Hahaha I now feel obliged to go back and like that post for pulling such a random reference
More iconic than obscure imo
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Why so many changed avatars today?? Youāre screwing up my read/donātread algorithms.
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So I watched The Queens Gambit and now Iām obsessed with chess, over the past week Iāve spent like 5 hours a day reading about it and playing games against computers but I still donāt know the best way to learn basics and train myself. I played when I was a little kid but havenāt touched the game in 20 years, I had to reteach myself the rules and piece movements but that came back fast. Do I just play tons of games and let my brain slowly figure shit out, should I be reading any theory type stuff, doing puzzles?
Iāve been playing on chess.com, you can pick opponents based on their rating so Iāve just been playing against the 1000 and lower opponents. The computer will analyze your game and tell you where you made good of bad moves but that is daunting.
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I also recently rekindled my interest in chess so took to Google to see if I could find what youāre referring to and think I succeeded:
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I am monumentally bad at chess so, with a heaping tablespoon of grains of salt, here are my observations on what worked for me to improve. This advice would only apply to beginners because I never even became a good intermediate player. But I did improve when I:
- Did lots of tactics training. Against other bad players the most useful skill is getting better at recognizing common patterns for forks, pins, etc.
- Slowed down. Play the computer but force yourself to take 30 seconds per move minimum. You have to train yourself to spend a few seconds thinking about what youāre trying to do and what your opponent is trying to do, and not just moving the first piece that looks like something good might happen if you move it from here to there.
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Oh man, this program was amazing back in the day. Really helped me learn the game more than anything.
I wish that show was kid friendly. My 9 year old and I watched The Speed Cubers (about teens who speed-solve Rubikās Cubes), and she got completely hooked. I showed her the slow/steady way that I knew how to solve it, and now sheās down to under 2 minutes and barking at me to find more algorithms for her.
Iād love to get her into chess. (I donāt have any good advice, I always got clowned in online games). If anyone has a good kid friendly introduction thatād be great.
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These are good suggestions but as an aside there is basically infinite chess tutorial info on YouTube. So even if we never find this one thereās a ton of other info out there for beginner and intermediate players.
Yep, totally agree. I just wanted to mention that watching random YouTube videos on chess strategy is good, in contrast to random YouTube commentary on poker.
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Games of perfect vs imperfect information!
Indeed. Its harder to BS about chess because if you assert that X is the right move when its not then a good player can come along and say lol no look what happens if your opponent does Y.
Yeah this is the usual recommendation for beginners. Tactics training not only helps you to execute tactics yourself, but helps you avoid being on the receiving end.
A few other bits of advice to help avoid blundering:
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After your opponent moves, always ask yourself āwhy did my opponent play that, whatās their idea?ā. Josh Waitzkin emphasises this a lot in those Chessmaster videos people talked about upthread, which I also recommend. When I make bad blunders in games, a leading reason why is that I think I see my opponentās idea, but the move they made is actually dual-purpose and I miss the second idea.
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Look to see if checks and captures do anything. Tactics lurk therein. Tactics training helps with making this second nature.
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Look to see if you have loose pieces, meaning pieces which are not defended by anything. These are not automatically bad or anything, it depends on the exact position, but they are risk factors for becoming the victim of tactics. If you donāt know what else to do in a position, consider making your pieces more secure. Usually in a harmonious position, the pieces support each other. This is one example of something which gradually becomes clear: āTactics flow from a superior positionā (Bobby Fischer).
If you play a game and feel like it wasnāt won or lost by obvious mistakes (hanging a piece or whatever) come into the Chess thread and post the game, we can offer some advice about where each player made strategic missteps.
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Several high profile posters here changed their avatars in the last day or so and itās scary and weird.
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I have no plans to change my avatar.
Should I change my avatar?
- Yes
- No
0 voters
poll needs a third option
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Thereās a high level chess player who posts in a low content thread on 2+2, this was his advice for anyone wanting to find the best and most efficient way to study and improve at chess:
Chess study plan for max efficiency:
- Buy Chess.com diamond, amazing value. Itās $99/yr and there should be a free trial. Platinum is also good, just no videos. (https://www.chess.com/membership)
- Split your routine into something like 40-50% tactics, 30-40% playing games and the analysis of those games and, 20% misc.
- For tactics- books, tactics trainer, and puzzle rush are all good- the latter two which you can do exclusively on chess.com. This should be more of a day to day thing- not something thatās crammable. Main focus is pattern recognition.
- For playing games, Iād recommend at least 5 mins per person, with 10 or 15 being preferred. The game report on chess.com is a goldmine. Check it out after every game. Itās kind of like HH Reviewāsā¦ that are done for you by a computer. This is new and I wish I had this resource 5-10 years ago. LiChess and Chess.com are the two best places to play online.
- Join tournaments on chess.com
- Watching videos on YouTube nowadays is another great way to improve. Here are some recommended channels: Saint Louis Chess Club, agadmator, PowerPlayChess, Kingscrusher, GMHikaru, John Bartholomew, and BotezLive. Sort by Popular to see the best stuff. There isnāt much clickbait in chess so the title is a good representation of the contents of the vid.
tldr; opening theory is w/e, I didnāt study much of that until I was past 2000. Just wing that if you want. Think of opening theory like ābalance balance balance pio pio pioā for live poker. Useful, but it depends what your goals are/where youāre at. EV is lower than alternatives. Tactics are essential and like perfecting preflop. Donāt underestimate the work and reps required. Easier said than done.
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Stay strong my fellow M-vatars. Together we will sow confusion and harvest extra 
's
Shout out to: meb, Melkerson, Mendoza, mukdukaluk, Mullen, MasterofthePwn, MakeHaste, marmot, MonsterJMcGee, mousemat, Montecore, mystical
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Good poast.
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