Trying to Improve

To anyone out there rated around 1400 or above... please accept this open invitation.  I am trying to improve my game.  I have soem knowledge of tactics and a working knowledge of the endgame.  Please help me get better.

Sincerely,

JKSKJ52

The best thing is to find a partner in your level whom you can discuss, analyse and improve together by messanger for example.

If you dont have money for a coach.

Set up a simple training plan. At anything under about 1800 tactics should be 90% of your training.

Train an hr or so a day 5 days a week and your rating should climb.

Spend hr or less a week on openings. Find a white opening you like. Then a black def to E4, and D4. All you need at this level is maybe the first 5-8 moves or so of the basic openings you have picked. No need to really push on openings at under 1700ish. Once a week play through a GM game or 2 of the openings you like.Dont be memorizing, just get a feel for how that opening works and the common moves that happen in it.

Spend hr or so a week on endgame. I would 100% say get Silmans endgame course. LEarn what you need up to your rating and stop. Every week review until you climb higher. Then add the next rating level.

THe rest of the time spend on tactics. Here in Tactics trainer, or other good online tactics trainers. Also get a book on tactics, so you get the idea behind the tactics. Not just pnding through a ton online. Dont worry so much about the clock. Worry more about picking the right mvoe and why.

As you finish a game here or OTB. Take it home and go over it. Writing what you did right and wrong. Were better moves should have been played. Then put it into fritz or another comp and see how close to the right moves you are. Then study the game based on what fritz told you. Take a day or 2 off. So you dont get burned out.

All tho I must say for me I find my self randomly logging into tactics sites all the time.

I am just returning to competitive chess after 12 years away. SO take what I say as just my opinion. But so far it is working for me. As a middle aged man with not a ton of time to spend on chess.

MY training break down goes like this.

Mondays 1 hr on openings. I go to fritz and put in the first 4 moves or so of the opening I am studing, then pull a game of 2 ppl over 2600 who have played it. I print it out then set up the board and play through it. Or through it on fritz, depending on how much time i have.

Monday through friday. I do half hr to hr of tactics training. This swings alot tho. Somedays I might get a combined 3-4 hrs in. The next day i might get 15 minutes in spread through out the day.

Weds- I do  hr or so of endgame study.

I try to leave weekends for letting my mind rest, or coming up for tourneys. I also when I finish a game here. Go over it, no matter what day it is.

I guess i will find out in june. if my work is paying off, as I enter my first OTB tourney then. I am aiming for a few local rated games at the club level before that tho. TO knock the dust off of playing OTB with a clock and writing moves down tho.