I once read a chess article where it was stated that “learning how to play chess is easy, but playing chess really well is hard” and that is the story more than 99% of chess players including grandmasters will tell you that it is very difficult to win at chess even against slightly weaker players and there are many reasons for this.

First consider that no two chess games are exactly the same plus that chess positions are very complex to read and analyse. It takes a lot of experience to really correctly analyse a chess position especially at the middle game phase when both sides have equal chances at counter play. Two there are no winning formulas for any chess game, although there are strategic principles to guide you when playing a game as to where to play, how to plan and what moves should be selected or rejected we still cannot sum up strategy in an auto pilot form for use in our games. Then as humans we have limited capacities for anything including acquiring and applying chess knowledge for our own advantage.

But despite of all these, it is possible to considerably improve your performance in chess games and tournaments against other opponents whether as a leisure activity or a step towards becoming a superb player you can become better at chess by any or all of the following simple tips.

Study grandmaster games

To become really good at chess I’ll recommend studying grandmaster games for at least 2 hours a day for no less than 1 year. Grandmasters are the top rated chess players who are considered very strong players able to win nearly all their games against other lower rated master players who are also considerably stronger than most of us chess players. A grandmaster according to FIDE the world governing body for Chess is any player who can achieve 3 GM norms (a GM norm is a favorable result at a tournament in which 60% of the players participating at already grandmasters) within 2 years will be awarded the title or alternatively if you can achieve a rating of not less than 2500 Elo points at FIDE rated tournaments.

Study good Chess Books
There are some great chess books I can personally recommend to an average chess player to make him/her a strong player or even graduate to becoming a master player (players who have a rating of 2100 Elo points and above). Two great books I’ll recommend you buy are Amateur's Mind and Reassess Your Chess Workbook both by Jeremy Silman both available on Amazon. They’re great books which will open your eyes on how to understand chess theory especially chess tactics and chess strategy.

Join a local Chess Club
Local chess clubs can also help improve your chess playing strength because you’ll meet with other players many of whom are better than you at playing chess. Many of them could be willing to share their knowledge with you plus playing regularly against them tends to raise the standard of your game.

Play tournament standard chess games
Playing tournament standard games (games which involve use of timers with time limit set at not less than 1 hour for each side) you’ll build a habit of thorough analysis and careful chess thinking which must have a positive impact on your move selection and overall playing ability. Do this as part of your chess training program playing against a better player at least 2 times a week in addition to studying grandmaster games and this should have a huge impact on your chess games.

Record your chess moves
Another very important thing to do when striving to improve your chess is to record your games because this enables you to understand the major causes of your weaknesses and why you fail in finding the right plans or executing the right ones you find.

Hire a Chess Coach
A chess coach can teach you a lot in a very short time, something that could take you years to learn with the help of a good chess coach you can learn in weeks. It saves you a lot of time but is the most expensive option in this list.

https://abuja-chess..com.ng/2016/07/6-practical-ways-to-improve-and-become.html

LagBlogger:
I once read a chess article where it was stated that “learning how to play chess is easy, but playing chess really well is hard” and that is the story more than 99% of chess players including grandmasters will tell you that it is very difficult to win at chess even against slightly weaker players and there are many reasons for this.

First consider that no two chess games are exactly the same plus that chess positions are very complex to read and analyse. It takes a lot of experience to really correctly analyse a chess position especially at the middle game phase when both sides have equal chances at counter play. Two there are no winning formulas for any chess game, although there are strategic principles to guide you when playing a game as to where to play, how to plan and what moves should be selected or rejected we still cannot sum up strategy in an auto pilot form for use in our games. Then as humans we have limited capacities for anything including acquiring and applying chess knowledge for our own advantage.

But despite of all these, it is possible to considerably improve your performance in chess games and tournaments against other opponents whether as a leisure activity or a step towards becoming a superb player you can become better at chess by any or all of the following simple tips.

Study grandmaster games

To become really good at chess I’ll recommend studying grandmaster games for at least 2 hours a day for no less than 1 year. Grandmasters are the top rated chess players who are considered very strong players able to win nearly all their games against other lower rated master players who are also considerably stronger than most of us chess players. A grandmaster according to FIDE the world governing body for Chess is any player who can achieve 3 GM norms (a GM norm is a favorable result at a tournament in which 60% of the players participating at already grandmasters) within 2 years will be awarded the title or alternatively if you can achieve a rating of not less than 2500 Elo points at FIDE rated tournaments.

Study good Chess Books
There are some great chess books I can personally recommend to an average chess player to make him/her a strong player or even graduate to becoming a master player (players who have a rating of 2100 Elo points and above). Two great books I’ll recommend you buy are Amateur's Mind and Reassess Your Chess Workbook both by Jeremy Silman both available on Amazon. They’re great books which will open your eyes on how to understand chess theory especially chess tactics and chess strategy.

Join a local Chess Club
Local chess clubs can also help improve your chess playing strength because you’ll meet with other players many of whom are better than you at playing chess. Many of them could be willing to share their knowledge with you plus playing regularly against them tends to raise the standard of your game.

Play tournament standard chess games
Playing tournament standard games (games which involve use of timers with time limit set at not less than 1 hour for each side) you’ll build a habit of thorough analysis and careful chess thinking which must have a positive impact on your move selection and overall playing ability. Do this as part of your chess training program playing against a better player at least 2 times a week in addition to studying grandmaster games and this should have a huge impact on your chess games.

Record your chess moves
Another very important thing to do when striving to improve your chess is to record your games because this enables you to understand the major causes of your weaknesses and why you fail in finding the right plans or executing the right ones you find.

Hire a Chess Coach
A chess coach can teach you a lot in a very short time, something that could take you years to learn with the help of a good chess coach you can learn in weeks. It saves you a lot of time but is the most expensive option in this list.

https://abuja-chess..com.ng/2016/07/6-practical-ways-to-improve-and-become.html

I'll like to have a chess match with you. everyone over here seems weaker and that has restricted my development. I think playing someone better would help me improve. are you interested ?

Yeah Sure.

Sorry for replying so late.