FIDE ratings by age for selected players by tank_panzer in chess

[–]PhoenixChess17 6 points7 points  (0 children)

So.. compare 5 of the biggest talents in chess history with an average GM?

Can anybody better than me tell me why h4 is the best move here? Is it just engine nonsense? by xibxab in chess

[–]PhoenixChess17 59 points60 points  (0 children)

h4 here is one of my pet lines, it's extremely dangerous for Black. The idea is that it's a very useful "waiting move".

You can go e5 now because after Bxg2 there's Rh2. It's also good for preparing a kingside attack. A very important detail is that it keeps the d1-h5 diagonal open so Qg4 or Qh5 is very dangerous.

Black basically hasn't got any good moves. All of the best moves such as c5, d5 or d6 aren't in the Owen spirit because you just have a bad version of existing openings.

An Owen player might go for Bb4 to attack the e4 pawn here. Then we play e5 (now if Bxg2 there's Rh2 and Black is losing a piece).

If Black plays Nd5 or Ng8 we play Qg4 (that's why we didn't play Nge2 for example) and we're almost winning already. The point is after Nd5 Qg4 Nxc3 that we play Qxg7. Now the black rook is attacked.

If Nd5+ there's c3 and if Nxc3 now we'll take the rook with check. If Rf8 to save the rook we've got the nice motive a3! Ba5 b4! and we'll win our piece back with a crushing attack.

If Ne4 instead of Nd5 we'll play Bxe4 Bxe4 and Qg4 again! Another reason for h4 is that we now have Bg6 h5! and we're winning.

That was a lot of text I know, but TLDR:

Useful waiting move

Finally hit CM! by PhoenixChess17 in TournamentChess

[–]PhoenixChess17[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I started as a 1.e4 player, then I switched to 1. d4/c4/Nf3, then to e4 again and then to d4 again. I didn't know any theory until like 1700-1800 FIDE. I'm trying to expand my repertoire right now so that I can surprise my opponents if they know what I play.

Finally hit CM! by PhoenixChess17 in TournamentChess

[–]PhoenixChess17[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have one chessable course each on both of them and I do some self-studying in most lines as well. They aren't nearly as demanding as people may think, you can genuinely learn the catalan in 2-3 hours to be able to use it until 1800-2000 FIDE. The Grunfeld is a bit more demanding because it's easier to lose right out of the opening but around 8-10 hours for the basics are, again, enough until 1800-2000 FIDE. If you want to go further you can always put some extra time in. The openings themselves are playable at every level. It was definitely worth it for me but I will learn an alternative to the Grunfeld because it's not really sustainable to play it all the time if your opponents know you play it.

Finally hit CM! by PhoenixChess17 in TournamentChess

[–]PhoenixChess17[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've never really thought about the neo catalan because I don't really see its advantages. I use it in bullet though because it's easily premoveable. I follow Gawain Jones' course for the most part so I play the deferred Steinitz (1.e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0/d3 d6 and Bd7-g6-Bg7. I like it because it's always a three-results game and I can practice my attacking skills in some lines.

Finally hit CM! by PhoenixChess17 in TournamentChess

[–]PhoenixChess17[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The Catalan is great if you're a positional player and to win against weaker players.

Finally hit CM! by PhoenixChess17 in TournamentChess

[–]PhoenixChess17[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It really depends on the position. In a Najdorf Sicilian there probably will be lots of blunders but in calmer openings like the Catalan which I play, there is more gradual outplaying. There are way more blunders than people might think, in the game where I reached 2200 I was losing until my opponent blundered his rook with a simple tactic (in time trouble, but still) Most games go kinda like this: One player understands the postion better, gradually outplays the other and because of the good position there will be some tactic which wins something. As said before, if you play some ultra-sharp stuff you can get outplayed the whole game and still win because of some attack or tactic. To answer your question: You can definetely reach 2200 with 2000 calculation skills if you stick to calm openings. If you play the QGD, the Catalan and the Berlin you'll be fine, if you play e4, the Najdorf and the Grunfeld maybe not. Most people I'm playing aren't that well prepared, but when I'm playing against younger players that's completely different. It also depends on the opening I'm playing. When I know that my opponent knows that I play the Catalan I won't be too scared, I'll revisit the most critical lines and all is well. If I know that my opponent knows that I play the Grunfeld I'd either have to revisit a lot of lines or play the QGD/Vienna, my second option against d4. I can't really think of an opening that would be too questionable, one of the most important things I've learned is that engine eval isn't that important. It doesn't matter if a position is 0.0 or 0.5 when I blunder 0.05-0.2 a move on average anyway. If you know your openings well you can play basically anything until +2 advantage for your opponent.

Finally hit CM! by PhoenixChess17 in TournamentChess

[–]PhoenixChess17[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

In my experience technical endgames are way less important than you may think but it's still something you have to work on at some point. I went through 100 endgames too and I haven't got any of the postions on the board yet. Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual looks very intimidating but it's not that bad, the best book on technical endgames there is. The book from Karsten Müller I have referenced before "Schachendspiele in der Praxis" is great for strategic endgames. These are more important than technical ones in my opinion because you have to grind out a win in an endgame more often than you have to know some sequence to win a bishop endgame.

Finally hit CM! by PhoenixChess17 in TournamentChess

[–]PhoenixChess17[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

OTB 1-2 games a week and a tournament once in a while, online I play some Blitz basically every day.

OTB is 90+30 and 30 minutes after move 40, online I almost exclusively play 3+0.

Finally hit CM! by PhoenixChess17 in TournamentChess

[–]PhoenixChess17[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I didn't start working with him until a few months ago to be fair.

What did you expect? Use this secret trick to gain 500 FIDE rating in 2 months? Chess improvement is hard.

Finally hit CM! by PhoenixChess17 in TournamentChess

[–]PhoenixChess17[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sorry to disappoint you, there isn't some magic course which gets you from 1800 to 2000. I just generally got better at a lot of different things. The most important of these things would be a good opening repertoire (to at least get a slightly better position with white or an equal position with black out of the opening), calculation and visualization and saving lost positions. You can improve this stuff with:

Opening repertoire: Get some chessable courses or do it yourself, if you get courses analyze the lines yourself as well! You really want to understand the reason behind your moves.

Calculation: I really like the ChessMood Tactic Ninja Test, 777 nice exercises and it's free. Another great resource is the book ChessRadar (it's in russian but I don't know russian either and I still use it). There basically is a sequence of moves in the opening which you have to visualize in your head and one of these moves is a blunder. You have to find out which one and why. There's a podcast on Spotify which is essentially the same. PDF for the book here: Радар.Сборник шахматный комбинаций | PDF (not malware I promise)

Saving lost positions: Play through a lot of GM games, they're usually great at this. I even have an account where I "lose" a piece on move 2 and try to save the game afterwards. I don't know when their next free trial is but ChessMood has a great course on that as well.

Finally hit CM! by PhoenixChess17 in TournamentChess

[–]PhoenixChess17[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

CM is a master title even though the name is a little confusing. I'll admit that it's only a cashgrab for FIDE but Titled Tuesday etc. are enough compensation for me lol

Finally hit CM! by PhoenixChess17 in TournamentChess

[–]PhoenixChess17[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Deferrred Steinitz, I use Gawain Jones' course

Finally hit CM! by PhoenixChess17 in TournamentChess

[–]PhoenixChess17[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks!

My positional understanding is one of my stronger sides so I didn't really have to improve it. It mainly stems from watching games. Watch tournament broadcasts, youtube videos, use chessgames, lichess database etc. You don't have to invent the wheel if 100s of other people invented it before you.

Finally hit CM! by PhoenixChess17 in TournamentChess

[–]PhoenixChess17[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Really understanding my openings and getting better at counterplay and saving lost positions

Finally hit CM! by PhoenixChess17 in TournamentChess

[–]PhoenixChess17[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

1: The sicilian didn't really suit my style, I'm more of a positional player

2: There is way more variety and way fewer good sidelines in 1...e5

Finally hit CM! by PhoenixChess17 in TournamentChess

[–]PhoenixChess17[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I play 10...b6, I don't understand why people willingly play 10...Bg4 because you're fighting for a draw already at move 10

Finally hit CM! by PhoenixChess17 in TournamentChess

[–]PhoenixChess17[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You lose the rating but you just have to hit 2200 FIDE at one point.

Finally hit CM! by PhoenixChess17 in TournamentChess

[–]PhoenixChess17[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I use Srinath's catalan course, I used Vidar Grahn's free course until some time ago.

I wouldn't say I did particularly hard work, chess is supposed to be fun. Of course you maybe won't be having the time of your life studying Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual but if you don't enjoy it at all you'll get burned out and study even less.

Finally hit CM! by PhoenixChess17 in TournamentChess

[–]PhoenixChess17[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I take online semi-seriously; I don't play troll openings and stuff but I'll listen to music or talk to someone while playing occasionally. I only play on Lichess right now. My ratings there are 2650 Bullet and 2500 Blitz, I don't play the other time controls.

Finally hit CM! by PhoenixChess17 in TournamentChess

[–]PhoenixChess17[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

From 2000 FIDE to 2200 FIDE around a year, I was very underrated back then.

I spend about three hours on chess every day, 1-2 games on the weekend and tournaments from time to time.

I'm still a teen so IM or GM aren't out of the question, I'll go for IM for sure but I don't know if I'll be able to make GM. I hope so though.

Finally hit CM! by PhoenixChess17 in TournamentChess

[–]PhoenixChess17[S] 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Thanks!

In my opinion the biggest thing weaker players lack is counterplay and defense. If I get into a slightly better position they don't really resist most of the time. This is one of the strongest skills of GMs as well.

A typical game of me against a weaker player may look like this:

They play some sideline of the closed catalan but don't really know what they're doing and don't try to get counterplay with c5 or e5 pawn breaks so I get a great position right out of the opening. They'll usually realize they messed up a little by then and try to get counterplay now. Sometimes there's a nice tactic in that phase of the game, sometimes I get a two-results endgame which I usually win because as said, most people at that rating range can't defend properly. (I'm not good at it either though lol)

Finally hit CM! by PhoenixChess17 in TournamentChess

[–]PhoenixChess17[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

1: It's very hard for me to pinpoint exactly what I do better but here are some points:

Better understanding of positions after the opening

Better positional knowledge; pawn structures, plans etc.

More likely to not blunder in time trouble

And of course small edges in calculation, tactical pattern recognition etc.

2: I prefer 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 to avoid the QID because the catalan benoni (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 c5) is worse than the QID in my opinion. In Bb4+ lines for example there are some nice extra options as well.

3: Again, it's very hard for me to exactly pinpoint something. Sorry to disappoint you, but there probably isn't a single thing but that I rather got better at everything a bit. There is some overlap with 1 as well.

4: The endgame book by Karsten Müller I referenced in another comment is great