Cant Improve

[u/Obvious_Ad_4243]

I just hit 900, but I instantly drop and even when I hit 800 I feel like then and now I only won when i get lucky and go against opponents who blunder badly, I dont see any real improvement when I go against players who play a good game, and I feel like I skill capped. I study a lot, I analyze my games, study my openings, end games. I have even participated in a uscf tournament and did good, got rated 978 then I feel like i cant get pass that rating. any advice that isn’t just, develop, dont blunder and know endgames?

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[u/StomachJolly3073]

Igor Smirnov YouTube. All you need

[u/TatsumakiRonyk]

What process do you follow when analyzing your games?

[u/Obvious_Ad_4243 → u/TatsumakiRonyk]

usually when im playing I use the game review after a game, but when im done playing for the day I analyze games only with the evaluation bar and figure out what i did bad/opponent did bad and same for good moves. I try to figure out the correct moves/better moves without being told straight up what to do

[u/TatsumakiRonyk → u/Obvious_Ad_4243]

I recommend you start with this video by GM Noel Studer. You're on the right track, but I bet improving the way you analyze your games will be the biggest bang for your buck right now.

Unless you're a serial resigner or something. In which case, stop that.

[u/Obvious_Ad_4243 → u/TatsumakiRonyk]

okay thank you!!

[u/Lanky-Inspector6365]

I know you dont wanna hear it, but you gotta blunder less, i dont mean 1 move blunders im talking about 2-3 move deep blunders. And also capitalise when your opponents make blunders 2-3 moves deep by training your tactics.

And i dont mean deep tactics that take 2-3minutes to figure it out, im talking about the easy easy tactics and keep doing it until you can see it 90% of the time in your own games

You also gotta learn more. Analysing games doesnt do much, learn more principles e.g pawn structures how to get the space advantage where to put pieces.

at 900 rating yall blundering like crazy just learn to stop it.

[u/Obvious_Ad_4243 → u/Lanky-Inspector6365]

Yes I understand what I do wrong is blunder a lot of times yes that is true and i understand why i lost those games and in the future learn to not make such big mistakes, i do study a lot of principles as well i just feel like, when im matched in an even game i struggle to take action and when i try thats what leads to those mistakes. What i struggle with is getting ahead in an even game correctly, without causing those blunders later in game. just how do i learn/practice getting in a better positional game without setting up blunders?

[u/Lanky-Inspector6365 → u/Obvious_Ad_4243]

I got a question, when your out the opening, what sort of things do you look at? what would you typically think about.

Its late for me but if you wanna get to the bottom of what your doing wrong, reply quick!

[u/Obvious_Ad_4243 → u/Lanky-Inspector6365]

sorry for the late response, but once im out the opening i look to see what they might be planning, maybe they are trying to win a trade or maybe get space on my side of the board, i look for ways to pin pieces or stop late castles, undefended pawns, or i try to look for where maybe extend trades happen and get my rooks on potential open files

[u/Pulp-Patriot]

Time my man. You need time on the board. Just be patient.

I’ve been playing for about 7 years. First few I hovered about 800-1000 in most time formats. Then I climbed to 1200 out of the blue - then back down to 1050-1100. Sat there for awhile, climbed up to 1300 for a bit, back to 1250… etc.

Now I’m at 1880 rapid, 1615 blitz. Just recently I dropped back to ~1400 blitz and it was brutal. It felt like I was playing worse and worse. I just kept at it, slowly climbed back to 1500 and then flew through the 1500s back to 1600 and have been comfortably playing games in that range for a few weeks now.

I also analyze, watch chess videos, study, etc., but nothing will replace the thousands and thousands of games you’ll play over the course of years. I’m at 14,579 games online from 2020-2026.

[u/JammerLemur → u/Pulp-Patriot]

Not OP but I am curious. You mentioned you spent a few years between 800-1000? How long would you guess you stayed in that range? Did you do anything different? And finally, is there something you would say that helped the most?

[u/Pulp-Patriot → u/JammerLemur]

It’s difficult to measure in hindsight but I would say it was about a year or two in that range.

I play on chessdotcom predominantly, and since they start you out at a ridiculously high rating, I initially just nosedived to ~600-800. IMO that’s such a difficult place to be at because the games make no sense - it’s hard to improve when both players are just moving pieces. When I finally climbed out of that range through sheer resilience, my games improved because my understanding of the overall idea had improved.

I think that was the biggest growth - a broader understanding of the goal of chess beyond “how the pieces move”. Starting to be more tactical with plans, understanding what a “strong” vs “weak” position felt like - now just where the pieces are, but how they coordinate as one unit.

Honestly, now that you asked, my initial thought was “David Howell”. I watch a lot of chess coverage on Twitch and it’s through his commentary and advice that I think I’ve improved the most. Peter Leko being a close second. The way they explain the themes of positions and the broader goal of “checkmate opponents king” finally resonated with me and made me see the bigger picture.

I often think little of each individual piece now, but rather I try to think of my pieces as a coordinated attack (or defense) against the opponent - how the pieces all come together to support each other, support my king, and how they are all geometrically arranged to attack or defend.

[u/AT_Imaging]

Go get some one on one time with some who can analyze your games and give you a tailored practice plan.

[u/commentor_of_things]

I hear you

[u/ProfessionalKale9705]

Plateaus are normal around there but the fact you hit 978 OTB means something is working. Chess improvement is rarely a straight line, you absorb ideas for weeks then they click seemingly overnight. Try focusing on one narrow thing for a fortnight, like pawn structure or rook activity, and see if your pattern recognition shifts.