Quality of a good chess player:
To have the desire to develop the ability to understand a given chess
position as thoroughly as possible before making a move.
Also, a good player is one who strives to improve by analyzing his
games, particularly loses, as those games point vividly to his
weaknesses, whether they be lack of knowledge in the endgame, with
tactical thinking, with strategy or poor technique with defense. Study
those games until the reason for the loss is fully understood. Also, a
good player studies master games.
Hi Martin,
I have had/has the same problem as you. I have studied many
different things but that have helped me mostly to improve is 2
things. The first and perhaps most importantly is tactics. I missed
winning pieces or sometimes easy mates but after studying it regularly
for a few month I begun to see them at the board. Sometimes when I
have been waiting for my opponents to move I have looked at others
game and I have seen many games when a player have put one of
his pieces without a support and his opponents haven’t seen it. I don’t
remember if I have been looking at any of our games, so I can’t say
if you have that problem. But tactics is good to practice. Perhaps I can
put up a few if there is some interest. Is it Posers and Puzzles you
post them?
The second that I found helped me to improve is in choosing an
opening repertoire and stick to it. You will probably loose at first but
the more you get familiar with the opening, the middle games and the
end games that will came from it the more success you will get. Best
thing is to get some opening book that explains the ideas with the
openings. I myself am using “Attacking with 1 e4” by John Emms,
don’t know if it is the best book or if it will fit you. But it is working
rather well for me. He is using a rather similar approach to most of the
opening, which makes it easier to learn. Another approach is to use an
opening system, I only know of two and it is King’s Indian Attack for 1.
e4 or 1. Nf3, and London system for 1. d4. In these systems you put
your pieces on the same places what ever your opponent chooses for
openings.
Perhaps someone can tell if there are more systems and if there is
anyone for Black.
The way I learned the openings was to go through the theory in my
book, then I went through a few games from a database, first quickly
to, after a few games I begun to see a pattern. After that I tried to
figure out what plans there were for the middle game and end game.
Now I usually go slowly through a game or two a day to get new ideas,
learn more tactics in the openings.
If you don’t have a database, I can recommend using SCID or you
can go to http://www.chesslive.de/ put up a position, do a search, and
look for a player you think is good and go through the game or
games.
Hope there is something I wrote you can have any use of.
Paul aka stormfogel