How To Use The Internet To Dramatically Improve Your Chess Game
By cool22

How to Use the Web to Dramatically Improve Your Strategy
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It is remarkable to see the amount of resources that are available on the Web! Experienced players and novices alike would agree that to overlook these resources and skill-building websites would be quite unwise.

But if you use search engine to try and find "chess strategies" or "chess tactics" on the Web, you can't help but ask questions. Where do I begin? What kinds of strategy sites are available? Are any of them even worth my time? Which strategy data is accurate, and which of it is misleading, incorrect, or erroneous? Which products are worth buying?

Well, don't worry! It's not all hopeless. What you're about to read is vital information that will assist you in locating resources on the Web that work for you. If you want to make huge improvements to your game, read on.

First of all, look into the author or authors of the particular site you are viewing. Look for as much info about them as possible. Have they put up their ranking? If the author is a trainer, how long has he or she been training? Have their pupils demonstrated success at the board? If none or little of this information is available, be wary. Don't take the instruction of an anonymous individual without receiving more information about the site.

Secondly, and before you purchase anything or begin examining someone else's strategies online, be sure and do a search on the Exchange Forum http://www.chessexchange.com click "Search") for the resource that you are reading. I've found the Exchange Forum to be incredibly useful. There are a huge number of brilliant players posting tactics, strategies, and tips on this forum. Again, you can't trust everything you read, meaning, even if someone said it on an internet forum, it does not mean it is 100% reliable. However, when a majority of forum posts are positive concerning the resource or writer in question, you can normally trust the majority consensus. You can also click on the forum poster's profile (usually if you click on the poster's username right next to the post) where they probably give their experience level, rating, and other information. This information will probably help you to evaluate the validity of their post. (You can access the Exchange Forum by visiting my strategy website, http://www.chessvictory.com , scrolling down to the bottom of the page, and clicking on the "Chess Strategies & Resources" link.)

I've also found the Exchange Forum to be an excellent spot to find out about current resources for improvement, as well as a great spot to inquire about strategies. The forum contributors will probably discuss your questions at length, providing detailed responses that you won't find anywhere else (especially not for free!).

Obviously, the more you play chess, the better you get. My third piece of advice is to play online whenever you can! You want to get better at chess, don't you? Then play the game constantly. Play when you have your lunch break, play after work, play late at night. Yes, studying is vital, but in order to strengthen your game, you must actually play against actual competitors! My biggest recommendation for competing in matches online is the Free Internet Server (FICS). Just go to the FICS site and download a program (a program that takes up very minimal computer space), and then you can compete with other players through the Internet whenever you want! (Again, to quickly visit to the FICS, go to my strategy website, http://www.chessvictory.com . Scroll down and click on "Chess Strategies & Resources")

don't forget what I've told you already about evaluating information you look at on the Web! Apply those rules to picking your coach. The Exchange Forum is a good place to research and get in touch with prospective coaches. Some of them may even be members of the forum!|Fourth tip: find a coach online! Visit http://www.google.com/ and search for the terms "chess coach" or "chess coaching", and you'll get loads of results. Most instructors charge you a fee, but it is absolutely worth the money. These are very brilliant players who will analyze your games (they ordinarily give you a printed copy of the analysis) and reveal to you numerous and priceless tips for how to improve

The last way to use the Internet to improve your ability is by installing software. In addition to the FICS, there are a few pieces of software that are imperative to have:

1. ChessBase. This awesome piece of software is really the standard format for Web layouts. This is what people use! Most everything that is connected to on the Web is being produced in the ChessBase formatthat includes resources, tutorials, lessons, annotated games, and almost everything else that would take a pupil step-by-step through a game. The program is essential for a student who desires to use the Web to improve his or her game. You can simply download a free version of ChessBase of their website that gives you more than enough substance to use. You can also purchase the full version if you want. Remember, without this software, you won't be able to get access to very many resources that are available online. (To get ChessBase right now, simply head on over to my strategy website, http://www.chessvictory.com , and click on the "Chess Strategies & Resources" at the bottom of the page. A quick link to ChessBase is on that resources page.)

2. The second piece of computer software that you definitely should have is a good engine. A engine refers to the part of a program that manages the intelligence of your gameplay. engines can evaluate games, moves, mistakes, and more. A good engine can discern the best next move in any given game situation. If you're using a chess-help program without a good engine to go with it, you won't gain much from it. (My strategy website, http://www.chessvictory.com , has a great list of good engines. Just visit the previous link and then click on "Chess Strategies & Resources")
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Bio: Editor and publisher Chad Kimball has loved the game of for his whole life, and has published a number of online instruction courses. He has just brought a fantastic resource to the Internet: "The Grandmaster Strategy Training Library." This 22 Volume Set of Training Videos has Videos and 2,213 Pages of Successful Strategies, and it's well worth the low low price that you get them for. These 22 videos allow you to fearlessly take on another player (no matter what rating they are at), knowing that you are set with years of tested strategies that will let you to DEFEAT your opponent. Click here to see this fantastic resource: visit his Chess Strategies site for more.