I'm looking to improve, but don't have a lot of time.

I enjoy chess, for the most part. I like the strategy and challenge of it.

I'm apparently very, very bad at it, though. I don't play OTB at all, just online.

I have other activities I engage in, and I have work and a family as well, so I don't have significant hours to dedicate.

That said, I'm getting a bit frustrated, as I don't really seem to be improving from where I am, and I don't know why. I've been playing on another site for years, and decided to start playing here, too.

The problem I have is a few fold:

1. On the other site, I've played almost 6,500 games. Mostly Rapid and Blitz games. I don't really have significant time to play games longer than 30 minutes per side, or so. My current Rapid rating on that site is 595, and my current Blitz rating is 635. My winning percentage is sub-500 on that site.

2. On this site, My Classical rating (30 min games) over 122 games is 1123, and my Rapid rating over 52 games is 1141.

3. I really don't have a lot of time, as mentioned before, to really study openings, middle games, etc. (though I know this is probably the answer).

4. I'd really like to get up to being around a 2000 rated player on here (or higher).

5. I seem to be making a lot of the same mistakes, and when I try to correct them, it often leads to another mistake (sometimes a bigger one).

6. Are there any openings for white/black I should work on?

7. Sometimes, even with longer games (30 min) I seem to feel time pressure and react to a move rather than thinking about one. This is especially true in the 10 minute games.

8. When I win games, how can I get a higher rating more quickly? It's frustrating to be sitting at 1100, wanting to be much higher, and then I win a game and it's only +3 or +5.

As I said, I usually enjoy it, but I've gotten to the point where I'm growing frustrated.

I know this sounds like venting, and I apologize if it comes off that way. I'm a casual player looking to improve, that's all.

If you want to play some casual games, challenge me. We can discuss the game while playing and then compare it after in the post-analysis section. Keep the time control unlimited.

@MyriadManeuvers said in #2:
> If you want to play some casual games, challenge me. We can discuss the game while playing and then compare it after in the post-analysis section. Keep the time control unlimited.

Thank you very much! How would I do that, specifically? I'm fairly new to Lichess, so I haven't really figured anything out yet.

On the main page, on right is "play with a friend". Click that, then change it to casual. Click that, then type the screename.

If you "don't have a lot of time," then it looks like you're not really looking to improve. ;)

@Monte1076 you need to study. It doesn’t take much time just 20 minutes a day. Then play some games for 20 minutes. Stick with the same opening and learn a few traps for that opening. Since your a lower rating. A lot of people with fall For the traps. Since you don’t have time When at work or doing other things try to think about chess and the things you’ve been studying.

@MrPushwood said in #5:
> If you "don't have a lot of time," then it looks like you're not really looking to improve. ;)

Hey, some of us have things to do and we got to get to McDonald's

So analyze a few games while you're there.

@Monte1076
See, if you really don't have time then there's no reason to play and study chess unless it is your hobby/passion. Your blame of not doing well in chess is baseless in that case.
If you can devote time, then you should definitely use it to analyse and study chess. Make sure to complete learn section here and regularly do puzzles.
On which site have you been playing before?
~ Quite strange elo rating system there!

Hello Monte1076,

I may not be very good at chess but I for sure know how to improve at chess. Let me tell you how I approach it!

I'd split this topic into three different categories:

1.) Make less tactical mistakes: This includes completely missing that one of your undefended pieces is attacked. It doesn't matter if you know opening theory 10 moves deep or if you are an expert in chess strategy: If you lose a piece to a simple tactic every game you won't be able to climb.

How?
- Request a computer analysis after EVERY game and look at the moves the engine marked as blunders or mistakes. Try to understand what your mistake was and try to never do it again! It's even more effective if you are really devastated by your loss because then your brain will do everything in it's power to avoid feeling this way again. I have a lot of tactics that were burned in my brain because of this...
- Do puzzles! Puzzle storm will help you spot hanging pieces / simple tactics much faster. Regular puzzles are also great! I try to do 3 puzzle storms per day which can be done in 9 mins. I feel like it has really helped me spot 1-2 move tactics much faster.

2.) Learn strategic concepts: You should always have a plan that you follow during a game. It doesn't even need to be a good plan. Try to find good spots to put your pieces on (knight outposts, get your rooks on your opponent's 2nd rank, etc), find weaknesses in your opponent's position (mostly weak pawns) that you can target or just go for an attack on your opponent's King. Rarely hanging pieces + following simple plans was enough for me to reach 1750 rapid.

How?
- Watch Youtube-Videos: Daniel Naroditsky's speed runs for example have helped me a lot. In those videos he plays against lower rated opponents and explains his thoughts about the positions. Hanging Pawns has a good collection of videos on middlegames and endgames. While he isn't as strong of a player as Naroditsky, his videos have taught me many concepts I didn't know before!
- Read chess books (for example "Amateur's Mind" by Jeremy Silman). Those will teach you how to approach different positions.
- Generally, I feel like spending 30 mins studying chess (e.g. watching a video) is much more useful for improvement than actually playing. For me, playing games is only a way to test what I've learned and to see what my weaknesses are (see next topic).

3.) Self-reflection: What am I good at? What a my weaknesses? What is the main reason I lose my games?

How?
- After each session of chess think to yourself: "What was the main reason I lost games today?". Was it converting a winning position? Was it getting crushed in the opening? The endgame? Was it time trouble? Try to find out what the problem was and work on it!
- Getting a coach is also helpful if you have the time and money for it. You will find a lot of titled players online that offer coaching! A FM / IM / GM will be able to spot your weaknesses and recommend you ways to improve on them. Just 2-4 hours per month can already be very helpful!

I hope that helps you. The top priority should be to have fun playing this game so only follow my advice if you enjoy approaching chess that way :)

Regards,
Haspelknecht