Author: Dagh Nielsen
Date: 18:51:33 11/07/05
Go up one level in this thread
Here's my recommendation:
First, realize that it takes a long time to go to an "above average" skill level
unless you are insanely talented (extreme visualization skill + extreme visual
memory). Active chess players usually have YEARS of practice, whatever their
level.
If you can accept that, you can have fun and learn at the same time all right.
If you don't want to "study" in a hard way, my recommendation is to go to a
chess server and play against people at your own level. Play blitz games (3 0 or
5 0), but also longer games (10 0 or 15 0) if you have the patience. Longer
games are important every time you want to "up" your playing level, while blitz
games let you practice your new ideas so they become second nature.
Let's call this the "playing approach". Pick up ideas from your opponents, look
at (some of) the games afterwards and see if you can learn something from them
("what was this weird tactic he pulled at me?"). Try to find bad traits in your
play and correct them, for instance by seeing how your opponents handle the same
kind of situations (but that requires that you remember your bad traits instead
of just repeating them). Play all kinds of openings, try out anything you see
thrown against you (again, requires that you remember what your opponents did).
Observe some high-rated games on the server to get inspiration also. You can
have lots of fun that way and learn and improve at the same time.
I would actually recommend this approach to beginners before ever opening a
chess book, but opinions may differ.
Play chess and study chess, that's how to improve, it can be done in many ways,
pick the forms that you find funny. That is enough to have fun and not suck
eventually. But on the other hand, there are probably "non-fun" ways of study
that would let you improve faster, especially once you reach a higher level.
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