One of the most common questions my students ask me is this: how to train chess effectively? How should you study chess so that you don’t get stuck at the same level, but keep progressing gradually?

Chess strength is measured in ELO points.
What is ELO? What is a chess rating? How can I get mine?
☉ All chess players have a rating. Look here what is a good rating for chess players.

Studying chess for just 30 minutes daily on these 3 methods will give you significant results. This will help you reach the 2000 ELO rating faster! You will also know how to train if you have less or more time available in a day.

Start with Short Tactical Training (5 mins)

The first step in your chess training study plan should be short tactical training. Solving puzzles is an excellent way to focus on chess before you start playing. It is also an opportunity to accumulate different tactical patterns that will help you improve your game.

Solving puzzles is an effective way to develop your tactical skills. It helps you improve your concentration, visualization, and calculation abilities. It also helps you recognize various tactical patterns and themes that commonly arise in chess games. By accumulating these patterns, you can develop a library of ideas that you can use to your advantage in future games.

Taking at least 5-10 minutes daily to solve tactical puzzles can help you improve your chess game.

Let’s look at an example of how to do it.

Start by focusing your attention on the half of the board, asking yourself how to move forward and play a forcing move. A forcing move is a check, capture, or attack that puts pressure on your opponent. The most forcing move is usually a check because it forces your opponent to defend their king.

Checks

Let’s look at all the checks

Rxf8+ – This does not accomplish anything and you lose an exchange.

Qa4+ – Black blocks with Qc6 and the attack is over.

Captures

Qxb6 – This is just a trade of queens. We want to attack the king.

Nxd5 – This is interesting. We are attacking the queen and threatening checkmate on c7. If Black plays Qxb3, Nc7# is mate.

This is how you solve tactical puzzles.

It’s essential to focus on the tactical aspects of the game before you start playing. This is because chess is a game of patterns, and mastering these patterns requires dedicated study and practice. By developing your tactical skills, you’ll be better equipped to recognize and respond to your opponent’s moves, enabling you to gain a strategic advantage.

Here is a tactical puzzle for you

White to play and win

Play and Analyze Your Games (10 – 15 mins)

Playing chess is undoubtedly one of the most enjoyable aspects of the game. However, it’s easy to get lost in the excitement of playing blitz games and overlook the importance of analyzing your games.

Analyzing your games is an essential part of improving your chess skills. It helps you understand where you went wrong and how to avoid making the same mistake in the future.

After you finish a game, turn on the engine and quickly go through the game to identify a couple of takeaways that you can learn from.

This process doesn’t need to be time-consuming or complicated. Instead, focus on the critical moments in the game, such as missed opportunities or tactical errors. The engine can help you identify these moments and provide insights into how to improve your play.

By analyzing your games, you’ll begin to recognize patterns in your play, both positive and negative.

This self-awareness will help you identify areas of weakness in your game, allowing you to focus on improving those areas in future games. Over time, you’ll begin to see progress in your play, which will boost your confidence and motivate you to continue working on your game.

It’s important to note that analyzing your games isn’t just about finding your mistakes. It’s also about recognizing your strengths and identifying ways to build on them.

By analyzing your games, you’ll begin to see your strengths and weaknesses more clearly, allowing you to play to your strengths and minimize your weaknesses.

Here is an analysis from a sample game of a student

Study Chess (Especially Openings) (10-15 Mins)

First things first: Openings

It’s crucial to study openings because if you don’t get out of an opening, it doesn’t matter how brilliant your endgame skills are.

A good opening can give you an advantage right from the start, while a bad one can put you on the defensive.

For example, let’s say you’re playing against a stronger opponent who is rated 2700, and you’re rated 2400. If you fall into an opening trap, you’re likely to lose the game even if you have good endgame skills.

Read Books

There is a wealth of information available in chess books, and reading them is an excellent way to learn new concepts and strategies. Look for books on specific topics, such as openings, endgames, or tactics, that match your interests and skill level. It’s important to take your time when reading, as chess books are often dense with information.

Developing a Training Routine

It’s recommended to spend at least 30 minutes a day on training, including studying openings, playing and analyzing games, and practicing tactical drills.

If you have less time available, prioritize one or two of these elements. For example, if you only have 15 minutes, focus on doing some tactical drills. If you have more time available, you can spend more time playing and analyzing games or studying openings.

If you’re serious about improving your chess skills and want a structured training plan, you can consider taking a dedicated course.

Many courses offer a curriculum that covers all the subjects you need to know on your way to a higher rating level.

Conclusion

Improving your chess game takes time and effort, but with a structured training plan, you can make steady progress.

Remember to prioritize studying openings, playing and analyzing games, and practicing tactical drills. Good luck!

If you’ve enjoyed reading this article and want to see the concepts discussed in action, you’re in luck! We have created a video lesson that covers the same material in a more visual and interactive way.

Below, you can find the puzzles/games shown in the video: