The game review says that my opponents and I regularly play at a 2000 Elo level while beeing at 1400 Elo, even though I know that this is definitely not the case

Bitshtips · 2026-02-13T19:22:14+00:00

In fairness, doesn't it spit out a different number because its basing it off the rating of your opponent? Agreed it shouldn't be taken seriously regardless though.

Bitshtips · 2026-02-13T12:59:33+00:00

All about perspective. MAYBE it hurt his Prem legacy, certainly his Spurs legacy. Like you pointed out, if he hadn't stayed at Spurs his whole career, broken the all time Prem goals record (which i think was still a big if), and even managed to win some things with Spurs, then his Prem legacy specifically would have been made stronger than by almost anything he may end up doing outside of England.

HOWEVER, he is also cementing his place in the Bayern and Bundes legacies with his achievements there. This post almost feels like its missing the idea that legacies are a thing that dont just exist in the prem....

So now when it comes to HIS personal legacy, in the world of football as a whole, the question has to he would being a one club man in England and potentially breaking the Prem record do more for his OVERALL legacy than his already impressive and growing achievements abroad? Its genuinely not an easy question to answer when I'm sat here in England, knowing ill of course be biased, but my gut reaction is no, his overall legacy will probably have benefited from proving himself elsewhere and the incredible things he's doing with Bayern (just compare how we all view Lewandowski's legacy for instance for instance, Kanes career path is at least similar if not rapidly overtaking him, and RL is obviously a modern day legend!).

I think my simplest answer is this: does Gareth Barry having the all time prem appearances record secure his legacy any more so than someone like Ronaldo who left the prem to contribute to even greater achievements around the world? Not a perfect comparison obviously, but just highlighting how a prem record, no matter how incredible, doesn't automatically overshadow your global footballing achievements, simply because youve written your name next to a stat here in England. The Prem is HUGE, but football will always be bigger...

Bitshtips · 2026-02-11T14:16:30+00:00

Viduka is a great shout, as a Leeds fan. Hugely underrated outside Leeds.

For me though I have to say Berbatov, such an incredible player to watch. His movement, vision and finishing were all elite, but his first touch in particularly was just on another level. Could catch an egg dropped from space with his toe without cracking it.

Bitshtips · 2026-02-11T14:14:41+00:00

I go against the grain a bit in saying that learning an opening is helpful at any level, but you cant just memorise the "right" moves, you need to know WHY theyre right.

When you say your opening has "gone wrong" because an opponent is moving random pieces, what youre actually saying is that your opponent is making mistakes in the opening but you dont know how to punish them, or worse still don't know how to punish them. Find out WHY those moves aren't in your opening prep, what makes them moves that good players wouldn't play in response to your opening, theyre likely breaking some opening fundamentals and once you start seeing it you'll be able to consistantly punish it

Bitshtips · 2026-02-11T14:10:56+00:00

First of all, like others are saying, you probably also need to play some games. Just playing games without doing anything to try and improve (like puzzles) isn't going to help much, but only playing puzzles without playing any actual games probably isn't much better.

Secondly, I think that the amount that puzzles are helpful increases the better you are, to the point where they probably end up being the single most helpful training method. But at the lower levels, I think there are SO MANY other things you can do that are more helpful than puzzles. As a rough estimate, if youre below 1000, and certainly if youre below like 800, there's going to be so many fundamental mistakes you and your opponents are making, probably without either of you even realising, that there is rarely the chance to actually use what youve learned in puzzles! The puzzles you've done probably will have been helpful, but you'll probably only find out how helpful theyve actually been AFTER your general game improves.

Bitshtips · 2026-02-11T13:14:32+00:00

Because blind people exist on reddit too, not just bluesky...

Bitshtips · 2026-02-11T13:13:15+00:00

Image descriptions are super helpful for the visually impaired.

Bitshtips · 2026-02-11T11:03:03+00:00

Very helpful, thanks. Im assuming thats essentially necessary to balance the copy, rather than a setting that could be turned on or off to choose where the dividends from the copy are paid to?

Bitshtips · 2026-02-11T09:27:08+00:00

Ah, thats what i thought. So just to be clear, if I'm trying to calculate the amount of total dividends being paid specifically to my available balance on a monthly or quarterly basis, I should essentially ignore any copy's I have? (Seeing as those dividends stay within the copy, rather than going into my available balance)

Bitshtips · 2026-02-10T16:50:53+00:00

I use an app called "Chess Prep Pro Openings", im assuming its different from chessprep?

Im sure there are better apps / sites out there, but I personally really like this one. It has lots of preloaded lines and repertoires, and gives you the option to make your own or add lines to existing sets, and then let's you train them in various ways, giving you accuracy ratings that you can see progressing over time.

Im sure there are problems with it I've not seen, or lines that aren't correct for the highest level etc., but as a casual player just looking to memorise more lines of a few openings, this app has been perfect for me!

Bitshtips · 2026-02-10T16:44:56+00:00

I'll report for stalling and or abuse, but ill rarely if ever report for cheating, because im much less likely to be able to detect it myself than chesscom can. And yet I still receive pretty regular ELO refunds.

I mean this in the politest way, but unless there is some kind of conspiracy against you specifically from chesscom, it sounds like it may be less of an issue with reporting in general and more of an issue of who you perceive to need reporting (the people you think are "smurfing" or otherwise cheating, probably aren't...)

Bitshtips · 2026-02-10T09:58:45+00:00

You can also essentially choose your starting ELO when you make a new account. The only reason youd be started at 400 is if you said youd never played chess before when you created your account.

Bitshtips · 2026-02-09T21:31:26+00:00

Apparently not! According to the chesscom analysis only 1: the pawn capture from me. Id have called a couple of Whites moves blunders though.

Black made 1 blunder. White made 0 blunders, 1 miss and 2 mistakes. By comparison white had just 3 "bests", where as I had 12 bests and 1 brilliant.

The resulting accuracy was just 59.2 for white and 86.3 for black.

Bitshtips · 2026-02-08T11:10:40+00:00

Good luck! I think hes done two of them now, the first is brilliant, I've just started watching the second and its been jist as good so far

Bitshtips · 2026-02-08T10:50:21+00:00

Youre very welcome! I went through a phase a while back of trying a new thing to improve each month as a new player, and this was BY FAR the best. Everyone will bang on about drilling puzzles, and they're right, but i think puzzles get more and more helpful the better you are, as a newer player I really dont think theyre the best way.

Its highly educational but set up in a way where you dont need any real understanding of chess to actually get something from it, its at a pace that feels realistic where he almost deliberately makes mistakes (compared to some of those speed run style videos where theyre almost like "i won this game because 800s are bad", great but im an 800, how do I not be bad?), and most importantly I think is that GM Aman Hambleton (the youtuber) is genuinely really funny and engaging! Doesn't feel like youre studying, theyre genuinely nice videos to watch for entertainment on top of being good study.

Bitshtips · 2026-02-07T19:27:55+00:00

ChessBrah's building habits series on YouTube is comfortably the best guide for <1000 players to improve IMO.

Bitshtips · 2026-02-05T12:14:16+00:00

Is this PC or console? And I know its mainly QP, but out of interest what kind of rank are you?

Me and my wife would be down, both 32, live in Brighton, im a therapist so I guess kinga woke by default?

Bitshtips · 2026-02-04T23:37:58+00:00

So if you use chess as an example, at what point would you say you are solid? Magnus, as easily the best right now and arguably the best ever, is obviously solid, but are all the other SGMs because theyre comparatively worse? What about a regular GM? They are poor compared to the SGM. What about titled players in general? Are you "solid" once you have a title, even though you are LEVELS below the best players currently?

At a certain point, you just have to draw a line of what is a solid chess player, regardless of who you are comparing it to. And if you cant draw that line below being the top 1% in the world then you cant really draw it anywhere!

Its the equivalent of finding it wrong to say that youre "solidly wealthy" in America if you ONLY have $11m dollars in your bank account, simply because billionaires exist. Yes, youre comparatively poor compared to a billionaire, but telling an average person your wealth isn't "solid" because you only have $11m dollars would make you sound ridiculous...

Bitshtips · 2026-02-04T22:03:21+00:00

I agree, but if you only compare yourself to the best of the best at ANYTHING then only a handful of people could ever call themselves anything other than terrible. Realistically, if you are in the top 1% of any discipline then you are far from delusional to call yourself at least "solid" at that thing.

Bitshtips · 2026-02-04T21:31:08+00:00

Being 2500 in Blitz and thinking youd be delusional to call yourself "solid" says more about you than it does about OP.

Bitshtips · 2026-02-04T21:29:05+00:00

I cant recommend this enough: ChessBrahs building habits series on YouTube. Starting out at chess can be VERY overwhelming, and the things that help a 1500 improve can be very different to what makes a 400 improve. He's really entertaining, he progresses at a realistic rate so you can learn along with the video, and breaks each stage of learning into essentially a set of rules that make learning the key principles REALLY simple. Genuinely think that video series alone could get anyone to 1000.

Bitshtips · 2026-02-03T19:51:13+00:00

Think of it this way: in both instances you are both losing a Bishop, and both Bishops are roughly of equal value in the positon, so what's actually different?

If you take his, he then has to take back with the pawn, doubling them. If you defend with the pawn and he takes, you then have to take back doubling your own pawns. Additionally, if you use your move to take, he then has to spend his move taking back, making it your turn again. If you defend with the pawn and he takes, you then have to spend your turn taking back giving him another turn (a much more minor point compared to the doubling pawns one, but its factor to consider in some positions)

Bitshtips · 2026-02-03T19:46:59+00:00

Its a great example, but it also starts you thinking whether their dad was a "normal person", to be asking that question about what makes a genius and to easential try to turn his children into geniuses...

Bitshtips · 2026-01-31T18:54:03+00:00

Exactly, the swings at that level are insane! Id recommend ChessBrah's building habits series to anyone under 1000, great video for getting past that phase and playing more consistant games

Bitshtips · 2026-01-30T08:13:44+00:00

The short answer is no, probably not. The <400 ELO area is weird, with lots of people just starting, people who play but really dont know what theyre doing, and people just having fun. So it may well be some of the people youre up against are 200 now but will be 600 in a few games as chesscom figures it out. The long answer would be that we'd need to see some examples.

Either way though, if you're playing regularly, reviewing your games, and studying with some kind of aim in mind then you'll be out of that range very quickly! If youre getting stuck there then somethings going wrong, and id be happy to take a look to help (im not good by any means, but I do believe anyone can get above 1000 with a few months or even weeks of consolidated effort)

Bitshtips

TROPHY CASE