How to train in Chess effectively – 5 Tips For Beginners + 3 Basic Books

How to train in Chess effectively – 3 Basic Books and 5 Tips For Beginners up to 1500 ELO

Some recommendations on how to train in Chess effectively and on training methods and resources. If you are a novice and like to improve through diligent training and perseverance then this post is just an appetizer. There is no such thing as “the best advice” for chess improvement as everyone has different requirements and circumstances that make their learning unique.

However, having said that, here are some general tips for you that may work for most of the beginners and post-beginners.

At least you cannot go wrong knowing how to train in chess

Practice Tactics positions DAILY

I recommend the following books:

600 plus winning chess themes and tactics by V. Subramanian‘,

WINNING CHESS by Irving Chernev and Fred Reinfeld

‘1001 Brilliant Ways to Checkmate‘ and

‘1001 Winning Chess Sacrifices and Combinations‘ by Fred Reinfeld

as good training material to start with (of course with a good Coach to explain what is happening).

How to train in chess Tactics?

When working through puzzles on Chess Tactics for beginners, I suggest working through the specific themes at a time.

By progressing thematically, you will slowly build the pattern recognition database in your head that is needed to recognize the tactical elements when they appear in your games.

Random tactics will appear in your games, obviously, and only by constant familiarity with the tactical elements and factors can one get to identify the tactics satisfactorily.

That is why tactical position-solving should initially be theme-based.

Solutions given may not always be the best or the only correct ones, but they roughly describe the theme and pass the crux of the message. 

How to train in chess visualization?

Trying to visualize the chess analysis will improve your tactics while imprinting the ideas in the brain, will serve as an absolute foundation of your chess.

Don’t memorize the answers but memorize the thought process.

It is not enough to go through the problems and understand the solutions, but it is necessary to go through them regularly until the solution is recognized within a few seconds without any complex calculations…

To put it more practically... treat them as your math multiplication tables and then see how you do complex numerical mathematics… in other words, you compare your game results before and after!

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5 Tips on how to train in chess

It is better to train regularly, for a duration that is fixed for an individual daily schedule.

Start with as low as 15 minutes a day – make it a daily RITUAL.

Take stock daily. Set new goals for the next ‘weekly report’.

It is advisable to take time to review the past performance without fail.

Avoid excuses ‘I will catch up at the weekend!’ etc. 

For you to grow in chess, get out of your comfort zone.

You will feel awkward and uncomfortable doing new things the first time.

If it’s worth doing for your chess growth, even doing it poorly until you get a feel for it is rewarding by itself.

Here are the 5 tips on how to train in chess so that you climb steadily and surely.

1. Try to create a habit of chess workout daily. Say, solving 15 tactical puzzles in the morning before you go to school (that’s what I recommend my students). It doesn’t matter if it is just a small start. Being regular guarantees progress.
2. Try to use your analytical brain rather than just checking the solutions when the position is difficult to solve.
3. Give your brain time to think.
4. Minimize distractions and remain focused while you are working on the tactics positions. 
5. It’s not about winning, it’s about learning. If you did not learn you merely wasted your time.

 

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Using the Chess Informants as a way to hack up your learning and thereby increasing your strength.

Read this: Chess Informant – the esoteric art of learning (hacking your chess brain).

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