How to get better at chess (that actually works)
5 min read · By James Dinham, National Master
Most players plateau not because they lack talent but because they practise the wrong things. Improvement is simpler than the internet makes it look. Here is what actually works.
Study your own losses first
The fastest way to improve is to look honestly at the games you lost and ask why — not 'what was the engine's best move' but 'what was I thinking, and where did that thinking go wrong'. Almost everyone loses to the same two or three recurring mistakes. Find yours and you have found your rating ceiling.
Train tactics, but the right way
Tactics win games, so daily puzzles help — but only if you calculate fully before moving, the way you would in a real game. Guessing quickly to keep a streak alive teaches you to guess quickly in real games too. Slow down, calculate, then check.
- A short daily set of puzzles, calculated properly
- Review the ones you missed and understand the pattern
- Quality of thinking beats quantity of puzzles
Learn openings you understand, not memorise
You do not need to memorise twenty moves of theory. You need an opening whose ideas you understand — where the pieces want to go and why. That carries you through the middlegame far better than a memorised line you forget under pressure.
Do not skip endgames
Close games are decided in the endgame, and it is the part most amateurs ignore — which is exactly why learning it gives you an edge. A little basic endgame technique wins games your opponents throw away.
The shortcut: get feedback
You can find all of this out slowly by yourself, or a coach can point straight at your specific leaks and save you months. That is the entire value of coaching: not secret knowledge, but the right feedback aimed at your game.
Common questions
- How long does it take to get good at chess?
- With focused practice most people see real rating gains within a few months. The pace depends far more on how you practise than on how many hours — deliberate, feedback-driven work beats aimless play.
- Can I improve just by playing lots of games?
- Playing helps, but only if you review your games afterwards. Playing without reviewing tends to reinforce the same mistakes. Pair play with honest review and progress speeds up.
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