Sadly, there are still a lot of Charlatans and get-rich-quick schemes in Online Chess improvement. They all have one thing in common: they try to make Chess improvement look very easy.
Their marketing will suggest that buying their product or course will give you a very easy way to improve. Only by watching some course, you will basically instantly improve and your worries are over.
Let me tell you the ugly truth: Chess improvement is not and will never be easy.
Make It As Simple As Possible
What you are really searching for in your Chess improvement is to make it more simple. Some of you might think: but wait, aren’t simple and easy the same thing?
I have thought so too for a long time. But there is actually a huge difference between these two words.
Difference Of Simple And Easy
Easy means something that is achieved without or with only minimal effort. It is the opposite of difficult.
Simple means something that is uncomplicated. It is the opposite of complicated.
Do you need an example? Here you are:
Doing every day 1 push-up more than the day before is a very SIMPLE workout plan. There is nothing hard to understand or complex in it. But on day 100 you have to do 100 push-ups. That is far away from EASY.
Let me give you two different Chess training plans. One is simple but far from easy, the other one is easy but not simple.
- Every day from 5 PM to 6 PM 1 hour of studying with Yusupov’s book series (starting from book 1, working all the way up to book 10).
- Whenever I feel like I lie on the couch and watch some kind of chess video.
In the first one, there is nothing to misunderstand. The time is set and also the what to train is straightforward. But the hourly training will be far from easy! You will need to strain yourself daily.
The second one is much harder to understand. The time and nature of “training” are not clearly defined. You might already lose yourself in some other youtube video before even starting the “training”.
What is clear is that the “training” is supposed to be easy. Lying on the couch and watching some video is done with a lot of ease.
I guess you get my point. You won’t get anywhere if you prioritize the easy way.
But obviously, we all are lazy and would love to find out about some secret easy way. And that is what scammy ads play into. But again, take my word for it: there is no quick way to easily improve in Chess.
How Can You Make Your Training Simple?
Now that you hopefully understand that easy improvement is only a lucid dream for most of us, we can get to work and make your training as simple as possible.
What I see with most amateurs is that their training routine is way too complex.
Mixing several online courses with books, trying out one opening after another, and not having a clear time plan for training are some of the worst mistakes I see.
So how do you get from this point to a simple routine?
- Find some time slots during the week that you reserve for focused (difficult, not easy) Chess training.
I used to prepare my training week on Fridays (Saturday+Sunday were off for me). Start with an amount that you will be surely able to do. Consistency is key. If you want a more detailed guide, then read how to set up your training plan.
Also include a slot for weekly reviews & setting up the next plan.
The most important thing: get the Quality of your training right. - Set up a space designed for working on your Chess.
I used to train, sleep & do organizational stuff in the same room for years. But this doesn’t make it simple for your brain to process that you are now actually working on Chess.
So try to find a corner in your apartment designed for Chess. If you have such a place, your brain immediately understands it has to work now whenever you sit down. If you don’t have that space, then use your immagination.
Make always the same tea when studying Chess. Or plug out the internet to reduce disturbances. The important thing is that you send a message to your brain entailing: now it is time to focus. - Reduce your information intake.
The more different sources and opinions, the more difficult it gets to have a simple plan. There are many ways to improve your Chess. But you should not always change your way because somebody does something different.
Focus on 1-3 sources you really like and trust. Then follow their suggestions for at least 6 months. Only then you can really see if that is a good fit for you. Find out whom you should trust and whom not in this article. - Reduce the amount of books, courses and openings you work on.
For most Amateurs, playing one opening well is more than enough. You don’t need to know more openings (if somebody tells you anything else, that is most likely a sales pitch for their new course…). Try to keep the amount of books & courses you work with very limited.
You don’t want to be unsure what exactly to study when you sit down for your training. It should be as simple as possible!
Resources That Make Things Simple
Yusupov Book Series
Because I am so fond of simplicity, I always love to recommend the Yusupov series. These are 10 amazing books that include tactics, endgames & middlegame training. As the openings are outdated, I would skip the opening part in all of the books.
As I learned from a recent Twitter thread, already the first book is pretty hard. A good starting point is probably a 1500-1600 FIDE rating. You can read here which one you should take on first (orange-blue-green).
The simplicity of having only ONE book series to work with for a long time can give you so much mental space to really do the training right.
If you really want to get an opening course next to it, then do it. But only get ONE for each color and give the opening time. Learn how to play the opening, don’t just memorize moves. You can learn how to analyze openings yourself here.
Winning Chess Series
In case you aren’t yet 1500-1600 FIDE, then you can go with another great series: the Winning Chess series from Yasser Seirawan. Again the simplicity of learning from 7 books by the same author with the same style is amazing.
There is also a Chessable course on one of the books in the series. Although I prefer doing the work with Book & actual Chessboard, this is certainly also an option (I get the feeling it is optimized to make things easier, not simpler…).
ChessMood
Another resource I love to recommend is ChessMood (I am an affiliate, so I get commissions from purchases through my link).
Contrary to most other online sites, they are very fond of telling you that Chess improvement won’t be easy. Read GM Avetik’s article on becoming a GM as an example.
With a monthly membership, you get access to all video courses.
And all of them are designed for long-term growth. Instead of focusing on making them easy, they focus on making them effective!
There are also community tournaments where you can apply learned knowledge in practice and monthly webinars.
There is only one repertoire to learn and then you can learn about endings, how to use your pieces, important classical games, and much more.
You will have all things in one place, which is making your training so much simpler!
If you want other Chess resources, then just visit my resource page, which I update frequently.
Non-Chess Resources
I have been greatly influenced by Greg McKeowns Books: Essentialism & “How To Master Essentialism”, with focus on his first book
I’m applying the things I learned through these amazing books & conversations not only in Chess but everywhere in my life.
And funnily enough, a much simpler life makes things also easier in the end. With more brainpower for the real important things, you will flow through life much easier.
Sincerely,
Noël
This blog site is extremely cool. How can I make one like this ?
Hi Noel, thanks for the tips.
How can one improve their consistency in tournaments? I always do either great or play very poorly
That is one of the biggest challenges in Chess. I would try to work on the mindset in case things go badly. Here are some ideas:
– Set lower expectations
– Set process & skill goals instead of result-oriented goals
– Focus on having fun & improving
In the mental part of the blog, you’ll find many articles about my own experience with bad results. Hope this helps!
You really seem to be a great guy. Just found your blog and I’m quite impressed. I just read 5 articles in a row and I’m not done. I’m currently in the process of getting a FIDE rating after 4 years of intensive online chess +training and I still find everything you write so helpful and apt.
Keep on the good work (and looking forward to the moment you’ll announce you get back to oaching 😉 )
Have a great day,
Antoine
Hey Antoine, thank you so much for your nice words :-). So happy that you find my blog useful.
Good luck in your OTB tournaments, let me know how it goes!
For now, I’m working on a video course. I will let you know when it is ready (still need some time…).
Thanks again for the nice feedback and for taking the time to read my articles. Have a great week!
Noël
Thank you, very good reminder and useful approach. Will definitely apply the concept in my training.
Happy to help, thanks for your nice feedback 🙂
Hi Noel! I want to improve my endings like my level is average and want to improve from there but don’t know from where to start.
My Strength is 2100 lichess, I want to become a top class player, I can spend 5-6 hrs on chess and my style is kind of like fischer.
Cheers
Hey Vedant! If you look for theoretical endgame knowledge, then nothing beats Dvoretsky’s, “Endgame Manual”. Make sure to read the intro in order to know which positions you should study and which you can leave aside for the first read.
In case you prefer video courses, then check out Chessmood. They have some amazing endgame material, as well as a course with classical endgames from real games.
Enjoy your study!
Hi Noel! Just read your reply. Thanks for the recommendations.
I appreciate it
Cheers
Vedant
I like it
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Thank you, GM Noel Studer!!
Thanks for taking the time to read, Nabhan! Enjoy your journey 🙂
Dear Noel,
I started working with Yusupov’s book as you suggest. At the time in which I’m writing I’m around 1650 FIDE and I have to admit that event the first book has some challenging exercise.
From your experience did you find the rating estimate for which the books are indicated accurate?
Hey Federico,
the Yusupov books seem to be a bit harder than marketed. But for your level, I do believe it can be a good fit.
In general, you want to solve 60-70% of exercises right in less than 15 Minutes. That also means that you can be wrong 3-4/10 times, which is a considerable amount.
If you are wrong on more than 50% of the exercises, it is a clear sign the book is not yet right for you.
I hope this helps!
Best,
Noël
I am a 74 year old who has played ‘around ‘ chess since high school but never did hard study. I’m only about 1250. What would you recommend to start with?
I love Chessmood, especially their new course “Tactic Ninja” can be a great place to start for your level. You can also check out some resources on my “resource” page. “How to beat your dad at chess” would be a cool book to read. The title is a bit misleading, this is also a great tool for adult improvers 🙂
Thanks for your advice!
Amazing article, really gets inside the philosophy of improvement and winning. Amateurs often over complicate things because they can’t differentiate yet what’s important or not. And thank you for the many helpful recommendations and links. Would Bobby Fisher Teaches Chess book be a good place to start? Thoughts?
Thanks for your kind words, Dave! I did not read that book, so I can’t help with that one. It might be good as well, but I like to recommend only things I did read myself. Enjoy the process!
Lots and lots of insights and practical advise!!!!
Thank you verymuch????????
Great to hear my writing helps you, Vinish. Wish you all the best!
That was really thought provoking and useful. Thank you for writing this.
Thank you, William, for taking the time to read. Hope this will simplify some things for you!
Wow! That was quite helpful
Thank you!
I always feel I have hit a wall at 1800. I have been in this level for like 3 years now. I hope your advice works for me
I do hope so too, Sachin. If you feel like hitting a wall, try out new approaches. I’m certain that when you find the right approach, you will continue to improve in Chess. Good luck and stay strong!