The game of chess and how to learn it properly

My Journey from the Bottom to the Top

King’s game; Game of the intellectuals. It’s all about tactics. Did you know that the game has such a great reputation that it’s already included in school curricula all around the globe?

That’s because playing chess specifically enhances cognitive abilities such as concentration, spatial reasoning, social skills, mathematical aptitude, and reading comprehension. Children, in particular, benefit from these effects and can effortlessly improve their skills in the game. Moreover, children have a distinct advantage over adults in this regard, as their brains are still developing dendrites, which are connections between nerve cells, leading to a more robust development of their chess skills.

But what about the fully grown adults?

First and foremost, let’s address the most obvious point upfront, so it isn’t forgotten and real progress can be made. Play a lot. This is all about gaining experience through playing. However, keep the following guidelines in mind: Play within your skill level. This means if you’re relatively new, it’s generally discouraged to engage in extremely fast games with less than 5 minutes of thinking time. The reason for this is that through prolonged thought and careful consideration of a game, especially in the beginning, you develop a sense for certain tactics. You also gain a better understanding of how the pieces interact with each other and recognize specific patterns.

Another crucial point to consider: Analyze your games. I, too, used to focus on reviewing only the games where I had won with brilliant moves. However, such an approach isn’t progressive. Try to figure out why you lost if you don’t already know. Confront your mistakes. For serious games, it’s also highly beneficial to conduct initial post-game analyses, especially at higher levels of play. The time investment typically hovers around an hour per game. Even though it might be less enjoyable, the payoff afterwards is all the more rewarding.

Last but not least, there’s a somewhat lesser-known item on the agenda: Reviewing games. Why should one do this? By studying games played by professional grandmasters, you intuitively learn how to position your pieces effectively. This applies to openings as well as endgames. Additionally, becoming familiar with numerous new opening variations is an outcome, with theory being a crucial aspect at the beginning of a game.

If you strive to maintain these aspects 3–4 times a week and stick with it for 2 months, you’ll achieve remarkable progress. It’s all a matter of discipline.