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3 votes
2 answers
162 views

For a beginner focused on reducing blunders, should I study positional theory or tactics more?

I've been playing chess for about a month, learning strategies and principles along the way. Initially, reviewing my games to identify frequent mistakes helped me progress from a complete novice to ...
Mikayla Eckel Cifrese's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
123 views

How do you systematically analyze an arbitrary chess position?

I've recently been learning the fundamentals of the game using the chess.com lessons and game reviews, but the thing I can't seem to figure out is how to even know what to look for or focus when ...
Mikayla Eckel Cifrese's user avatar
2 votes
4 answers
213 views

Trying to improve

I have a question hopefully someone can help me out. 3 days ago I won a tournament (25+5) semi-rapid section under 1450 OTB. I scored 5/5 beating some high rated players. My rating OTB semi-rapid ...
Dimitar Zhekov's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
66 views

Please advise which books are about strategy with explanations [duplicate]

I have many books that show openings, endplays, tactics, different puzzle to find best moves, databases with games, articles... All this stuff shows specific moves, which I have to find by myself. I ...
Tamila Ambeon's user avatar
4 votes
5 answers
746 views

Where can I find exercises where the best move isn't always a tactical one?

I know solving a lot of tactics problems has its benefits, but also its limitations. In a real game there is no way to know if a tactic is present — maybe the best move is defensive. I am seeking ...
Ian Olsen's user avatar
8 votes
5 answers
2k views

Why is Ne2 better than Nf3?

I played Nf3 for attacking on king side which is about to castle having some plans to make a battery in future after castling but I feel Ne2 is making a block for Re1 at some point. Any suggestions? [...
Shreyash Talpade's user avatar
7 votes
2 answers
566 views

I am 1400, how do I improve my positional play? [duplicate]

My lichess puzzle rating (tactics) is around 2100, while my game rating is only around 1400, so I'm pretty sure that means my positional play is utterly trash. There aren't any positional puzzles out ...
Alien's user avatar
  • 205
2 votes
6 answers
2k views

How do I make the right move after an opening? [duplicate]

I'm slowly getting better at my chess skills. The one thing that bugs me the most right now is knowing which piece to move after many of my pieces have been developed and the king has been castled. ...
btrballin's user avatar
  • 121
6 votes
6 answers
627 views

What should my plan be in this middlegame?

This is a game I played recently. After 12. Be2, I really didn't know how to proceed. Eventually, after thinking for a very long time (>30 minutes, it's a correspondence game by the way), I moved ...
Aernout's user avatar
  • 81
18 votes
10 answers
6k views

Study endgame first before studying opening? Is it true?

While looking for and comparing suggestions that will help me to improve in chess, I have noticed that some people and some chess book authors suggest that you should study the endgame first. Some ...
user1764381's user avatar
  • 1,129
22 votes
12 answers
3k views

I lost a game without making tactical mistakes; how can I avoid this happening in the future?

Here's a game of mine from last night. It was my first tournament game for many years. (This game is David Kenney vs. Douglas Stones [me] 1-0. Press F to flip the board.) [fen ""] [Event "Bluenose ...
Douglas S. Stones's user avatar
53 votes
10 answers
19k views

How do I learn to understand the middlegame?

I am trying to train tactics as well as my general understanding of the beginning/middlegame. I spent a good bit of time understanding endgames, per chessmaster recommendations and those I can ...
Jeff Davis's user avatar
  • 1,732
13 votes
6 answers
15k views

What are the differences between tactical and positional chess?

Does one style of play have an advantage/disadvantage over the other? Are today's GMs mostly tactical players or positional players? What GMs should I follow if I want to be more of a tactical ...
xaisoft's user avatar
  • 16.9k