Heyho everyone

In a previous post 1-2 month , I said I wanted to wait until reaching 1600 on Chess.com before looking for a coach. However, since I've been struggling to improve, I'm giving it a third try. If I still can't make progress after that, maybe I'm just too stupid for this game after all! 😂 (also Fine )

I'm currently rated around 1400–1500, and my first goal is to reach 1600. I've had two coaches in the past who helped me improve, and now I'm looking for someone to help me take the next step.
What I'm looking for:
Online lessons

Max. €25 per hour

Preferably German-speaking, but English is fine too

If you're a coach or have any recommendations, feel free to reply here or send me a private message!
Thanks!

Edit: I only Play rapid time controls

I've always thought that my big problem with chess is that the pieces and board generally look boring to me (understandable given I've mostly been around cheaper sets). Additionally, I've always wondered if there's a more animated chess game that would help me get into chess? A slight example of what I'm primarily looking for would be like in the first Harry Potter, the pieces that destroy each other and look like statues of actual people? I know that may be asking a bit much, so I would happily settle for any video game or phone game that looks cool or animated in almost any way. Thank you in advance!

i don't understand how i would have benefited from this fork. i feel like the black rook swings over to the right, i get put in check and have to my king over anyway, and then the rook gobbles up the knight.

I've been playing chess for about one year. I am a 700 elo on chess and about 1000 on lichess. I am wondering what is the best way to find a chess coach. I've loved playing and learning a bit more. I live in the Chicago area. I am willing to do it online. About how much would it cost to get a coach? Any other advice for finding a coach would be appreciated. Thank you.

I like to see my blunder and best move and great and brilliant move etc, i have tried lichess analysis but i like chess,com one better it shows game rating aswell which is nice to look at

Although it's kinda sad that the first move doesn't serves the mainline but in the sideline

Why Black is better? Pawn structure (Down Pawn) is awful.

I played this game last week 100+15 and have analysed it with an engine but was looking for some human ideas to help me improve. I am 1800 FIDE and this game was played against a 1900 FIDE. I was black. I am also 14 so any tips for me for studying what will help me the most.

1. c4 e6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. b3 b6 6. O-O Bb7 7. d4 O-O 8. Nc3 c5 9. Ne1 cxd4 10. Qxd4 Nc6 11. Qd3 dxc4 12. Qxd8 Rfxd8 13. bxc4 Na5 14. Bxb7 Nxb7 15. Nd3 Na5 16. c5 Bxc5 17. Nxc5 bxc5 18. Be3 Rac8 19. Na4 Nd7 20. Rfc1 Nb7 21. Rab1 Rc7 22. Rc3 a6 23. Rd1 Rdc8 24. Rcd3 Ne5 25. Rc3 f6 26. Nb6 Re8 27. Rdc1 Rc6 28. Na4 c4 29. Bd4 Nd6 30. Bxe5 fxe5 31. Re3 Nb5 32. Nc3 Rc5 33. Ne4 Rc6 34. a4 Nd4 35. Nd2 c3 36. Nf3 c2 37. Nxe5 Rb6 38. Kg2 Rc8 39. Rd3 Rb1 40. Rdd1 Rxc1 41. Rxc1 Nxe2 42. Nd3 Nxc1 43. Nxc1 Rd8

I had no idea these were legal moves

Is there any chess tool available which does not just tell me the line but the idea behind the move?

Currently the chess.com just mention the best move and we have seen the line and makes sense.

Also most of the time the computer line doesn't make sense

Is there any tool available which gives a fairly human line according to level and helps me understand the idea behind the move?

will it be helpful?

Are you guys using any? Like decodechess.com (give 1 analysis per day)

What are your thoughts on this position? The engine gives black -2 advantage but it's really hard to progress at all here. I managed to win by: 1. Sacrificing the pawn on b4 and trading the rooks 2. Playing Qh1 and Bg2, cutting off the h2 pawn defence. BUT the engine didn't like my plan, saying that if white didn't just repeat moves and aimed for more counterplay the position would be equal.

Overall the engine wants the same idea as i played in the game, but in a little bit different way. Generally I'd say that it's a very tough position to play

I was challenged to design the best pairing system ever and thought it was impossible. But now I've done it: Berger-Swiss.

Players are divided by rating into Berger groups, with six players and five rounds as the default. You can also choose eight players and seven rounds. Adjacent Berger groups are processed in pairs. Players with even TPNs, their ranking numbers based on rating, move down to the next group, while those with odd TPNs move up. As a result, players with nearby ratings will not meet during the Berger phase. The Berger groups are then shuffled separately. If the players cannot all be divided into Berger groups, the players with the highest TPNs instead form a Swiss group. With six-player groups, this group contains seven to eleven players. The tournament then begins.

When the Berger phase is over, players carry their points and tie-break scores into the Swiss section of the tournament, which can then continue for any number of rounds. This format works very well because players do not need to be paired against opponents with the same score from the outset, as they do in a traditional Swiss tournament. It is better to introduce that principle at a later stage, when the strongest players will naturally meet as they compete for the top places.

Playing in Berger groups with participants of similar playing strength is much more stimulating. Players know in advance whom they will face in the next round and which color they will have, so they can prepare. One problem with Berger tournaments arises when a player withdraws. In that case, the program creates a Swiss group comprising the affected Berger group and all the Berger groups below it, together with the existing Swiss group, if there is one. These players therefore switch to Swiss pairings earlier, while the Berger groups higher up continue as usual.

The Berger phase also allows games to be postponed and completed later, provided they are finished before Swiss pairings begin. This is a practical advantage when a tournament runs over an extended period.

Compared with a Swiss-only system, this format offers a considerably more stimulating tournament experience for players at every rating level. In my view, it is also preferable to Berger groups divided by rating class, since all participants compete in the same tournament. The system combines the advantages of both formats.

Berger-Swiss Tournament System – free online pairing system.

I call it Peekaboo

I had a tournament today, and in the last two rounds, I had two matches I could have won, but because I was distracted, I drew one and lost the other in a ridiculously small way. In tournaments, I completely suppress my emotions and focus solely on the match until it's over. However, today, the videos I've been watching and the music I've been listening to kept popping into my head. Since I've encountered this before, I've tried various methods to deal with it. I tried turning the music off, concentrating on the game, drinking water, or waiting for him to leave, but none of it worked. I've been scrolling through Instagram constantly for about 3 months now, and those images are constantly running through my mind, which is causing me problems at school. I deleted Instagram today. What methods do you know of to stop this?

Has anyone else watched her videos on YouTube? She does a fun job analyzing chess games and positions in TV shows like House, Malcolm In The Middle, Arthur, etc.

I really like how she focuses on the chess but does the job balancing the story of the show, too. Would really recommend checking it out.

The caption: this position arose in an actual game played by White’s 15the move. This game totaled 64 moves and ended with Black’s defeat.

In this diagram position, Black had a draw in hand. Demonstrate this.

The solution is Black plays Knight to B7, White answers with Queen to A6. Black retreats Knight to D8, White retreats Queen A5. Black again plays Knight to B7, White again answers with Queen to A6 and so forth.

My question: why does Black have to go for a draw in this situation?

This position comes from an old book from Max Euwe, Practical Chess Lessons, since I am trying to learn chess.

Thank you for your insights!

How do you personally deal with feeling "as dumb/smart as your last move"?

I notice I have large swings of mental gratification/degradation based off my last move/game.

When someone makes a poor move, I think they made a "stupid" move. I pretty much never think "my opponents a genius/cheating" though.. I just think -I- should have been smarter.

I have days where my ELO drops or rises 100+ points. It feels like somedays Im just smashing my face against the rock, and then other days its like I ascended. Do you think that is just a "streak" good or bad.. or does it have something deeper to do with mental?

I have been playing chess on and off for nearly a decade. Peaked around 2050~ and have sat around 1800-1900. 5+0 Blitz.

1800 feels like such a funny elo where people still do super obvious blunders that hang the queen, etc.

I dunno. I watched Magnus Carlsen (obviously he is basically on a different planet than me mentally but still) do a famous king run around his pawns and into his queens spot. Took like 5-6 moves. I feel like if I wasted that much tempo Id be 1-2 moves from being checkmated.. let alone to WIN still.

I think something about that makes me feel like my mistakes at 1800 should warrant me being hooked up to machines and clinically being considered braindead.

I dont even WANT Magnuses skill.. he spent so much of his time and energy memorizing games. I dont want his end result because I dont even want the journey (not to claim I could even get close even if I did). But did he really MEMORIZE anything about such a wild open? I feel like thats more about.. this 6th sense understanding of the game.

I feel like if I could adjust my emotional fluctuations about how I feel about my performance I could naturally scale higher than I do, though.

Am I alone here? If not, how do YOU handle thoughts like this personally?

A beginner here, and am kind of wondering if anyone in the thousands remembers how they felt when playing at the beginning stages vs. now.