What would it take to get better at chess?

I’ve been having a lot of fun studying chess again. For the longest time, I’ve watched grandmasters on YouTube teach or comment on games. And it’s been great! But now, I’d like to see what I can do on my own. Gotta spread our wings and try flying sooner or later, yeah?

So where do I go from here?

I think getting better at chess boils down to four key areas of focus for me:

1. conditioning myself on tactics,
2. learning end game theory,
3. practice effective calculations, and
4. developing an opening repertoire.

In order for me to play decisively, I need to sniff out tactical solutions. Through conditioning and solving puzzles, I can train myself in pattern recognition. This will be helpful in playing fast and for developing an instinct in different positions. I can also practice chess tactics specific to my openings of interests, too.

With end game theory, learning what is winning, drawn, or lost. As a result, I can evaluate positions more accurately and plan my moves accordingly. We have solved all positions with up to seven pieces, so I can lean on this to start.

Since most of chess games is spent calculating lines to evaluate a position, it’s important that I refine this skill. To me, this means learning to avoid wasteful thinking, learning to explore positions without forgetting where I leave off, and evaluating calculated positions with accuracy. I’m not sure how to go about this yet, outside of solving chess puzzles and listening to grandmasters on how they go about evaluating or calculating from a position.

Finally, opening repertoire is where I get to have fun learning the basics to how I want to steer the start of a game. I’ll have to decide what kind of positions I enjoy; thus, what openings to play for. There are a few in mind, and I’ve begun building a repertoire using en-croissant. This library of mine will help me prepare for future games.

And I think that’s all for now. Ultimately, I’m either solving puzzles or building an opening repertoire for myself. We’ll see where this takes me for the next few months!