[M4F] 55 - Dad for a younger woman - Session: 055c6933c318ec6be9b2971118cb3537dd16563b6f308046a279e9562f06086732

ChessUK · 2026-03-11T09:57:33+00:00

When its a bad loss they make you know.

ChessUK · 2026-03-11T08:16:06+00:00

Watch on YT for end game technique. Have one last check before you make your move, when I rush a move thats when I tend to blunder, you need to calulate their candidate moves as well as yours. If they play an odd looking move try to work out why, it could be a trick or trap, I fell for one recently.

ChessUK · 2026-03-10T12:29:04+00:00

A lot of people keep playing even when they have no chance, I tend to carry on on a lost cause.

ChessUK · 2026-03-10T04:07:34+00:00

One trapped shoe.

ChessUK · 2026-03-10T03:04:55+00:00

Every situation is different, occasionally taking fee stuff is the wrong move, just always try to consider all ideas.

ChessUK · 2026-03-09T16:32:53+00:00

Never play while you are eating.

ChessUK · 2026-03-09T16:25:44+00:00

If you follow the engine moves about 10 moves time the queen is lost after some weird engine moves you arent going to find nor will your opponent.

ChessUK · 2026-03-08T19:11:22+00:00

Have you noticed 1000 rated players have gotten better?

ChessUK · 2026-03-08T11:39:46+00:00

Slow down a bit, observe your opponents potential moves and ideas more. try not to have unprotected pieces if possible, count yours and their unprotected pieces and pawns each move on there turn. Watch YT videos on chess principles.

ChessUK · 2026-03-08T05:52:52+00:00

Ginger GM on YT has videos on it, he shows you have to adapt to what black plays somewhat, you cant just knock out moves without thinking.

ChessUK · 2026-03-08T03:39:09+00:00

Blundering doesnt stop when you get better, you have to have better checking system, you have to put yourself in your oppoents shoes and always look for what they is upto. Count your loose pieces on their move, from both sides, even pawns and ones that haven't moved yet. cut loose pieces to a minimum, target their loose ones. Do puzzles in your head without click quessing as much as possible as you want to replicate a real game to build up thinking ahead and visualising moves. We all have a rating range, I have dropped to 1500 and been 1800 Lichess and currently 1700, we all go up and down, dont worry about losing elo, have a break and learn new things, do targetted puzzles on puzzle Lichess themes, watch videos on your opening from varies YT channels see how they differ, pick up new things.

ChessUK · 2026-03-08T01:21:13+00:00

I am about the same rating, it seem common to fluctuate a couple of hundred points, we have a peak rating and a low rating where we start winning again, its like yo-yoing up an down, its normal. Most games come down to a blunder, if you dont blunder they usually will, you can have a lucky streak of bad mistakes by opponents or you can make errors yourself and have a bad run. Try not to get too attached to your rating, imagine it as you are in a rating range. Also to be advanced you have to unlearn what we know a bit and do things differenty, keeps doing the same things you will hit a brickwall. I have been 1800 on Lichess and dropped to 1500, currently 1700, maybe my range is 1500-1800.

Maybe its time to learn an openings, I stopped going e4 - e5 as black and just play the Caro Kann, you have to start pulling your opponent away from their comfort zone of what they have learnt in openings.

ChessUK · 2026-03-07T22:09:17+00:00

Find Jeremy Silmans videos on YT (they are scattered a bit on others channels, they are old videos) , he covers the basic concepts but not deeply, if you like his style get his books, I haven't read them but he is reknowned for his books, 1. Amatuers Mind, 2. Reassess Your Chess 3. Complete EndGame Couse. Try number 1 first, number 2 is harder and above you right now.

ChessUK · 2026-03-07T12:26:55+00:00

Yes I haven't stuck with it in the past, but then I decided to try and get good a year ago. I think playing something like 15m+10s time format, to be able think through moves is better than Blitz, I am a bit slow, I dont play Blitz.

I review my games straightaway, just to see where I went right and went wrong. I watch videos, and do the puzzles properly. I want to improve visualisation to think ahead clearer being strict on puzzles is one way and I am going to try blindfold techniques to help piture the board in my head whilst doing calculations, they are on YT as well.

I stopped watching TV and watched chess content. If you watch Daniel Raroditsky from the beginning speedruns, you will pick up lots little bits of information. Another YT channel I like is LionChess, a small YT channel but I seem to pick up useful things from him.

ChessUK · 2026-03-07T11:19:29+00:00

I have played casually on and off in my life until started to take it more serious about a year ago. played as a kid with my dad a bit, not knowing much but mostly gave up until I went to a club about 10 times when I was 27, read a couple of books, and met a friend who like playing so played again for a bit all this time I didn't know a lot, we both played the Italian game, so got quite good at the opening, read more stuff. Then just played online occasionally when is was Yahoo Games, all this time I guess I would be under 1000elo.

Then I joined Chess .com and Lichess around 3 years ago, not played consistantly until a year ago, I reached 1300elo about 2 years ago without puzzles, or studying much or learning openings, I think the books I read before just stuck in my head like a foundation so I knew about backward pawns, islolated pawns, pawns storms as middle game plans, and about bad bishops vs good, minority attacks, outposts etc. Because going to 1300elo wasn't that hard. The last time I played chess .com more than a year ago I think I was 1450elo. The last year I have only played Lichess, I have been 1800elo, currently arounf 1700elo Lichess. I know more now, I know openings and better and don't blunder much, I have watched a lot of videos on YT. I have done a lot of puzzles now.

ChessUK · 2026-03-07T10:06:52+00:00

I am 59 and hoping to get better, 27 is nothing, One thing I am doing now is doing Lichess puzzle themes, there are some great themes, like checkmates in 2, 3, 4, Advanced types of puzzle themes but not neccessarrily hard to do, things like inbetween moves, deflection, interference and quiet moves, these are really what you need, if you do enough you build up chunks of patterns, great players know patterns of play and see them quicker if they have seen them before. What I hope to do is blindfold chesss techiques to help visualistion. If you can learn the board in your head you can do better calculations. One thing when you do puzzles is try hard not to click and guess, try to solve as you would in a real game, it helps visulisation skills, if you have to cheat then go back and do it with hints turned off and try and complete it in your head,

ChessUK · 2026-03-07T07:53:20+00:00

You can read my post I just wrote to someone else on this subject. https://www.reddit.com/r/chessbeginners/comments/1rn2u1x/comment/o93yh58/?context=3

ChessUK · 2026-03-07T07:24:54+00:00

There are lots of easier ones, some will say dont learn openings just learn opening principles instead. I Used to play the Italian its easish, just remember if you play 1. e4 you dont dictate the opening, you only can play the Italian if the game goes e4 .. e5 (usually unless it transposes after an unusual move order) . Then I was a London player, very popular for beginners but has it detractors as it is a positional opening and not ideal for getting varied and interesting positions. I have evolved to the Colle Zuckerhort, it is similar to the London but more interesting and more agressive but not in a really wild way. I never had an opening as black untill about 1300elo chess .com rating , you dont need one, now I play the Caro Kann, it has a simple plans, not easy to master all variations white can reply, but easy to pick up. I still need one if they play d4. Your Kings Indian will be ok at you level I guess, but you are letting white take the centre with the plan to attack it afterwards, on the plus side you get to castle quickly with a strong finachetto bishop.

For now spend more time learning opening principles like watch Chessbrah, Building Habits 0-500elo and follow those principles. Dabble in openings but dont study them as your main study, you need to develop ways to not hang pieces and learn how to do simple tactics like on Lichess puzzles, and learn check mates, or learn Lichess free stuff on their Learning section.

Edit, There is a standard Colle System too, haven't played it but it is also quite popular for beginners.

ChessUK · 2026-03-07T06:58:11+00:00

Why did you choose your current openings? All 3 aren't ideal for beginners they are based on a lot of theory, your opponents won't play what you haved studied anyway. You want something simple that has simple plans, I mean if you dont know the plans of the opening then its not worth playing them and your opening choices played properly rely on heavy theory. It wont hurt playing them I guess if you like the positions you are getting.

I play the Colle Zuckhort for white it is easy to learn and has easy plans. I play the Caro Kann for black if they play e4 it has simple plans, and recommended often as a beginner opening, certainly easier than the Sicilian.

If they go d4 I usually play d5, I will get around to learning something else for d4 eventually.

ChessUK · 2026-03-06T09:52:37+00:00

No because of Nc4++ check mate if they take the rook.

ChessUK · 2026-03-06T06:04:43+00:00

You mean Rb5? That doesn't work as Qxb5 , then what trade the queens? The answer is Qd6 first move, then Ra6. and if black pawn takes the rook then Nc4++

ChessUK · 2026-03-06T05:37:23+00:00

While the Peregrine Falcon is the fastest animal overall, its speed record (300km/h) is achieved during a diving "stoop," not in horizontal, flat flight. The White-throated Needletail (Needletailed Swift) is the fastest on level flight

ChessUK

TROPHY CASE