Who doesn’t like being the best at whatever they do? And with Chess, the stakes are just higher. It is a war fought between the 64 squares on the board and a battle of minds. In a game that proves who is the smarter player of the two, one always wants to come out as a winner. So, let’s ask the big question, how to become an expert in Chess?
Just like many other games and sports, Chess requires constant training and studying. Starting at an early age does help a lot in every sport, but in Chess, it’s an even bigger key! A child’s brain is equipped to take in things faster and master complex concepts like languages, patterns, etc. And so, children learn Chess skills faster than adults.
There are a lot of things that factor in when you are on your journey to becoming an expert at the game. Here are some of them:
Here Are The 8 Tips To Get Better At Chess
1.Train Regularly
This one is a bit more straightforward. Everyday training is required not just to be an expert in the game but also just to stay in touch with the various openings, tactics, traps and lines of the game. Grandmasters and even emerging players train for up to 9-12 hours a day.
For effective training, you can either enrol yourself or your kids in any of the institutes that ensure regular training with a proper curriculum and experienced trainers, or you can find yourself a coach or a mentor to help you reach the next level.
Kaabil Kid’s is one of the best choices to go for if you are planning to enrol your kid in a Chess training institute. They are India’s top live Chess training platform as they focus on quality Chess development and the child’s psychological growth. The curriculum is prepared by the International Grandmaster Tejas Bakre, and the trainers are FIDE rated.
Training regularly keeps your brain sharp, and the more you learn, the more you find it easy to memorize various openings and strategies. So train regularly and progress!
2.Study And Learn Famous Games
This is a practice that is a great training process for both beginners and Grandmasters. There are thousands and millions of quality Chess games that have been played. But a few stand out to be classics, and they teach a lot in terms of tactics, strategies, and planning. Be it Kasparov, Anand, Fischer, or any other legend, a few of their games are worth studying.
These games teach you the kind of openings to choose from, the kind of lines to prepare, and what to expect when you play a certain move. This small practice is a big difference between a novice and an expert.
At Kaabil Kids, students get regular sessions and interactions with some of the best Grandmasters and International Masters who will take them through some famous games and teach them valuable lessons through them.
3.Play Every Day
Not just Chess, consistency is the key in every part of life. But in Chess, the significance is just a little higher. We already spoke about training every day, but implementing the things you have learned in a competitive match is also equally important.
This keeps your competitive nature intact and gives you a taste of what to expect in a professional match and tournament. Studying games and training through videos, books, and engines is one thing, but playing with another player, who is just as strong as you, is totally different.
The human mind is way more advanced than any machine, so you never know what new move you may encounter from your opponent, giving you a chance to prepare for everything that may come your way.
Especially for students, playing regularly can bridge a huge gap between becoming an expert and just playing Chess for fun. Kaabil Kids gives children 24/7 access to a platform where they can play against other players or against bots anytime, anywhere!
This ensures they are never out of touch and are always ready to implement what they learn.
4. Get Your Game Reviewed And Analyzed
Just played a game? Did you win? Did you lose? Don’t stop there! No matter what the outcome is, get your game analyzed. You can analyze it yourself through Chess engines, or you can send the game to an expert and get their views on it.
If you have won the game, then you may be able to find better moves that you could’ve played for a smoother game. And if you lost the game, then the analysis will help you understand where you went wrong and what you could’ve done differently to avoid the perils. Analysis helps a player prepare and be immune to the same attacks in future, making the player more ready and an expert!
Kaabil Kids also believes in learning from mistakes, and after every tournament or major game, the trainers sit with the kids to analyze their games and guide them the right way with necessary feedback.
5.Get Competitive And Go For Tournaments
Friendly games and training will help you a lot in your Chess journey. But the win and lose factor won’t matter or bother you much, as the stakes are not higher. A professional tournament, on the other hand, fuels up the inner urge to win, and makes you train harder, play harder and learn harder. This is where a player shapes himself and knows where he stands compared to the other Chess players.
Being competitive is a necessity in Chess, and this helps the player make the leap from a beginner to an expert. At Kaabil Kids, we have varying levels kids can opt for, based on their Chess expertise.
There are weekly practice matches and tournaments where students can implement what they have learned and hone their skills. And in Level 2-4 (Intermediate to Expert), we focus on preparing students for international tournaments where they can compete on a higher level and aim for an official ELO rating.
6.Follow Professional Games Carefully
There is a lot of Chess around you if you look for it. And Chess was one of those very rare things that grew positively in the lockdown. Offline tournaments can be viewed through various channels, there are online tournaments with nail-biting commentary, and there are super Grandmasters streaming Chess on various platforms!
This has made Chess accessible in the easiest way ever. You can easily interact with some of the biggest Grandmasters, learn from the professional games that are being played and closely follow the commentary where experts discuss various lines the players are playing on the board.
7.Solve Puzzles Every Day
Chess puzzles are a form of art in themselves. They push you to think a lot and come up with the absolute best move in the position. Solving puzzles every day is the best drill a chess player can go for as they are fun, exciting, and give you the thrill of an intense Chess match!
And what better place to look for puzzles than Kaabil Kids’ platform, where there are numerous puzzles of varying difficulties to test the calculating abilities of the kids.
8.Have Number Goal And Aim For The Best
Chess is all about numbers, and a player’s Chess ability can directly be tracked by their ELO rating. It is a rating system that determines the expertise of the player. The higher the ELO rating, the better the player is. So have a set goal in mind and go for it!
With Kaabil Kids, we train students to aim for a FIDE rating in our Platinum Package. Here we prepare them for official FIDE tournaments, teach strategies and tactics on a higher level, and ensure they are ready to compete on a higher level.
To summarize, becoming a Chess expert takes years of intense training and dedication. So just stick to your routine, be consistent, and don’t give up. And one day, who knows, there may be a Grandmaster in you!
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