Hi, I'm Shingo Suzuki, also known as Suzushin.
Recently, I wrote about creating my own chess ranks based on Chess.com ratings. By that system, I'm currently 11 kyu. First dan, at 1600, is still a long way off!
But now that I've set a goal, I need to actually improve. So I've collected what I've researched and started trying in answer to a practical question: what should I do to get better at chess on my own?
First, gain experience by playing games
One recommendation kept coming up in my research: play games.
From what I've read, playing is especially helpful when you've just learned the rules. Starting against a computer is fine. Rather than overthinking everything, it seems better to sit at the board and make moves.
Honestly, a string of losses gets me down. But there must be lessons I can only learn from those games. With that in mind, lately I've been trying to play at least once each day.
Solve tactics puzzles every day
The next thing that seemed important was tactics practice.
Tactics involves calculating a few moves ahead to win material or deliver checkmate. People say “chess is 90 percent tactics,” which gives you an idea of how important it's considered.
Chess.com and Lichess puzzles work well for self-study
Thankfully, Chess.com and Lichess offer ways to solve tactics puzzles for free. Individual puzzles don't take very long, so they're convenient for little gaps in the day.
I'm trying to build a habit of solving a few around my games. I still get even simple puzzles wrong quite often. It seems I just need to keep practicing.
Review your games and learn from mistakes
I've also learned that it's important to look back afterward, rather than simply finish a game and move on.
“Why did I lose here?”
“Was there actually a better move in this position?”
Looking through my own games this way reveals recurring mistakes. Perhaps the most effective way to improve is ultimately to make a mistake and properly remember the position and move.
Too often, I still finish with a vague feeling that I somehow lost. That's something I want to make a conscious effort to change.
Learn openings little by little
Chess has many established opening patterns. Honestly, there seemed to be so much to remember that I initially avoided them altogether!
But every game has an opening, and reaching a favorable position there can make a big difference to what follows. Instead of learning everything at once, I want to deepen my understanding of one or two openings I use frequently.
At the moment, I'm studying the London System and the Pirc Defence. They're described as openings with relatively fewer variations to remember and setups beginners can build.
Knowing a line and using it effectively are different things, though. In games, I still fail to make good use of what I've learned and keep losing. There's quite a gap between knowing something and being able to play it.
Lately, I've also been setting up a physical board sometimes instead of doing everything on screen. Strangely, thinking while moving actual pieces seems to make things stick differently from thinking at a computer.
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Analyze my games with a chess engine
I've recently started trying engine analysis.
Even when I think I've found a good move, the engine bluntly tells me it was a mistake! That's a little discouraging at first, but it may be the quickest way to see my weaknesses objectively.
Adding this kind of answer check, rather than relying entirely on my own intuition, seems to give me more to draw on when a similar position comes up again.
What I'll keep trying from rating 500
Here are the self-study methods I've researched and begun practicing:
- Play more games.
- Solve tactics puzzles daily.
- Review after games.
- Learn openings gradually.
- Analyze with a chess engine.
None of these may be particularly unusual. But I think steady practice is the only way to improve.
My first goal is 10 kyu in my ranking system, a rating of 600. From there, I'd like to try these approaches one by one and see how much progress I actually make.
If you're also teaching yourself chess, I'd love to hear what's worked for you. Let's improve together!