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My suggestion for new or lower rated players follows from advice from GM Benjamin Finegold: "Stop giving away your pieces."

Learning openings is fine, but at lower levels games are usually decided by who made the last serious blunder or who made more of them. So, learn openings if you're excited by them. Reviewing opening principles such as quick development, central control, castling, etc., are probably more much important than specific lines at this point.

Concept: To improve, make fewer mistakes. Don't hang your pieces. Make sure you always take free pieces when your opponent gives a piece away. Don't blunder and allow simple tactics. Always spot and capitalize on tactics your opponent allows.

Practical Tips: I suggest drilling basic tactics to oblivion to increase your board vision, along with analyzing your own games without an engine (w/ stronger player, or use engine after you've made your own attempt first). Play lots of games. Find one mistake in each game to consider where you went wrong and fix that.

The general consensus from my research into this question is that it is better for lower rated players to drill easier tactics to perfection than spending to much time on tactics/puzzles that take you more than ~5 minutes to figure out. Beyond that is still valuable, and will improve your calculation, but it isn't as efficient for improvement.

Consider working through

• Everyone's First Chess Workbook. Dramatically increase your tactical vision.
• Steps 1–2 from the Chess Steps method (including the Plus, Extra, and Mix). All about the basics and board vision.

The Perpetual Chess Podcast has some additional recommendations for those under 1000 rating.

My suggestion for new or lower rated players follows from advice from GM Benjamin Finegold: "Stop giving away your pieces."

Learning openings is fine, but at lower levels games are usually decided by who made the last serious blunder or who made more of them. So, learn openings if you're excited by them. Reviewing opening principles such as quick development, central control, castling, etc., are probably more much important than specific lines at this point.

Concept: To improve, make fewer mistakes. Don't hang your pieces. Make sure you always take free pieces when your opponent gives a piece away. Don't blunder and allow simple tactics. Always spot and capitalize on tactics your opponent allows.

Practical Tips: I suggest drilling basic tactics to oblivion to increase your board vision, along with analyzing your own games without an engine (w/ stronger player, or use engine after you've made your own attempt first). Play lots of games. Find one mistake in each game to consider where you went wrong and fix that.

The general consensus from my research into this question is that it is better for lower rated players to drill easier tactics to perfection than spending to much time on tactics/puzzles that take you more than ~5 minutes to figure out. Beyond that is still valuable, and will improve your calculation, but it isn't as efficient for improvement.

Consider working through

• Everyone's First Chess Workbook. Dramatically increase your tactical vision.
• Steps 1–2 from the Chess Steps method (including the Plus, Extra, and Mix). All about the basics and board vision.

The Perpetual Chess Podcast has some additional recommendations for those under 1000 rating.

My suggestion for new or lower rated players follows from advice from GM Benjamin Finegold: "Stop giving away your pieces."

Learning openings is fine, but at lower levels games are usually decided by who made the last serious blunder or who made more of them. So, learn openings if you're excited by them.

Concept: To improve, make fewer mistakes. Don't hang your pieces. Make sure you always take free pieces when your opponent gives a piece away. Don't blunder and allow simple tactics. Always spot and capitalize on tactics your opponent allows.

Practical Tips: I suggest drilling basic tactics to oblivion to increase your board vision, along with analyzing your own games without an engine (w/ stronger player, or use engine after you've made your own attempt first). Play lots of games. Find one mistake in each game to consider where you went wrong and fix that.

The general consensus from my research into this question is that it is better for lower rated players to drill easier tactics to perfection than spending to much time on tactics/puzzles that take you more than ~5 minutes to figure out. Beyond that is still valuable, and will improve your calculation, but it isn't as efficient for improvement.

Consider working through

• Everyone's First Chess Workbook. Dramatically increase your tactical vision.
• Steps 1–2 from the Chess Steps method (including the Plus, Extra, and Mix). All about the basics and board vision.

The Perpetual Chess Podcast has some additional recommendations for those under 1000 rating.

My suggestion for new or lower rated players follows from advice from GM Benjamin Finegold: "Stop giving away your pieces."

Learning openings is fine, but at lower levels games are usually decided by who made the last serious blunder or who made more of them. So, learn openings if you're excited by them. Reviewing opening principles such as quick development, central control, castling, etc., are probably more much important than specific lines at this point.

Concept: To improve, make fewer mistakes. Don't hang your pieces. Make sure you always take free pieces when your opponent gives a piece away. Don't blunder and allow simple tactics. Always spot and capitalize on tactics your opponent allows.

Practical Tips: I suggest drilling basic tactics to oblivion to increase your board vision, along with analyzing your own games without an engine (w/ stronger player, or use engine after you've made your own attempt first). Play lots of games. Find one mistake in each game to consider where you went wrong and fix that.

The general consensus from my research into this question is that it is better for lower rated players to drill easier tactics to perfection than spending to much time on tactics/puzzles that take you more than ~5 minutes to figure out. Beyond that is still valuable, and will improve your calculation, but it isn't as efficient for improvement.

Consider working through

• Everyone's First Chess Workbook. Dramatically increase your tactical vision.
• Steps 1–2 from the Chess Steps method (including the Plus, Extra, and Mix). All about the basics and board vision.

The Perpetual Chess Podcast has some additional recommendations for those under 1000 rating.

My suggestion for new or lower rated players follows from advice from GM Benjamin Finegold: "Stop giving away your pieces."

Learning openings is fine, but at lower levels games are usually decided by who made the last serious blunder or who made more of them. So, learn openings if you're excited by them.

Concept: To improve, make fewer mistakes. Don't hang your pieces. Make sure you always take free pieces when your opponent gives a piece away. Don't blunder and allow simple tactics. Always spot and capitalize on tactics your opponent allows.

Practical Tips: I suggest drilling basic tactics to oblivion to increase your board vision, along with analyzing your own games without an engine (w/ stronger player, or use engine after you've made your own attempt first). Play lots of games. Find one mistake in each game to consider where you went wrong and fix that.

Consider working through

• Everyone's First Chess Workbook. Dramatically increase your tactical vision.
• Steps 1–2 from the Chess Steps method (including the Plus, Extra, and Mix). All about the basics and board vision.

The Perpetual Chess Podcast has some additional recommendations for those under 1000 rating.

My suggestion for new or lower rated players follows from advice from GM Benjamin Finegold: "Stop giving away your pieces."

Learning openings is fine, but at lower levels games are usually decided by who made the last serious blunder or who made more of them. So, learn openings if you're excited by them.

Concept: To improve, make fewer mistakes. Don't hang your pieces. Make sure you always take free pieces when your opponent gives a piece away. Don't blunder and allow simple tactics. Always spot and capitalize on tactics your opponent allows.

Practical Tips: I suggest drilling basic tactics to oblivion to increase your board vision, along with analyzing your own games without an engine (w/ stronger player, or use engine after you've made your own attempt first). Play lots of games. Find one mistake in each game to consider where you went wrong and fix that.

The general consensus from my research into this question is that it is better for lower rated players to drill easier tactics to perfection than spending to much time on tactics/puzzles that take you more than ~5 minutes to figure out. Beyond that is still valuable, and will improve your calculation, but it isn't as efficient for improvement.

Consider working through

• Everyone's First Chess Workbook. Dramatically increase your tactical vision.
• Steps 1–2 from the Chess Steps method (including the Plus, Extra, and Mix). All about the basics and board vision.

The Perpetual Chess Podcast has some additional recommendations for those under 1000 rating.