unbounded joy of creativity. Study and get those extra few hundred points but I will p!ay as a hobby and spend sometime at the pub because chess is an addictive game that takes up time if you are going to go down the rabbit hole. Instead of your recommendations for those who cannot moderate, I have a better idea... Get help, an intervention instead of the London, the Pirc or the Fired Liver.
The two top reasons are blunders and tactical calculation errors, you are right and by working on these problems one can greatly improve the rating. Be extra careful when doing tactics. One of the biggest problems in doing tactics is counting errors, people just don't count the pieces they are winning and losing, believe it or not! This is a very insightful video.
This is the best channel I have learnt chess of so far. Honestly mate, how don’t you have 00000s subscribers and others have. Can I ask you what’s the best way to get to 2000 rating? Any book or course you would recommend?
Thanks! But been growing pretty fast lately. Hmm... usually I find it's best not to focus on a specific rating, but rather focus on finding weaknesses in your game and getting better at the areas you're weak at. If you pay too much attention to the rating, you'll get frustrated if you don't hit your goals fast enough. Even though chess is super complicated, a lot of the skills you need can be broken down into manageable parts. Ex: Learn one or two openings really well. Learn certain endgame techniques really well. Practice certain tactics motives. Etc etc. Regarding a book, in the description of my videos I have some of my top recommendations. Hope that helps!
I just stumbled across this randomly today and am binge watching his lower rated stuff. I am familiar with many good chess instruction series and this is right up there with all of them. Very pithy and lots of content in a short time. If you watch all of these look for climbing the rating ladder by John Bartholamew is very similar and well rounded too. Also Chess Brah did an entire series on climbing the rating ladder for "Blitz" games, doesn't apply to rapid or slow chess. Gotham Chess has some very good instructional videos as well. This dude here is extremely good and Ive seen most of what is out there. I will highly recommend this channel to all my friends. Its like finding more chess gold Thank you so much for these!!!
I'm at 1500 I find my weakness is not nowing any theory openings like I guess I'm quite good at midgames creating attacks and stuff I have a main fixed opening with queen's pawn opening d4. I also feel more strong when I use white than black possibly because I don't have that good of an opening when I play black pieces. Would u recommend trying to memorize theory openings like queen's gambit lines or scisillian at 1500 or is it too early? Also does anyone have some suggestions on good openings to play with black like a fixed opening and/or theory opening.
Personally I also feel there is a LOT of rating points to be gained just by knowing endgame principles/endgame theory. I feel like nobody has any idea on what they're doing at this point and with some reasonable basic knowledge you can get a lot there, especially since around 1400 depending on your openings, there's going to be more games with equal endgames
Hey Oxey, that's a good point. I was actually surprised when going through the 1400 games that I didn't see more games come down to endgame stuff. I'm thinking that at the 1600 and 1800 levels it is definitely going to be a bigger issue for sure. Thanks for the comment!
@@quietmovesgaming So all these ratings are based on games with actual people, not with how you do against bots, right? (I'm scared to play real people haha!)
"Don't resign" is a piece of advise that's won me quite a few games (currently at around 1300 on lichess), and also had me working my way out of some tough positions. I've also had people resign on me after very minor setback on their part.
I have been playing computer bots almost exclusively since seriously getting into the game about a year ago.. I know it sounds kind of weird, but I don't like beating people. Through studying and applying what I have learned from your excellent videos, I have steadily improved. At first, I was getting crushed by a 1200 bot, but eventually turned the tables winning 4 out of 5 games on average. The same progression then happened with the 1400 and 1500 bots. Today, I moved to playing a 1650. I got crushed in the first two games and then drew the third game. I know a draw is nothing to get too excited about, but it felt like I reached new level. When and if I win, we shall have to see.
Those stats are actually super telling. For all the time I spend studying opening theory, as an 1100 I'm actually losing like 75% of games to blunders and missed tactics. Maybe should just do puzzles instead
I saw a lot of learning videos for intermediate players this is the best because it is the most down to earth of the problems intermediate players are struggling with.
In a tournament game I had a really stupid tactics mistake when I sacrificed my bishop to deflect a rook and deliver a checkmate. And if he doesn't take my bishop, I deliver a checkmate anyway because I add an extra attacking piece I didn't even consider the fact that he could capture my bishop with his bishop which had been pinned just a move ago. Just a move ago meant that it was no longer pinned by the time I decided to deflect the rook.
7:20 Black still played it wrong. White could have taken with the king at the end of the sequence. Correct play would have been taking the bishop on d2 with the knight not the bishop. This sets up another discovery on the king, white is forced to take with the knight and that knight gets pinned. Edit. I guess I should add that it really doesn't matter, the position is pretty bad for white, after the sequence Rfd8 is crushing.
Now that I’ve stabilized at 1400 blitz seems im making 3 move blunders instead of 1 move blunders, and also just missing a winning combo (because im getting tunnel vision on my plan) Reviewing the games and sticking to a set opening has helped a lot. Looking forward to these tips haha
Before I came across your video, I tried creating a spread sheet to analyze my games, but it's not all that good. I really like your spread sheet better - have you ever considered doing a video on teaching someone to analyze a series of game to determine weaknesses ?
As someone stuck at 1100, the most interesting thing to me about this video is that 1400s are making the same mistakes as me and the 1000-1100s I'm playing against. (I fell for that Englund Gambit trap just a few days ago and lost my bishop).
When i was 600 i played against a 1300 with the englund gambit trap and won so even though it might not be so common try to learn some traps in common openings so if they are played you know what to do i have studied the englund gambit trap a bit and i know quite a bit on what to do at a certain point and its possible to checkmate in 8 moves so watch out for it
I think your example of spending a lot of time in the Traxler Attack is a bit misguided. That is a standard opening. Any player with the Black pieces who plays this is going to know exactly what to do no matter what White decides. The fact is that White can play either 6.Kxf2 or 6.Kf1. Both of those moves are perfectly playable. But, he will not survive either of those choices if his opponent is booked up on the Traxler Attack. If a player wanders into a tricky opening with lots of complications and is also unfamiliar with that opening - he's already screwed. So, I'd say one way to save time is to be familiar with the possible lines that can be played with your opening choices. If you're having to go into a deep think on move six, you probably have made a poor opening choice. I think most people have a sense when the game has reached a critical point. You can just FEEL that your next move really, really matters. That's when to take the extra time! If that occurs in the very opening, then you're just unprepared from the get-go.
While this is well and good, its impossible to check everything... all the time. You need to be aware of all this, but you also need to play a lot. You need to instictivly know when you have to keep an eye out for tactics likes forks and discovered attacks. You also need to recognize when various things is being set up... Like smother mate. Recognize paterns. It sounds a lot, but its mainly trained by playing.
I love the last example. Today I played offline with my older colleague (Czech champ from years back, now just a much slower older guy after a stroke from the past so hard to blame him) who kept checking me and taking my material but forgot my escape with my king allowed me to queen two pawns. When he noticed my advantage I was just too fast. In the end I won, he was too focused on his advantage while checking me. In the end a very fruitful game to learn from.
Thanks for your quality vids Nelson. I’m working through a bunch of them and they’re really helping to devise an improvement plan. I really appreciate you backing up observations with metrics taken from analysing 100 games. That’s class and very underrated. Thanks man 🍻
weird thing it very easy to see that I am threatening discovered attack but somehow lot easier to miss when opponent builds it. I guess it is generic disease of not paying attention to opponents moves at all
Listen, I am 1400 and have done very stupid stuff in my games. But that last game looks like something that was done by 500s. I refuse to believe this can happen at my rating range unless it's ultra bullet. Nobody higher rated than 700 falls for the Qh5 / Scholars Mate type opening trap where they hang the rook in the corner
I had to pick my chin up off the floor after watching that black king make his way across such a crowded board all the way to rank 1 to win that game. Truly incredible.
I see many youtuber speaking about the rate of players like in this case. But which rate is it, bullet, blitz, rapid or classic? Is that only to me unclear?
Chess improvement really is mostly, make mistake, analyze mistake, be familiar with the mistake, be less likely to make the mistake again, or in some cases almost never again.
That first example, where you gave away the bishop for nothing, I'd classify that as a blunder, not a tactics mistake, but I see why you would call it a tactical mistake, because it's a miscalculation.
Good question. I didn't put it into an engine but from a quick glance it looks like Rfd8 creating a strong pin on white's bishop on d3 would still put black in a great position. Followed by Rd7 and then bring the other rook and I don't think white can get out of that pin without losing the bishop.
@@ChessVibesOfficial Yeah, Alekhine's gun on d file, maybe also some Qg2 in some lines. c5-c4 is also another idea, I guess (might be too slow, though)
3:40 this one is so true though all the times I analyze my games I always miss a move that is so much better, I even consider that move but I overthink it and pick a more worse move Edit: yay I'm 1500 now lol
I commented awhile back about advancing from 550 to 850 using your videos. I'd like to state that I am now 1250 and climbing. Thank you.
Wow man! Keep it up! Really impressive 👍
Update? I seem to be stuck at 1200-1250. Curious if or how you’ve been able to improve
@@dylanc6174 tactics. Don’t focus on openings too much, just develop your pieces and don’t worry about theory. Do lots of puzzles and learn to make a plan. No sacrifices, no blunders, just a nice orderly game of chess.
Truth is dude you dont even get a name until 1500.
@@dylanc6174 tactics AND MAKE GOOD PLANS also when calculating if you really like a move but it doesn’t work out because of a move your opponent has let go of the idea and find a better move or fix the problem if your opponents move don’t just say fuck it and hope he won’t play it trust me tactics are everything I’m only 1267 but I’m 2100 in puzzles my rating always goes up the higher my tactics rating goes up and makes sure u actually calculate when doing puzzles for the right answer. You can study openings and theory just make sure your doing tactics just as much I feel studying an opening you like and it’s theory is very important and most of the times gives you the upper hand at our level
“When you see a good move, look for a better one”
― Emanuel Lasker
4:00
Indeed!
So true especially at my level, if it's obvious for me i'm probably not challenging myself
“When you see mate in one,look for a better move.”
- Aman Hambleton
I heard about that one on a Botez clip, ngl. They're pretty decent content-wise, they just like to meme and they don't do as much focused tutorial stuff like this.
@@owenevilmakings5433 "When you see a mate in one, look for a way to get more points out of the checkmate"
Blunder Check:
1. King in danger?
2. Queen in danger?
3. Afterwards, will the piece I'm moving be in danger?
4. What was my opponent's last move and what does it do?
*blunders queen anyway*
Sounds like lessons for a beginner...
*dies nevertheless*
John 14:21
@@auroreaurore5556 I mean even 1500 elo can make a queen blunder in 4 moves
The problem of blunders is often playing while tired, being impatient to start a new game and get into it, or other emotional things like that.
How to deal with that?
I do the same thing. This may be a video topic in the future, stay tuned!
Don't play when tired, impatient or emotional would be my suggestion
(I am guilty of this myself too. Also don't play when drunk)
Exactly my problem. At lower levels you can play drunk, sleepy, whatever and have fun. At higher levels you need your mental mojo at its best.
@@valskorupko8714 If I wanted to play when not at my best I'd play a creative game where I have all the time in the world rather than a competitive one.
Play less games and only play when you are sharp. I tend to play blitz when I'm in one of those moods and rapid when I'm really trying. Don't really care about my blitz games they are for getting to see lots of positions. Oh and do puzzles every day. It will really help.
For the knight forks i have few tips maybe it might help some people :
1) When you consider 2 of your pieces and wonder if they can be forked by an ennemy knight, look at the color of the square below them. If your two pieces are on the same color, they might get forked. Otherwise no fork possible
2)you need to learn the shape of the knight, it will help you prevent and find forks, knight maneuvers etc.. you know the knight spider with the eight maximum possible moves that a knight can do from a given square ? A fork is just two of these, with two of your pieces inside.
Maybe im rumbling but if it can help someone out there
Thnks mate
The 1st is really helpful
I check the colors all the time now, I read this comment a while back. Pretty helpful
That is a wonderful tip. Thanks
Thanks bro
So, the biggest thing I have gotten out of this series of videos is how to analyze and breakdown my reasons for losing. Then, taking advantage of the recommended lessons the app gives me after each game. Videos, lessons, puzzles and then playing less has helped me the most. Thanks for all the knowledge you share!
Yeah figuring that out and working on your weak spots is super important. You're definitely on the right track!
@@ChessVibesOfficial I'm looking like a leopard with all these weak spots I have lol
@@YonyBear Lol Yony, you'll get there! One spot at a time!
Why playing less?
These concepts are probably new to people who are brand-new to chess rather than intermediate level. I think as a 1400 player, the takeaway is to have a mental checklist before you make a move to prevent immediate losing moves.
thats really what it comes down to. as 1400-1500 player, i have games where i play the best move the first 10-15 moves, and then one mental lapse and i hang a piece. game over. it really sucks but i just need to triple check that my next move isnt losing. cuz players at this elo arent making super deep plans. most games are lost from 1-2 bad move sequences.
@@Fajowski50 I honestly feel that, it's demoralizing when you've played perfectly the whole game and then one missed sequence ends your game.
I very much agree with the comments. I think at 1400 someone needs to improve REFLEXES!
You can't play effective blitz by going through a "mental checklist" with every move. That is good advice for classical chess with longer time controls. Good blitz players are good because they have good chess intuition. They are good at instinctively making good moves. That only comes with experience or lot of natural ability.
@@DavidEmerling79 which is even more reason why the tips in this video are only good for brand-new players.
Another really good practice that has cut down on my getting forked by a knight: when considering your opponent’s knight moves look not just to where it could go next but where it could go after that-at least 2 moves. Sometimes even the threat of that fork will force you into a given move.
Yes! I should always ask, what was that move for? Instead of, it's not attacking anything so I won't worry about it.
That was very insightful. I often suffer from tactical miscalculations and time trouble. Thank you for making these videos, they really help lower rated players like myself.
Glad it helps!
Blunders are also not seeing/taking hung pieces when you should have, according to engines.
But those are not typically the blunders that make you lose, just the ones that prevent you from winning (or winning faster).
Those are “misses” or “missed wins”. Blunders are very bad moves that lose material or the game, that also worsen the position. Misses are failed attempts to spot and take advantage of a blunder.
Literally 1:07 in to the video and I already know what I need to work on.
This is extremely well done and informative; you actually gathered data, made a spreadsheet, and hit us in the face with calculated results that show a statistically significant reason what players around 1400s are struggling with.
Now THAT is convincing and I had an immediate revelation. Thank you, liked and subscribed. 😁
I even recommend ur channel to my friends. Ur content are so valuble👌
From my experience 90% of slow chess games I lose at 1400-1500 fide are because of bad strategical decisions (put pieces on wrong squares or bad trades long term) and only 10% because of tactical misses.
Good point. I think this entire video series suffers from the fact that the analysis was done on rapid games, not classical games. At 1200 and below, I'll buy that even in classical games, players will make tactical mistakes, but once you start to approach 1400, classical games aren't decided by tactics (at least not short tactics) as much as rapid games are, and are more often decided by strategic errors that eventually lead to inevitable tactics.
9:12 a triple fork , a double attack and a pin at the same time
Thanks for the video very instructive you explain things very well and clear. Also your video's look very professional. I'm very happy that I found your channel.
I appreciate that, Ajarn! Hope you learn a lot from the channel!
these are actually really informative and straightforward lessons, thanks
To get over 1400 you need to drill simple tactical patterns over and over so that you don't make the tactical errors which are highlighted in this video. It takes time building up tactical knowledge so don't worry if you are making such errors. It comes with practice.
I like the intro - "remember the king can capture" belongs in any blunder check when launching tactics/sacrifices. Had a few bad losses missing that.
I refuse to believe the last game was played by 1400s… even 1400 lichess can’t be that bad, right? Right!?!
agreed
could be one of those days we play passively😅
This is the greatest chess channel on youtube for title-less players like me, period! There is hardly anything like this anywhere else. All I see is bunch of GMs and IMs either instructing like pros or trying to sell their courses. Danya Naroditsky is great but still needs patience to sit through. These are great capsule lessons which can be consumed during our busy day-to-day schedule.
That last game was insane XD
Great video.
Every move creates a weakness. Blitz and Rapid games are becoming the norm and time constraints hinder thinking and it follows that these games have a high level of mistakes / blunders. Analysing games is vital. Think about The Art Of War and putting yourself beyond defeat.
I love the big comebacks like that last game you feature :-) I have a bunch of those under my belt and still below 1k rating. Climbing slowly
All of the good instructors I have watched emphasize to never resign under 1800ish. It really makes a significant difference in one's rating. I win about 10 percent of my games (or more) just by never resigning unless its ridiculously lost and there are no chances for draws or stalemates. I've won scores games from completely lost positions just by pure determination and some luck. You can create your own luck. Never resign!
Great video and series.
Thank you
I resign the second i make a stupid move, wonder how much higher i would be if i were so stubborn... But i dont find lost positions very interesting, so i dont wanna play them out
Been a long time subscriber Came back to this video to reminisce
Not everyone can reach 2200 as Nelson Lopez (the author of this series) has done (or he wouldn't be a National Master right?). Making Master probably takes ABOVE AVERAGE natural ability for chess (emphasis added). But MOST people can reach 1800 within 5 - 10 years if they are diligent (emphasis added). Anyone stuck below 1800 after 5 - 10 years probably just hasn't done the needed work to reach that level. Of course other priorities can crowd chess out but if reaching 1800+ is important to you, you must do the work. Playing serious chess games is a must but it isn't enough. Most people must do at least an hour most days of productive work in addition to playing. For this playing doesn't count. Most people need 10,000 hours of productive training in addition to being cut out for the work to be successful professionals in anything. But reaching the very modest 1800+ level requires far less than 10,000 hours of productive training. To reach 1800+ requires only that you acquire basic opening, middle game, and endgame knowledge. Roughly an hour a day equals about 365 hours a year and 3,650 hours in 10 years, far short of the 10,000 hours needed to be as good as a pro. The very hard working and talented Liam Putnam went from about 400 to 1800+ in less than two years(!) but most people can do it in 5 - 10 years.
Much stronger players will usually beat you but you should rarely lose to anyone because of the opening if you're reasonably prepared. Before reaching 1800 I suggest openings that will enable you to reach playable middle games without undue risk. To do that you must know some theory and have a solid grasp of the kind of middle game plans and endgames strong players shoot for in your openings. Be familiar with numerous Master games in your openings but keep it simple until you approach 2000. Then if you want you can gradually add more ambitious (and difficult) opening lines to your repertoire. Simple does not mean passive! You must play fighting chess. Just keep it grounded in basic strategic principles all strong players adhere to as you will see from studying their games and analyzing your own with chess software and a teacher if you can afford one.
I think most Masters and Grandmasters over emphasize tactics puzzles. I agree that everyone should do puzzles regularly. But as talented players, I think many strong players underestimate the importance of other things that came easily to them but are hard for many other players. Knowing all the tactical motifs there are won't help you much if you're grasp on strategy is very weak. Magnus Carlsen quickly understood all the basic strategies so at that point all he needed was to become tactically reliable. Once he did that he was on his way. Thus to him it probably became obvious very quickly when bishops are better than knights, when knights are better than bishops, and why. But the point is that you cannot get much beyond 1800 level without a solid grasp of such basics. They are beyond beginner level skills but in reality are pretty basic and fundamental to chess.
Lastly there are up to a dozen endgames anyone aspiring to approach 2000 must know cold which most players below 1800 have little or no understanding of. For example if you are a serious player you simply must know how to draw Philidor's drawn pawn down rook and pawn endgame and how to win the Lucena pawn up rook and pawn ending. Endings like these are important because they come up surprisingly often and mastering them is simply a matter of drilling. For things like that chess software is available.
Sounds good for those who wish to spend time on it. I would rather just play games and not expect to be Magnus.
What you have given us is indeed a path to success but it may also be the reason why Bobby Fischer now hated chess, memorizing a bunch of stuff instead of the pure unbounded joy of creativity.
Study and get those extra few hundred points but I will p!ay as a hobby and spend sometime at the pub because chess is an addictive game that takes up time if you are going to go down the rabbit hole.
Instead of your recommendations for those who cannot moderate, I have a better idea... Get help, an intervention instead of the London, the Pirc or the Fired Liver.
Fried Liver and hates to correct the errors of my computer which is stupid stubborn and clearly possessed
thank you for the chess essay my school assigned me, very grateful
The two top reasons are blunders and tactical calculation errors, you are right and by working on these problems one can greatly improve the rating. Be extra careful when doing tactics. One of the biggest problems in doing tactics is counting errors, people just don't count the pieces they are winning and losing, believe it or not! This is a very insightful video.
This is the best channel I have learnt chess of so far. Honestly mate, how don’t you have 00000s subscribers and others have.
Can I ask you what’s the best way to get to 2000 rating? Any book or course you would recommend?
Thanks! But been growing pretty fast lately. Hmm... usually I find it's best not to focus on a specific rating, but rather focus on finding weaknesses in your game and getting better at the areas you're weak at. If you pay too much attention to the rating, you'll get frustrated if you don't hit your goals fast enough. Even though chess is super complicated, a lot of the skills you need can be broken down into manageable parts. Ex: Learn one or two openings really well. Learn certain endgame techniques really well. Practice certain tactics motives. Etc etc. Regarding a book, in the description of my videos I have some of my top recommendations. Hope that helps!
I just stumbled across this randomly today and am binge watching his lower rated stuff. I am familiar with many good chess instruction series and this is right up there with all of them. Very pithy and lots of content in a short time. If you watch all of these look for climbing the rating ladder by John Bartholamew is very similar and well rounded too. Also Chess Brah did an entire series on climbing the rating ladder for "Blitz" games, doesn't apply to rapid or slow chess. Gotham Chess has some very good instructional videos as well.
This dude here is extremely good and Ive seen most of what is out there. I will highly recommend this channel to all my friends. Its like finding more chess gold
Thank you so much for these!!!
Great video again. Love your way of explaining and thanks for putting in the time to analyse these games and come up with statistics!
I'm at 1500 I find my weakness is not nowing any theory openings like I guess I'm quite good at midgames creating attacks and stuff I have a main fixed opening with queen's pawn opening d4. I also feel more strong when I use white than black possibly because I don't have that good of an opening when I play black pieces. Would u recommend trying to memorize theory openings like queen's gambit lines or scisillian at 1500 or is it too early? Also does anyone have some suggestions on good openings to play with black like a fixed opening and/or theory opening.
Just found your channel, loving your content... i'm currently at 1450 and feeling a bit stuck, these tips help a lot thanks!
How does a 1400 not play nf6 at 3:00? Most 1100s see that for sure. Was this a blitz or bullet game or something?
Your style of teaching is great. It aims at people like me who are still really green. Kudos Nelson. This is much appreciated.
Rating on which platform? lichess?
Personally I also feel there is a LOT of rating points to be gained just by knowing endgame principles/endgame theory. I feel like nobody has any idea on what they're doing at this point and with some reasonable basic knowledge you can get a lot there, especially since around 1400 depending on your openings, there's going to be more games with equal endgames
Hey Oxey, that's a good point. I was actually surprised when going through the 1400 games that I didn't see more games come down to endgame stuff. I'm thinking that at the 1600 and 1800 levels it is definitely going to be a bigger issue for sure. Thanks for the comment!
yes! I consistently lose games during the endgame because of my poor endgame knowledge.
Algorithm showed a vid of yours, glad I watched. I can tell this is some high effort shit and you are a great teacher. Thanks.
I've just discovered this channel, lots of excellent practical advice, you deserve to be higher profile!
14:54 - I did recently take the queen of an opponent under similar circumstances. Trapping the queen with a knight.
Bro where do you get this 1400 let me play em to win sone points
lichess.org =P
@@ChessVibesOfficial I am 1400 in chess.com and 1600 in lichess both blitz and rated. Chess.com is closer to reality, so its a 1200 video not 1400
@@quietmovesgaming So all these ratings are based on games with actual people, not with how you do against bots, right? (I'm scared to play real people haha!)
@@vanillaghetto Yes, only real people. Currently 1400 in chess.com and over 1700 in lichess for 3 weeks
@@quietmovesgaming I am close to 1700 on lichess and 1130 on chess.com 😂
Thanks fella, great advice and has helped me a lot. Love your vids
Great vid Nelson, the last game was hilarious!
I played a tone of 1400 games never had a crazy game like the last one with the king leading the charge.
"Don't resign" is a piece of advise that's won me quite a few games (currently at around 1300 on lichess), and also had me working my way out of some tough positions. I've also had people resign on me after very minor setback on their part.
Hello. Wanna play on Lichess ? I'm "Uny1me"
I have been playing computer bots almost exclusively since seriously getting into the game about a year ago.. I know it sounds kind of weird, but I don't like beating people. Through studying and applying what I have learned from your excellent videos, I have steadily improved. At first, I was getting crushed by a 1200 bot, but eventually turned the tables winning 4 out of 5 games on average. The same progression then happened with the 1400 and 1500 bots. Today, I moved to playing a 1650. I got crushed in the first two games and then drew the third game. I know a draw is nothing to get too excited about, but it felt like I reached new level. When and if I win, we shall have to see.
Great video, you explain things very well; definitely helped me understand things I had heard but never registered.
Thanks, glad it helped!
Those stats are actually super telling. For all the time I spend studying opening theory, as an 1100 I'm actually losing like 75% of games to blunders and missed tactics. Maybe should just do puzzles instead
Such a cool finish by the black in the last game ending up with the king on the first rank! :O
I saw a lot of learning videos for intermediate players this is the best because it is the most down to earth of the problems intermediate players are struggling with.
At 7:35, could the King not just recapture the Knight, thus protecting his G Rook with the A rook?
In a tournament game I had a really stupid tactics mistake when I sacrificed my bishop to deflect a rook and deliver a checkmate. And if he doesn't take my bishop, I deliver a checkmate anyway because I add an extra attacking piece I didn't even consider the fact that he could capture my bishop with his bishop which had been pinned just a move ago. Just a move ago meant that it was no longer pinned by the time I decided to deflect the rook.
16:38-16:48 we see the rare strategy of attempting to promote the King to a Queen :D
That king at the end. Way to lead from the front. I could just hear him shouting “freedom!!!”
great Video! Thanks
Very nicely analysing
Thanks
7:20 Black still played it wrong. White could have taken with the king at the end of the sequence. Correct play would have been taking the bishop on d2 with the knight not the bishop. This sets up another discovery on the king, white is forced to take with the knight and that knight gets pinned.
Edit. I guess I should add that it really doesn't matter, the position is pretty bad for white, after the sequence Rfd8 is crushing.
@8:01 found it instantly but B checks on the other side. Not as strong but still works
Excellent video. Thanks!
Glad you liked it!
6:03 this is exactly why you dont want do develop your bishops on d3/e3 or if you are black d6/e6
Now that I’ve stabilized at 1400 blitz seems im making 3 move blunders instead of 1 move blunders, and also just missing a winning combo (because im getting tunnel vision on my plan) Reviewing the games and sticking to a set opening has helped a lot. Looking forward to these tips haha
Thanks for this serie
4:35. I just made that exact mistake yesterday, so so mad! I was on stream and cussing myself out!
Do you have a video on consolidating your pieces? I hear this all the time but really don’t have a good grasp of the concept
Made it to the 1400s thanks man
Before I came across your video, I tried creating a spread sheet to analyze my games, but it's not all that good. I really like your spread sheet better - have you ever considered doing a video on teaching someone to analyze a series of game to determine weaknesses ?
Exactly the type of videos that are needed
Have to hand it to you for painstakingly analysing massive amount of games to make this video
As someone stuck at 1100, the most interesting thing to me about this video is that 1400s are making the same mistakes as me and the 1000-1100s I'm playing against. (I fell for that Englund Gambit trap just a few days ago and lost my bishop).
1400s are just making those mistakes less often.
I bounce between 1200-1400. Most players quit when down a peice. It makes it hard to learn mid/ endgame because so few games are played out.
I love The question you are telling us to think ourselves, every move we have a lot of questions to ask,
At 7:35 White should have played Kxd2.
Thanks dear grand master Although most of the players know that all but listening your analysis makes a very good very different impact
Great tips! Been stuck at 1400 for a good while now. This video is just what I needed!
At 7:40, white was dumb because he could have captured the knight with his King, and the rook is now protected.
"Most of the time you consider a move there is probably a better option."
-Emanuel Lasker... I mean... Nelson.
When i was 600 i played against a 1300 with the englund gambit trap and won so even though it might not be so common try to learn some traps in common openings so if they are played you know what to do i have studied the englund gambit trap a bit and i know quite a bit on what to do at a certain point and its possible to checkmate in 8 moves so watch out for it
16:00 Haha... the best king move that I have seen.
I think your example of spending a lot of time in the Traxler Attack is a bit misguided. That is a standard opening. Any player with the Black pieces who plays this is going to know exactly what to do no matter what White decides. The fact is that White can play either 6.Kxf2 or 6.Kf1. Both of those moves are perfectly playable. But, he will not survive either of those choices if his opponent is booked up on the Traxler Attack. If a player wanders into a tricky opening with lots of complications and is also unfamiliar with that opening - he's already screwed. So, I'd say one way to save time is to be familiar with the possible lines that can be played with your opening choices. If you're having to go into a deep think on move six, you probably have made a poor opening choice.
I think most people have a sense when the game has reached a critical point. You can just FEEL that your next move really, really matters. That's when to take the extra time! If that occurs in the very opening, then you're just unprepared from the get-go.
Are you talking about blitz or rapid games? I got stuck at 1500 at blitz but I'm close to 1700 at rapid chess. Thanks! Good content!
While this is well and good, its impossible to check everything... all the time.
You need to be aware of all this, but you also need to play a lot.
You need to instictivly know when you have to keep an eye out for tactics likes forks and discovered attacks. You also need to recognize when various things is being set up... Like smother mate. Recognize paterns.
It sounds a lot, but its mainly trained by playing.
Great video:)
Thanks!
I love the last example. Today I played offline with my older colleague (Czech champ from years back, now just a much slower older guy after a stroke from the past so hard to blame him) who kept checking me and taking my material but forgot my escape with my king allowed me to queen two pawns. When he noticed my advantage I was just too fast. In the end I won, he was too focused on his advantage while checking me. In the end a very fruitful game to learn from.
Thanks for your quality vids Nelson. I’m working through a bunch of them and they’re really helping to devise an improvement plan. I really appreciate you backing up observations with metrics taken from analysing 100 games. That’s class and very underrated. Thanks man 🍻
This is outdated. 1400s two years ago are now 900 to 1100 players
This is for online and shorter time controls right? I absolutely do not see these mistakes in 90+30 OTB.
weird thing it very easy to see that I am threatening discovered attack but somehow lot easier to miss when opponent builds it. I guess it is generic disease of not paying attention to opponents moves at all
Listen, I am 1400 and have done very stupid stuff in my games. But that last game looks like something that was done by 500s. I refuse to believe this can happen at my rating range unless it's ultra bullet. Nobody higher rated than 700 falls for the Qh5 / Scholars Mate type opening trap where they hang the rook in the corner
This guy is great. He does look like Aaron Herandez however...
At 7:41 he could’ve captured with the king and let the rook defend the other rook
I had to pick my chin up off the floor after watching that black king make his way across such a crowded board all the way to rank 1 to win that game. Truly incredible.
Which one is the best chess tournament playing app?
is the rating for lichess or actual rating
Very valuable 👌
I see many youtuber speaking about the rate of players like in this case. But which rate is it, bullet, blitz, rapid or classic? Is that only to me unclear?
I used lichess rapid ratings a little above 1400 to make up for inflation. Good question!
@@ChessVibesOfficial thx for clarifying
Chess improvement really is mostly, make mistake, analyze mistake, be familiar with the mistake, be less likely to make the mistake again, or in some cases almost never again.
That first example, where you gave away the bishop for nothing, I'd classify that as a blunder, not a tactics mistake, but I see why you would call it a tactical mistake, because it's a miscalculation.
At 7:40 white could have played Kxd2, no?
Good question. I didn't put it into an engine but from a quick glance it looks like Rfd8 creating a strong pin on white's bishop on d3 would still put black in a great position. Followed by Rd7 and then bring the other rook and I don't think white can get out of that pin without losing the bishop.
@@ChessVibesOfficial Yeah, Alekhine's gun on d file, maybe also some Qg2 in some lines. c5-c4 is also another idea, I guess (might be too slow, though)
7:37 what about king takes?
That first example doesn't have much right? or am i missing something
One of the benefits of learning openings is you can move fast and preserve time in the beginning
3:40 this one is so true though all the times I analyze my games I always miss a move that is so much better, I even consider that move but I overthink it and pick a more worse move
Edit: yay I'm 1500 now lol
I have watched these vedios to go from 800 to 1000+, Now I'm 1300.
What I would say it: Consistency is the key.
Sir I relate this all of your discuss is on my game..hope I am going 1500 but now 1444 in lilchess...