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WGM Dina Belenkaya's Beginner Intermediate Study Guide (1000-1400 Elo)

WGM Dina Belenkaya's Beginner Intermediate Study Guide (1000-1400 Elo)

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WGM DinaBelenkaya
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Editor's Note: We are proud to present this study guide from WGM Dina Belenkaya as part of our 2025 Chess Improvement Challenge. We encourage interested improvers to sign up for the challenge, set their goals, and join the official Improvers club!

Stuck at a 1000-1400 chess rating? Don’t worry—you’re not alone. Moving past this rating range can feel challenging, but with the right approach, it’s absolutely achievable! Chess improvement isn’t about luck; it’s about focusing on all key areas of your game and practicing smarter, not harder. This article guides you through the key elements you need to focus on to elevate your game. Based on principles of my Russian Chess School as well as on my own competitive 25+ years of experience, I will help you get to the desired level in a most effective and efficient way. Let’s cut through the noise and get to the essentials!

1. Practice Makes Progress

We have all heard this cliché, but in chess, practice is the key. Regular and disciplined practice not only refines your skills but also deepens your understanding of the game. 

In a perfect world, we would all play chess over-the-board: sitting in front of our opponents at the real chessboard, where we can observe their emotions and body language. However, online chess also plays a significant role. While it is not the same experience as playing in-person games, it still offers an excellent opportunity to develop your skills, regardless of your level and provides enormous flexibility.

So, how can we really benefit from playing a lot and use this experience wisely? Easy: focus on giving your best in every game and… analyze your games once they finish! After each match, take the time to review your performance using tools such as:

  • Engine analysis on Chess.com
  • Game Review
  • Coach advice
Analyzing your games is key to improvement.

These tools will help you identify your mistakes and improve your chances of success. Try to see if you can recognize typical patterns, strengths, and weaknesses in your play. You can learn more about how to analyze your games here. 

Choose the Right Game Format

The best format for training is rapid games, starting at a minimum of 15 minutes with a 10-second increment per move, and ideally extending to over an hour (the more time, the better!). You can also try daily game formats if they are more appealing. This allows you to carefully think through each move, avoid rushing, and focus on strategy.

For higher-rated players, it’s helpful to occasionally include faster time controls, such as games 10 minutes + 5 seconds per move or blitz 3+2, 3+1, 3+0 to practice decision-making speed. Always better to play with time increments after each move. This helps train your chess skills rather than just the speed of your mouse. If you have even a two-second increment per move, converting an advantage like an extra queen becomes much easier, even when you’re short on time compared to your opponent. The only downside is that sometimes you have to wait longer to get an opponent—unfortunately, the reality is that people love the adrenalin of flagging... That’s why in my learning community for adult improvers—Russian Chess School—we match our students manually together and organize club championships so that people can practice skills in blitz and rapid and actually convert their advantage and win “on the board” and not “by clock.”

More time = more improvement.

Follow the Basic Principles of the Game

Every time your opponent makes a move, ask yourself these questions:

  • Why did my opponent make that move?
  • Is my opponent attacking any of my pieces? What is my opponent's threat? 
  • Can I capture anything “for free”? 
  • If no threat, what is my worst piece? How can I improve it?

It’s important to have a structure in your head when you are playing. You should be able to have a solid understanding of a basic game strategy in every part of the game. For example:

In the Opening:

  • Did I take control of the center?
  • Did I develop my minor pieces?
  • Is my king safe? Did I castle?

In the Middlegame:

Right after you finish the opening, ask yourself:

  • Did I connect my rooks?
  • Did I develop/activate my queen? Careful—not too far away!
  • Did I bring my rooks towards the center?
  • Did I make a “window” (“luft”) pushing h3 or h6—avoiding bank rank mates and annoying pins?

Your general middlegame strategy should be based on this guideline:

Make good pawn breaks in the center in order to open files to attack the opponent’s king. Grab space by pushing the a- and h-pawns (careful—you don’t want to open your king too much). You should be able to assess the type of your position: is it open or closed? Whose pieces are better? Whose king is safer? Which side would benefit trading queens?

You can learn more about these basic principles in my latest video "Learn Chess The Right Way."

Learn Chess The Right Way.

In the Endgame:

Once queens are off the board, here comes the endgame. You’d be surprised to know that the king is now the strongest piece—and you should absolutely use it! Keep an eye on the pawn structure—don’t create too many weaknesses. Watch for opportunities to create passed pawns; you will use them to promote a new queen!

Compete in Tournaments

Regular participation in tournaments is another key step toward improvement. Competitions, whether over-the-board or online, help you develop resilience under pressure and provide invaluable experience in serious play. In a tournament setting, players tend to approach their games more responsibly, allowing them to grow faster as chess players.

By the way, I’d love to see you in the tournaments I personally organize in my online chess school (community)! It’s a place where adult improvers grow and learn the game together under my guidance and supervision. Whether you’re crushing opponents or recovering from a tough game, you’ll gain priceless experience, sharpen your skills, and—who knows—maybe even make a few chess buddies along the way!

Here are my guidelines to improve:

  • Play often, but only to analyze more!

While playing online is convenient and accessible, the magic happens when you analyze your games afterward. Use tools like the analysis board on Chess.com or the Game Review feature to spot mistakes and missed opportunities.

  • Prioritize longer games

For real improvement, try rapid formats: games of at least 15 minutes with a 10-second increment per move. This gives you the time to think strategically without rushing. Rapid (10+5) and blitz (3+2) can be fun, but save them for when you’re more advanced or in case you suffer from “falling asleep” during the game—to practice quick decision-making! 

Note that I highly disgrace bullet as it’s hurting your chess… yet to my “slow” students, I recommend practicing 1+1 from time to time. 🙂

  • Work with a coach or a stronger player

To accelerate your progress, working with a coach or playing against a higher-rated player is incredibly valuable. Analyzing your games with a stronger opponent can reveal weaknesses in your play and provide personalized advice for improvement. One-on-one sessions are particularly effective for in-depth understanding and learning. If you can afford it, of course. Alternatively you can always find study-bodies in a learning community, such as my Russian Chess School—and don’t get me wrong, I am sure there are plenty of other places to do that!

Lots of great coaches are at Chess.com/coaches!

  • Join tournaments

Tournaments are a game-changer. They simulate competitive pressure, which sharpens focus and builds resilience. Both online and OTB competitions are great—check out the tournament section on Chess.com for upcoming events but also don’t forget to exploit your hometown. You might be surprised to discover that almost every local chess club provides rated weekly practice games! If you are particularly dedicated, you should absolutely participate in some national and international OTB events.

By following these simple yet essential steps, you will be sure to improve your results. 

2. Master Tactics To Level Up Your Game

Tired of blundering your pieces in one move? Constantly missing your opponent's hanging fruits and can't see any threats? That's normal! Even though I have just highlighted the importance of strategy, at the end of the day all your games are gonna be decided by one-two move tactics (unless you lose on time obviously).
In fact, every rating level improvement strongly depends on your ability to calculate, and you'd be surprised to know that it's absolutely the same even for me!! So, good news is that I got you! With the right discipline and work ethic, you can get to the next level without any difficulties just by leveling up your tactical skills! So, what are you waiting for?

First things first—you have to know and understand all the basic tactical motifs—forks, double attacks, pins, skewers, deflections, decoys, discovered attacks, double checks, zwischenzugs, x-rays, and many others. 

For players rated below 1000, one-move blunders are still common. By the 1000–1400 range, such mistakes happen less often, but they’re still around—usually caused by tactical oversights or insufficient calculation (for example, not having enough attacking pieces or failing to find defensive resources). Sometimes mistakes can simply arise due to the time pressure!
How can you improve your tactical vision?

Let’s talk about that! 

Solve Puzzles Every Day

If you want to skyrocket your chess progress, make solving puzzles a part of your daily habit. Exercising regularly will sharpen your ability to recognize patterns, improve calculation skills, speed up decision-making, and help you spot key tactical motifs during your games. The more puzzles you solve, the faster you’ll level up—no limits here! The rule is simple: the more, the better.

But wait: don’t just guess moves—try to think deeply about each position, calculate variations, and find the best solution.

To get started, here’s a test I’ve put together to help you assess your current knowledge and pinpoint areas that need improvement:

Test Your Chess Knowledge

This test covers a wide range of topics suitable for your level, helping you identify gaps and decide which themes to focus on.

Top Resources for Tactical Training:

  • Chess.com
    • Puzzle Rush: Choose your preferred time control (three minutes, five minutes, or untimed Puzzle Survival mode) and challenge yourself to solve as many puzzles as you can. To be honest, I would personally recommend practicing all three, try to push for your maximum every day, and compare your statistics every week. Pro tip: find a solid player above 1400 and stalk their puzzle records—and try to beat them!
    • Puzzle Battle: Love a good competition? Test your skills by solving puzzles head-to-head against players of your level—fun and effective!
    • Rated puzzles: Challenge yourself in a mixed puzzles format and try to push for your maximum rating every day! Once you get “in the zone,” you’ll be very proud of your achievements!
  • Custom Puzzles: Use Chess.com’s learning tactics section to practice specific topics you struggle with or explore new tactical ideas. Whether they are forks, pins, or discovered attacks, you’ll find everything you need to train and improve!
Chess.com has multiple puzzle modes that strengthen different aspects of your game.

The bottom line: puzzles are the key to unlocking sharper calculation, faster thinking, and tactical domination. So dive in, train hard, and let those “aha!” moments lead you to victory!

Set Yourself a Goal

Aim high and work on improving your rating on puzzle-solving platforms. Every day, push for new records, solve more puzzles, and raise the bar. For example, set a goal to reach a 2500 or even 3000 rating in tactics! Or, focus on improving your accuracy with each solution. The more specific and ambitious your goals, the faster you’ll see the progress.

Work on your tactics with books

Quality books are another great way to deepen your tactical understanding. Here are some recommendations:

  • Everyone's First Chess Workbook is a fundamental book that covers all the basic tactical maneuvers you need to know. It is available as a paper cover book on Amazon as well as a Chessable online course. 

So, let’s recap:

  • Focus on key tactical patterns. Spend time learning and mastering common tactical ideas like forks, pins, skewers, discovered attacks, and double-checks. Chessable has excellent courses, designed for players under 1400. 
  • Set personal goals. Make it fun by tracking your tactical progress—maybe aim for a 2000 rating in puzzles or challenge yourself to solve a set number of puzzles every week.
  • Study books. Look for different sources or training material, not just online tools but also structured books, courses, etc.

By following these suggestions, you’ll significantly improve your tactical vision. Not only will you avoid blunders, but you’ll also start spotting winning combinations in your games! 

3. Dive Deep into Endgames

Next on the list is a deep focus on endgames, which is essential for any serious chess player and  is also a foundation of the Russian Chess School method. Along with openings (which we will talk about later in this article), endgame is one of the most critical phases of the game. Understanding endgames is the key to converting advantages into wins and preventing mistakes in the final stages of the game.

Core Endgame Topics for Players Rated 1000–1400

Here are some of the most important endgame concepts you should focus on:

  • Endgame Principles:
    • The king is a powerful piece in the endgame and should be centralized,  no need to be afraid of a checkmate anymore!
    • Pay close attention to passed pawns.
  • Key Endgame Techniques:
    • Promoting pawns.
    • Opening lines for rooks.
    • Using the king as an active piece.
    • Stopping your opponent from creating passed pawns—or blocking them if they already exist!
  • Mastering Simple Checkmates:
  • Promoting a Pawn to a Queen:
    • Understand the key principles of working with passed pawns and how to promote them to a queen.
  • Basic Theoretical Positions:

  • Pawn Endgames:
    • Pawn breaks, creating passed pawns, making them protected passed pawns, opposition
  • Rook Endgames:

Endgames allow you to gain a deeper understanding of:

  • The unique characteristics of each piece.
  • The coordination and interaction between pieces on the board.
  • The value and effectiveness of pieces depending on their activity and position.

Resources for Studying Endgames

To make your endgame study easier, here are some useful resources:

  • Chess.com: The endgame section includes interactive lessons and puzzles. Endgames on Chess.com
  • Chessable: A fantastic platform for endgame study. 

A deep understanding of endgames not only strengthens your practical skills but also improves your overall chess level.

4. Strategy: Fundamentals Of Positional Play

The fourth crucial aspect to focus on is strategy. After the opening phase comes the critical middle game, where planning, assessing positions, and finding the best moves for your pieces and pawns become essential. Understanding strategic principles enable you to effectively navigate this stage and build a solid path to victory. You can learn more about how to develop a game plan in this article: Chess Strategy.

Key Topics to Study on Strategy

  • Pawn Structures and Weaknesses
    • Understanding pawn islands, pawn chains, isolated pawns, doubled pawns, backward pawns, hanging pawns, and passed pawns function is critical for evaluating positions.
    • Name Your Pawns by GM Simon Williams
  • Outposts
    • Learn how to create outposts for your pieces, especially knights. These secure positions strengthen your own side while limiting the opponent's piece mobility.
  • Open Files
  • Compensation and Initiative
    • Learn how to evaluate dynamic compensation for activity or better pawn structure. Grasping when to push for initiative can turn the tide of a game.
    • Which Pawn To Push?
  • Weak Squares

Studying these strategic aspects of the game will enhance your positional understanding, allowing you to easily come up with plans for the middle game and achieve a significant positional advantage. 

5. Openings: How And What To Study At The 1000-1400 Level

At this level, I don't believe in memorizing opening variations. Instead, focus on mastering the basic opening principles. I cover most of them in my video “Learn Chess The Right Way.”

Following these concepts will help you understand what to play in any unknown position and build a strong and solid setup as you will better understand various positions, plans, and pawn structures. Frankly, instead of cramming random opening moves, you should rather use your precious time on solving tactics which will improve your overall board vision and help you reduce blunders that at the end of a day are the main decider of your games!

BUT since I know how much more confident you feel when you get your “quick magical solution,” I will still provide you with some basic opening recommendations:

Your repertoire for White:

Start the game by controlling the center with moves like 1. e4 or 1. d4 (alternative options: 1. Nf3, 1. c4).

  1. Classical Openings (1. e4 e5)
    1. Italian Game (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4)
    2. Scotch Game (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4)
    3. Ruy Lopez (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5) — A more complex and semi-open opening
  2. Sharp Openings for Aggressive Players
    1. King's Gambit (1. e4 e5 2. f4) for more experienced players
    2. Max Lange Attack — For those who enjoy sacrifices and sharp positions
    3. Vienna Game (1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Kf6 3. f4)
    4. Evans Gambit
    5. Center Game
  3. Positional Scheme-Based Openings
    1. London System (1. d4 d5 2. Bf4)
    2. Reti Opening (1. Nf3 or 1. d4, then g3 and Bg2)
    3. King's Indian Attack (1. Nf3 or 1. d4, then g3 and Bg2)

Tip: Avoid semi-closed and closed openings until you reach a 1500 rating. These require more understanding of structure and tactics, which are better grasped at a higher level.

Your repertoire for Black:

  1. Against 1. e4:
    1. 1...e5 —The classical answer that can be played intuitively based on basic principles
    2. French Defense (1...e6)—A solid opening but requires learning a few key ideas
    3. Sicilian Defense (1...c5)—A more aggressive opening suitable for players seeking counterplay
    4. Caro-Kann (1...c6)—My personal favorite but a little bit passive. If you're not ready to study some basic lines, it's better to wait.
  2. Against 1. d4:
    1. 1...d5—A solid response, either as the Queen's Gambit Declined or Slav Defense
    2. Grünfeld Defense—For players who like dynamic positions
    3. Nimzowitsch Defense
    4. Queen's Indian Defense

At this stage avoid:

  • King's Indian Defense for Black—It can be too complex and passive
  • Scandinavian Defense—It goes against the basic opening principles
  • Philidor and Pirc Defenses—Too passive 

Additional Tips:

While it might seem useful to study simple opening traps and sacrifices, as they help develop tactical awareness and sharpen your chess intuition, if you're serious about improving in chess, remember: it's only at 1800+ level that a solid understanding of opening theory becomes essential!

Since you want to develop the right instincts as soon as possible, starting with open games and learning “proper and clean openings” early will accelerate your progress.

Whether you go with sharp, solid, or classical openings, the choice is yours! But remember: strong opening knowledge alone won’t lead to stable progress. You will need to improve in all areas of the game. Take it step by step, and soon enough, your opening will become one of your strongest assets

And don’t forget, sometimes the best way to improve is by being part of a chess community. At the Russian Chess School, we’ve built a welcoming space where you can learn from others, share tips, and get support when things get tough. Playing in our tournaments and chatting with chess lovers can give you fresh ideas, help you see things from a new perspective, and keep you motivated. So come join us and let’s level up together!

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