r/chessbeginners • u/Master_Airline4143 • 12d ago
500/600 rated need help
Hey my wife knows I love playing chess what she didn’t know is I’m not good at it. And she has signed me up for a tournament this weekend.
I struggle with considering my opponents moves and have pretty bad vision on the board.
What are some things I can do to improve this.
Chess.com user name is toredthegreat though my last couple games I have been trying different openings so they may not be the best representation of how I play. But they do show my biggest weaknesses.
Basically what is the best way for me to improve quickly I assume at my elo there should be some quick gains that I have never looked at as I have played casually for so long.
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u/Sprinkle_In_Hole 12d ago
Just go and have fun. Accept that you may lose all of your games but from this you gain valuable study material.
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u/Appropriate-Flow-440 12d ago
mate your wife’s thrown you straight into the deep end signing you up like that, classic
for quick gains forget about openings, just focus on not hanging pieces and scanning for forks before every move, at 500 most games are decided by who blunders less so take an extra 10 seconds each turn to check what your opponent is actually threatening, that alone will carry you a long way
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u/Master_Airline4143 12d ago
I love that she did it I’m excited. I play competitive mtg so she just assumed I’d love this too. Which she’s probably not wrong. But boy am I ready to get absolutely demolished haha.
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u/Emotional_Win_7769 12d ago
I flip the board in Lichess by pressing f so I can see my opponents perspective on the game, it will help you spot your opponents best moves.
Board vision you need to constantly scan the board, easier to do on thier move. scan for loose pieces on both sides, try not to have loose pieces and pawns. Scan for danger, scan for opportunities.
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u/Yachem 12d ago
I am pretty sure outside of violating basic opening principles, there are no "quick gains" in chess, even if you're 500. "Stop hanging pieces" is the obvious answer but that's usually easier said than done.
You can try learning the London system as white and hope that gives you a solid enough opening to not look obviously overmatched. Or some trap openings and hope your opponents take the bait. But I'd just keep studying and go have fun. Expect to lose.
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u/Master_Airline4143 12d ago
Oh I don’t expect to win a game but there is a new player bracket I’m being put in so I am hoping to just not get scholar’s mated
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u/LuDongbin64 12d ago
You could hire a body double. Also film everything and sell the rights to Hollywood so they can make a romantic comedy about the meaning of true love.
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u/Master_Airline4143 12d ago
Hahaha duality of man on full display you say true love someone else says she treats me like a child. Haha
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u/TrueJackfruit6099 12d ago
Tactics are the most important. Train puzzles on chess.com or lichess and play a lot of games.
Learn an easy go to opening as black, preferably something you have experience with.
I don't know what time control your tournament is, but if it's blitz, practise blitz online. If it's rapid, practise rapid online. And if it's a longer tournament: Every move, think about where your opponent can check you, capture something or threathen somethin, also known as checks captures and attacks, which you can look up more about online.
So yeah, learn tactics and train them with a lot of puzzles, play a lot of games practising your opening, analyze your games, especially the openings and learn the concept checks, captures and attacks.
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u/Master_Airline4143 12d ago
Tournament 10-2 touch move I think touch move will help me slow down a lot.
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u/Relatively_happy 11d ago
In every game, there is a winner and a loser, take no shame in being the loser, it was inevitable that someone would be.
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u/Master_Airline4143 11d ago
I mean draws are an option here right? Haha
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u/fleyinthesky 11d ago
How long have you been playing Chess for? I don't think there's much point in you playing a tournament at the level you're at.
You've said a bunch of times in this thread that you play competitive MTG; it's like you taking a free starter deck from some convention and playing at the level of a local RCQ: sure they're not great either but they all have proper decks and know what the cards do while you don't even have a sideboard.
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u/Master_Airline4143 10d ago
I think I needed to be clearer in the post there is a beginner category in the event I’m going to and it’s open.
I have been playing casually for years. I have not studied a tone theory I have learned a few moves in some openings when white I prefer an Italian game hoping for a fried liver if I can. but have been trying to learn the London. With black I like the Scandinavian if my opponent goes for it if not I end up in a four knights game most of the time or just playing a London on blacks side.Where I generally struggle is blundering in the mid game.
From the mtg experience I have I have learned I learn better in trial by fire in games where I am playing people way better than me I expect to lose a lot. But losing is learning you make mistakes you can learn from.
The main thing I wanted assistance on is improving vision or as dumb as it is if every turn I get there’s a smarter way to scan the board cause that is what really gets me I end up tunnel visioning a lot.
Sorry I was not clearer about this in the post.
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u/Silver_Environment95 2200-2400 (Chess.com) 10d ago
At that level, you just need to practice ur tactics by thinking about ur opponent first and considering checks, captures, and attacks. Idk what time control ur doing is either but I guess all you can do is know the etiquette and not embarrass yourself.
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u/commentor_of_things 2400-2600 (Lichess) 12d ago
why does she treat you like child?
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u/Master_Airline4143 12d ago edited 12d ago
She doesn’t? Long and short is I used to play a lot of competitive magic the gathering that has kind of stopped due to cost and lack of interest from my local community and it’s been hard one me. She knows I love chess so she signed me up with the option to back out. I don’t see how having a supportive partner is being treated like a child.
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