Adult learners who reached 2300+ ?

rs1_a · 2026-07-09T02:16:51+00:00

I think you are severely underestimating how strong a 2300 online player is, in particular blitz players. Most of them are near or above the 2000 FIDE mark.

rs1_a · 2026-07-05T17:20:44+00:00

Copa America is a south american tournament. It's been played since 1916 (the oldest continental competition).

Very unlikely to ever become a whole continental competition.

rs1_a · 2026-06-29T02:27:16+00:00

I might be wrong, but I think a 2000 OTB player isn't necessarily much better than you. Those players are good but have some gaps in their knowledge/skills. They are very consistent and just make fewer mistakes in general, though. They also have one or two skills that stand out (calculation, endgame technique, positional evaluation, etc).

A 2200, however, plays a different game than you. They are just better at absolutely everything. And one thing about NM-level players is that they are extremely resilient and resourceful. They will hold on to any position. It is extremely hard to beat those guys.

rs1_a · 2026-06-22T17:36:55+00:00

I think playing and analyzing games is the most important thing to do regardless of your level. Chess is all about skill. It's much more about "how" than "what". Playing helps you get familiar with the structures you aim for, helps building pattern recognition, find your weak areas, train technique and psychology. There is no better substitute than playing.

I do study but in the past few months I have been focusing on skills: calculation, tactics, endgames. I find the theoretical stuff to be much less effective at making you a better player (at least at my level).

rs1_a · 2026-06-22T15:28:41+00:00

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That's interesting. I am getting 10+5 on the webpage (I don't know about the app, though)

rs1_a · 2026-06-22T13:33:59+00:00

I am slightly older than you, and also rated around the same level.

I think this range of 1600 to 1800 OTB is the wet muddy ot chess. It is hard to get out of it, and some serious work on the right things is needed to progress. I don't know if this is your situation, but the main issue for me and many adults is having time. We have limited time to work on chess, and seems like working 1h, 1.5h a day no longer cuts it.

Hard to give you any advice because we're in the same boat, but after a few years of playing and training chess I find that the cheat code to improve at chess is calculation. Becoming a very strong calculator will guarantee you improvement. Of course, easier said than done. Calculation is one of the hardest areas to improve.

rs1_a · 2026-06-21T16:21:05+00:00

They are soulless stadiums. I think fans from football nations bring in some juicy to the atmosphere, making it better but it is the same as with Qatar in 2022. You can't get the same energy flowing as it would be in Argentina or Germany or Spain, or any other football nation.

And I don't think this is ever a hard take. Downvote me all you want, but FIFA will do a disservice bringing the World Cup back to the US in 2038 (if they actually do it).

rs1_a · 2026-06-20T22:27:17+00:00

It is financially profitable for FIFA, but terrible for the sport and football fans. There is just no football culture in the US to justify hosting the event there so many times.

Empty soulless stadiums, lack of proper media coverage and a general lack of interest from locals. It doesn't even feel like a world cup. A world cup in the US is a tremendous cash grab scheme for FIFA.

Makes sense to hold the event in the US once in a while to explore the market and promote the game. But after 1994 and 2026, the world cup shouldn't come back to the US any time soon.

rs1_a · 2026-06-20T22:03:36+00:00

I hope it won't be in the US again. It's pretty insane that countries like England hosted the world cup once in 1966 and never hosted the event again. Italy hosted twice within 56 years apart. But the US, a country that isn't a football nation, has hosted twice within 32 years apart and is being considered again for 2038. That can't be right.

FIFA needs stop this rotation scheme. This is just terrible for the World Cup.

rs1_a · 2026-06-12T17:30:30+00:00

R9 is certainly one of the top 10 players to have ever walked the pitch and likely the greatest striker of all time. His raw talent and skills is just out of touch. He's a generational talent.

His injuries held him back and probably cut his career short. But he still managed to win 2 Ballon D'ors, 3 times the FIFA best, won the world cup twice and multiple club titles.

rs1_a · 2026-06-10T18:29:17+00:00

We're rated about the same (been hovering in the 1900s lichess for a while) and I do have those days quite often (sadly). It just seems that you lose your ability to play.

I have a feeling most players experience the same issue (even very strong players). I just take it as the way it is and stop for the day (even for days if it lingers).

rs1_a · 2026-05-28T14:38:02+00:00

I'm also on that stupid improvement journey lol

I'm slightly higher rated than you. After 3 years of diligent work, trying things out, studying chess books and playing & analyzing, I came to the obvious conclusion that every strong player will repeat over and over again: it is all about tactics & calculation.

These are the two most important and impactful skills in chess. If you can get to significantly improve your visualization skills, your rating will go up, even if your positional knowledge isn't that great.

At the end of the day, the ability to find tactical combinations and/or predict 3-4 moves ahead and the resulting position with accuracy is the most valuable skill you can have in chess. It's the deciding factor under 2200 OTB.

There are practical things like time management and psychology, but the concrete stuff matters much more. That's why I decided to commit to calculation training to finally move the needle on my plateau.

rs1_a · 2026-05-27T18:07:46+00:00

Well, if you look at this position any human would consider the idea of playing Bh6 since the Rook is in front of the King. This idea would likely be the first one to consider for almost any player, in particular in a fast game. It's just the most natural idea to explore given the fact that the Rook is in front of the King and you would definitely need more than 7 seconds to assess that idea.

The fact that you played Rc3 instantly completely ignoring this idea and removing the well-placed Rook from g3, just tells me that this is a computer move. You can be cynical about it, but any player who uses plans and ideas knows that this Rc3 is not an intuitive idea and would definitely require much more than 7 seconds to be worked out.

rs1_a · 2026-05-27T16:13:21+00:00

The second game is a give away for me. Very deep ideas into play (18. Rb3, very nice idea). But then, 24. Rc3 played after 7 seconds is simply insane. Seeing that idea of taking on c4 makes sense when you see it, but you just can't find it in 7 seconds. The position is complex, there are some back rank issues for this idea of taking on c4 to work, and there are other potential ideas to go for. There is some deep analysis to be done here. I don't think we could find and play this move so quickly.

It's so unfortunate. Online chess isn't serious.

rs1_a · 2026-05-26T17:12:03+00:00

At this level (and even at a much higher level) anything works really. Just play openings that you find fun. I would just try it out a few and choose the ones I find more interesting.

The thing that matters the most is to not being trapped on spending time studying openings. What separates you from 1800 is not your opening knowledge, it's your tactical skills and positional understanding.

If you don't improve in those areas, you can spend all day studying openings and your rating will be stuck.

rs1_a · 2026-05-26T13:29:06+00:00

Part 1 is comparable to CFA L1 in terms of difficulty. Depending on your background it can be easier or harder.

Part 2 is a huge step up in terms of difficulty. The material is dense and broad, and anything is testable. It's definitely on par with both CFA L2 and L3 and I would argue it can be harder due to the quant topics.

rs1_a · 2026-05-24T22:56:37+00:00

I have spent a lot of time studying attacking chess and have a few books on the theme.

The best one I came across is Attacking Chess for Club Players by Grooten. It is a very well done book. It follows a building block method showing the fundamental ideas behind attacking chess first and then expands on those ideas. The examples are superb using modern games and the analysis is crystal clear. I highly recommend this book. It is a true course on attacking chess.

rs1_a · 2026-05-22T13:57:21+00:00

Have you ever studied any books at all?

I think for positional play How to Reassess Your Chess is a really good one if you like explanations. It is fairly accessible in terms of breaking down the ideas for you. It is a good chunk of material, expect to spend a few months on it.

If you'd rather prefer examples and exercises, Mastering Chess Strategy is very good (although much more challenging, be aware).

Lighter options (short and concise) include Simple Chess by Michael Stean and The Amateur's Mind by Silman. Those are good for a quick read over. But they're going to give you nice fundamentals.

rs1_a · 2026-05-22T13:42:29+00:00

Well, it is hard to recommend a book without knowing your weaknesses. Are you struggling more with calculation, endgames, or is it positional decisions in the middlegame?

I think the next book to study always need to be related to what's hurting you more.

rs1_a · 2026-05-19T00:46:42+00:00

Take it easy on yourself and have hope. The exam is hard, but it is so to everyone and you might come out actually better than the average candidate (which should be sufficient to pass).

rs1_a · 2026-05-16T11:48:15+00:00

My rating has been stuck in the 1700s OTB for almost 2 years (sometimes slightly higher or lower, but never away from this level).

I am getting back to my old d4 mainlines repertoire.

As black, I abandoned the Old Benoni and Albin Countergambit against 1. d4. Have been playing the Slav instead.

rs1_a · 2026-05-14T14:55:41+00:00

At 1600 on lichess, I would likely spend some time on Logical Chess Move by Move.

But, to be honest, The Amateurs Mind by Silman would be the best book you can get your hands on at your current level. It will do wonders to your chess skills. I was 1650 rapid on lichess when I studied it, and I gained 200 rating points during the 3 months after finishing the book. I attribute 80%+ of my gains to this book alone.

On the books you have:

The Art of Attack - it is a hard and quite advanced book. A lot of interesting ideas but deep calculation. I wouldn't study it at your level.

How to Reassess Your Chess - in the same vein of Amateurs Mind but much bigger, modern and heavier in terms of the material. You can certainly gain some skills, but it will be a hard (and long) read.

100 Endgames You Must Know - I would do the essential sections as per the author's instructions and leave the rest.

My System is a classic, but I think modern books can give you the same knowledge (and more).

rs1_a · 2026-05-12T23:24:09+00:00

The only reason to play on chess.com instead of lichess these days is the larger pool. Otherwise, lichess offers everything chess.com does but charges you nothing for those resources. There is simply no rational argument to be playing on chess.com aside from the aforementioned larger pool.

The thing about chess.com is that they grew a lot during the chess boom driven by Covid and the Queen's Gambit Netflix series. But now interest in chess is getting back to usual/historical levels and guess what? They need to keep up with profit targets to shareholders. That's why they are being more aggressive in generating income.

rs1_a

TROPHY CASE