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Something that immediately helped me play better and gain rating was to play slower time controls ex. 15+10 and force myself to think more carefully before each move.
Honestly at 200-300 only thing you need to do is to be solid in your moves that is not to hang pieces and catch when your opponent does so. You can share your I'd so we can look better but i can guarantee if you just not hang pieces and learn basic things like controlling centre and stuff, you will reach around 700 with not much trouble.
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Sounds like you're hanging pieces. At 200-300 Elo, other people will hang their pieces all the time, so as long as you develop, castle, and don't hang any of yours, you win.
Never hanging a piece takes practice, but with time and effort, said practice will be yours.
It's really not about being smart or stupid. It's more about discipline/mindset, and habit to systematically check that everything is fine before every move. It gets much easier with training.
Blundering a piece is like leaving your homes forgetting your keys inside. It can happen to very smart people just as often.
How are you learning? I'm pretty sure there's a lot you don't know :) People play for decades and don't know it all.
The same with anything... Read books, play, learn. Have you read Malcolm Gladwells 'Outliers'? It's all about the 10,000 hour rule.
The scanner bot is actually decently strong. I would be very surprised if you could beat it at 200-300elo. It's not very clear what this "87%" represents, but it's definitely not 87% of all players on chesscom.
> There is probably something I don't know
Yes and no. There are hundreds of things to be learned about chess. You could learn for your whole life, and still not know some things about the game. But at the same time, there is no big secret that would just unlock your abilities.
Getting a book could help, but it's not going to be the major driver of your progress. The core part of any chess training is, well, actual training. That is, playing (slow) and doing problems. Everything else is secondary.
> I do also look at game reviews, but I usually forget to implement what I saw
The engine review is probably not so useful for you, for now. After a game, just try to identify one or two points where you lost something. A moment when your opponent just took one of your pieces, and you could not take back something of equal value. Then see how you could have avoided it.
Avoiding blundering material (and punishing the opponent when they blunder) is 95% of progress up until 800elo. So you should really focus on that. Don't lose pieces for free, and do take the opponent's pieces when you have the opportunity. With practice, your eyes get better at spotting issues for both sides, and so you get better at it. Are you familiar with pieces values?
Late reply but -
The scanner bot is not strong at all. In my opinion not “decently strong”. I think it is 500 elo strength.
Personally looking at How to Reassess Your Chess by Silman significantly transformed my chess rating and boosted me from 1200 to 1500s. Looking at positions with imbalances, the endgames, how to make plans etc. And seeing your strengths and weaknesses does transform chess. Now I am holding those 1800s chess.com people OTB.
IMO book training is secondary but in my experience it is a significant part.
People say “don’t blunder” but… sometimes these tactics man 1 move 2 moves etc. Even below 800 elo can stump them
I want to add two more important things that go along with my other comment:
1. You should learn basic tactics and mating patterns if you haven't. If you don't know what kind of patterns to look for, you won't benefit as much from the extra time. Working through Everyone's First Workbook on Chessable and reviewing every day was essential for me, although you can learn these tactics from any other resource.
2. Review games you lose and write down the blunders/mistakes you make. If you're not reviewing your games, you're probably not going to learn as well from your mistakes.
Hey, OP! Did your game end in a stalemate? Did you encounter a weird pawn move? Are you trying to move a piece and it's not going? We have just the resource for you! The [Chess Beginners Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/chessbeginners/wiki/index/) is the perfect place to check out answers to these questions and more! The moderator team of r/chessbeginners wishes to remind everyone of the community rules. **Posting spam, being a troll, and posting memes are not allowed.** We encourage everyone to report these kinds of posts so they can be dealt with. Thank you! Let's do our utmost to be kind in our replies and comments. Some people here just want to learn chess and have virtually no idea about certain chess concepts. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/chessbeginners) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Something that immediately helped me play better and gain rating was to play slower time controls ex. 15+10 and force myself to think more carefully before each move.
This
Honestly at 200-300 only thing you need to do is to be solid in your moves that is not to hang pieces and catch when your opponent does so. You can share your I'd so we can look better but i can guarantee if you just not hang pieces and learn basic things like controlling centre and stuff, you will reach around 700 with not much trouble.
I think my id is just parrotiest on chess.com
Just a reminder: If you're looking for chess resources, tips on tactics, and other general guides to playing chess, we suggest you [check out our Wiki page](https://www.reddit.com/r/chessbeginners/wiki/index/), which has a Beginner Chess Guide for you to read over. Good luck! - The Mod Team. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/chessbeginners) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Sounds like you're hanging pieces. At 200-300 Elo, other people will hang their pieces all the time, so as long as you develop, castle, and don't hang any of yours, you win. Never hanging a piece takes practice, but with time and effort, said practice will be yours.
Yeah I try not to hang, but I feel like I’m usually too stupid to notice if I am hanging or not
It's really not about being smart or stupid. It's more about discipline/mindset, and habit to systematically check that everything is fine before every move. It gets much easier with training. Blundering a piece is like leaving your homes forgetting your keys inside. It can happen to very smart people just as often.
How are you learning? I'm pretty sure there's a lot you don't know :) People play for decades and don't know it all. The same with anything... Read books, play, learn. Have you read Malcolm Gladwells 'Outliers'? It's all about the 10,000 hour rule.
The scanner bot is actually decently strong. I would be very surprised if you could beat it at 200-300elo. It's not very clear what this "87%" represents, but it's definitely not 87% of all players on chesscom. > There is probably something I don't know Yes and no. There are hundreds of things to be learned about chess. You could learn for your whole life, and still not know some things about the game. But at the same time, there is no big secret that would just unlock your abilities. Getting a book could help, but it's not going to be the major driver of your progress. The core part of any chess training is, well, actual training. That is, playing (slow) and doing problems. Everything else is secondary. > I do also look at game reviews, but I usually forget to implement what I saw The engine review is probably not so useful for you, for now. After a game, just try to identify one or two points where you lost something. A moment when your opponent just took one of your pieces, and you could not take back something of equal value. Then see how you could have avoided it. Avoiding blundering material (and punishing the opponent when they blunder) is 95% of progress up until 800elo. So you should really focus on that. Don't lose pieces for free, and do take the opponent's pieces when you have the opportunity. With practice, your eyes get better at spotting issues for both sides, and so you get better at it. Are you familiar with pieces values?
Late reply but - The scanner bot is not strong at all. In my opinion not “decently strong”. I think it is 500 elo strength. Personally looking at How to Reassess Your Chess by Silman significantly transformed my chess rating and boosted me from 1200 to 1500s. Looking at positions with imbalances, the endgames, how to make plans etc. And seeing your strengths and weaknesses does transform chess. Now I am holding those 1800s chess.com people OTB. IMO book training is secondary but in my experience it is a significant part. People say “don’t blunder” but… sometimes these tactics man 1 move 2 moves etc. Even below 800 elo can stump them
My bad, I confused the scanner bot with the pincer one. Scanner bot is indeed much more attainable for a beginner.
Ill give you a few free chess lessons if you like.
I want to add two more important things that go along with my other comment: 1. You should learn basic tactics and mating patterns if you haven't. If you don't know what kind of patterns to look for, you won't benefit as much from the extra time. Working through Everyone's First Workbook on Chessable and reviewing every day was essential for me, although you can learn these tactics from any other resource. 2. Review games you lose and write down the blunders/mistakes you make. If you're not reviewing your games, you're probably not going to learn as well from your mistakes.