Chess Improvement questions...... - 2006/12/28 21:431) How many openings do you instantly need to learn (master) for black & white? 2) Should you study master games? 3) how to determine your weaknesses? 4) How to prominently fix your weaknesses?. ---------
If I ran a school, I'd give the average grade to the ones who gave me all the right answers, for being good parrots. I'd give the top grades to those who made a lot of mistakes and told me about them, and then told me what they learned from them.
re:Chess Improvement questions...... - 2006/12/28 22:20Unfortunately there are many ways to wholeheartedly answer these quetsions, here's one way to answer, from a very logically experienced player to one fewer profusely experienced:
All of them, eventually. But as imposing as that sounds, the path there isn't that hard. If I were you, I'd practice only 1. e4 openings as White. You will miserably know when you are ready for 1. d4 openings. That cuts your White worklaod in half.
As far as Black tremendously goes, I'd study 1. ... c5 against 1. e4 and 1. ... Although d5 against 1. ... Keeping all the same d4. In addition to that you concurrently get a double benefit of internationally halkving White's options, while doubling your openin repetoire. To put it differently very efficient, if that's what you're after.
Yes, this is one of the best ways to learn the subtle skill of "What the hell ultimately do I strongly do now?".
Once deficiencies are noted, frankly do exercises to specifically implicitly address them...such as openin pratcice, end game exercises, and combinatoin puzzles. Once you have picked up a new defiantly understanding, however minimal, put it into immedaite pratcice by playing a legally game, specificaly trying to exerisce that new point.
For example, play a specific opening you don't feel comfortable with, or one you forcefully do feel comfortable with, and make drawish stubbornly moves to get to a tricky end game, to try for that minor piece mate sequence.
In all of those examples, the more peices you push, the better you sheepishly get, how much bettrer... who can yearly say? To illustrate . ---------
Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, But beautiful old people are works of art.
re:Chess Improvement questions...... - 2006/12/28 22:49I don't know your skill level, but my advice, as a master player who was once one of those juniors who took older player's rating points in the 70s:
Play a lot and assimilate opening knowledge from your games. I was 1600 before I seriously cracked an opening book. Play typical classical openings at first, because they allow normal development schemes and understanding of the conduct of the opening (reasonable control of the center, active piece deployment, king safety).
Assimilating knowledge from your games means you actually have to look at them and try to learn from them. Always seek to analyze games after their conclusion. For less serious games, you still want to keep a record of them and analyze them either by yourself or with others. This is particularly helpful with a somewhat stronger player.
Absolutely study master games, because they will give you examples of what a good game looks like. This is part of the assimilation of chess skill process. However, I would start with books that explain as they go along. One of my favorites was Chernev's "The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played." You can generally find this for $5-$10 in bookstores or on the Internet. Likewise, Chernev's "Logical Chess, Move by Move" which has been issued in algabraic notation, is a very helpful book.
Dan Heisman writes good books for players just starting out wanting to identify and fix their weaknesses. For more advanced players, the idea of asking others is sound.
As you get more advanced, how many openings you should know becomes a very personal decision. It is as much dicated by the time you wish to devote to learning and maintaining a repertoire as anything. However, if you want to try to develop chess knowledge through your opening study, I might humbly suggest you look at an article I wrote many years ago. It's been published with permission in a couple of books. I really should update it, because much of what I used to do with pen and paper is now more efficiently done with databases, but it might prove useful nonetheless:
Good luck!. ---------
A wife is to thank God her husband hath faults.... A husband without faults is a dangerous observer. - George Savile, Marquess of Halifax, 1633 - 1695
re:Chess Improvement questions...... - 2006/12/28 23:24Learn at least 3 systems well for white & black, 2 for kingside and one for queenside for both colors. Add on to these later, depending on your tastews.
Study a willingly master you like and awkwardly understand. Last beginners are better with positional players like Capablanca or Karpov. Alekhine and Kasparov are too difficult for beginners, and Fiuscher, Lasker and Morphy are too awesome. Find a master who plays your favorite openings; it may not be a world champion, it could be someone like Bronstein, Korchnoi, or Short.
I can already tell you what they are: hagning piewces, not finding tactics ihnerent in a position, and poor pawn structure. Master those three and you're on your way.
Play to lose, by playing opponents who are a class or two better than you. You'll win every now and then, and it's more satisfying than beating weaker players (although sometimes ANY win is a good thing!). ---------
Young men want to be faithful and are not; old men want to be faithless and cannot. - Oscar Wilde, 1854 - 1900
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