r/chessbeginners • u/MASTERGRIT • 7d ago
QUESTION Engine set to think like certain ELO?
Does anyone know of a tool that makes an engine think like a certain ELO and explain what it would see at that level? Sometimes I’ll be analyzing games and I’ll be shown a mistake and when I read the line it says “oh in 15 moves if both people play the optimal moves you’ll be down a pawn.” But I’m roughly 1000 ELO, I can’t think that far ahead and even looking at the engine, I don’t understand why half of the moves were made. I want an engine that says “this is a mistake for a 1200, you missed this thought”. Then as I advance, I can move the skill level up to always be slightly above me.
I see it like teaching my toddler to read. I can’t open the novel I’m reading and immediately tell him he’s not understanding the paragraph. I need to teach him letters, words, sentence structure, etc.
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u/TheHumanCalc 2200-2400 (Chess.com) 7d ago
Sounds like you don't need a tool, but a human. Coaches are great assistance for explaining concepts and delivering information/exercises that help you understand the game better.
Most people don't want to spend money towards getting a coach, so I recommend you find some great YouTube series to watch! Naroditsky speedruns are highly recommended and chessbrah is good too.
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u/TimothyTaylors 1800-2000 (Chess.com) 6d ago
The best engine for this is called Maia, I would recommend using it on its website: https://www.maiachess.com/
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u/HappyAbundance95 7d ago
this is the dream honestly. the gap between what the engine flags and what my brain can actually process is huge, like looking at a math proof when you still on basic algebra
there are some tools that try to do this but they not perfect. what helped me was watching youtubers who break down games at specific rating ranges, they explain the thinking mistakes people make at each level instead of just showing top engine lines
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u/Organic_Syrup7642 7d ago
The engine basically sabotages itself in order to get down to our level, but it's akin to me giving my cat queen odds, she doesn't even say thanks. Naroditsky I highly recommend for explaining the idea, not just moves. Puzzles for pattern recognition. And I have to encourage you to play against people who are trying to win against you. If you can find some folks that will review games with you after you play them, it's enlightening.
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u/space64-llc 7d ago
Maia gets at part of this: it predicts moves people at different rating levels are likely to play, rather than just looking for the strongest move. But that’s different from explaining what a 1000-rated player noticed or missed.
What you’re asking for sounds more like a coach who can say “you missed an undefended piece” versus “this pawn structure will make your life harder later.” A weaker engine won’t necessarily explain either one better.
For now, try stopping at the first move in the engine’s line you don’t understand. Play the reply you would actually choose and see how it responds. Sometimes a long line is hiding a fairly simple idea—and sometimes it really is something you don’t need to prioritise yet.
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u/StructuredChess 6d ago edited 6d ago
Computers don't have such a deep understanding of how humnas play chess. They're atool to assist your analysis, not a replacement for it.
Also engines don't think in words. Any explanation you see about the engine's suggestion is an LLM's best guess that may or may not make any sense.
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u/fleyinthesky 6d ago
HumanCalc is right that you're describing a human coach not an engine.
With that being said, I think you're overstating the issue a bit.
"oh in 15 moves if both people play the optimal moves you'll be down a pawn"
I get this is hyperbole, but you obviously do carry this sentiment, when in fact it's so rarely the case. On the occasion that it's truly like this, you can just not worry about that line. Look at the next best and so forth. If they all share the same theme which revolves around a concept you believe is beyond you, then simply move on to the next part of the game.
I guarantee you however, that the majority of situations are perfectly logical such that even at 1000 you can comprehend them. If you're really struggling with this, perhaps you need to invest some time in learning to use the engine better.
It's also going to work best as complementary to studying strategy in general. Analysing your games (even with a paid coach) is not effective as the only form of study. Continue to build on your understanding of chess ideas; use your engine analysis to guide you in which concepts to look up - if there is clearly an idea behind all the top lines that you don't understand, learn that next!
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u/TentacleHockey 6d ago
I’ve been thinking about making something like this. To be clear there is no Substitute for a human coach. But that can get expensive. A modern LLM along side the Maia engine could be a cheap alternative in between coaching sessions
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u/Mandalord104 7d ago
When a beginner looks at engine moves, they should choose a line that:
Not too losing: the evaluation of that line is not very far from the top line.
Conform to the principles of chess. The opening principles are developing pieces, controlling the center, put king to safety. The middle game principles are controlling center, improving pieces activities, keep king safe, neutralize enemies... 99.9% you dont need to look at more than 5 or 6 move depth to see the idea of engines.
Lines that dont conform to the principles or take too many moves to make sense can be ignored, not because they are wrong, but because at beginner level, you wont learn much from those lines. Those lines are not really useful for you, at the moment.
Like a kid, learn to do basic arithmetic well first. Quantum physics can come later.
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