I want to share my path to 1950 elo and what I focused on at different levels. Hopefully others can learn from this aswell. 0- 1000 Tactics, tactics, tactics. If you feel like getting better at something else then learn the basic king and pawn endgame technique and king and queen mating pattern. Learn a basic opening for white, learn 2 basic openings for black. (1 against 1.e4, 1 against 1.d4.) You can blunder a full piece and still win the game. Learn basic opening principles. 1000-1200 Do more tactics. Start learning basic strategy like what is an outpost. Also learn the basics of all endgames. For example, bishop vs knight. Lucena rook endgame. Philidor rook endgame. Queen vs 2 rooks. At this level it gets harder to come back in the game if you are a piece behind but you still have plenty of chances for a comeback. 1200-1400 Learn your openings a little more in depth so that you know what the opening is trying to do instead of just memorizing it. Keep working on tactics as always and just get more experience in every aspect of the game practicing what you already know. Try to blunder to a minimum. Say one big blunder every 2 games. 1400- 1600 Analyse your games more thoroughly to learn from your mistakes. If you lose a piece you are going to feel bad the rest of the game. Get your tactics up to 2500 (chess com). Learn the basic pawn structures and how to deal with familiar pawn structures. 1600- 1750 Know why you play your openings. Keep growing in tactics, strategy and endgames. Learn how pawn structures relate when you want to break the position open to attack. At this point you start focusing more on certain squares. For example I need to prepare the e4 pawn break and time it right to play the move. 1750-1950 Keep playing for more experience. Improve your tactics to 2700 (chess com). If you have a good knight vs bad bishop endgame scenario then you should be able to win this with your knight most of the times. Identify your strong sides and weak sides. Personally I sucked at attacking but was good at endgames. I started attacking anonymously on lichess every day. At a certain point I got the hang of it making me ok at attacking. If the position now requires opposite sides castling then I will have some trust in my attacking skills. 1950- beyond I think I need to train my tactics to 3200, something like that. I never read chess books but this would be a good time to read a book on openings, middlegames or endgames. I could do endgames studies to be more precise in the endgame but I guess every bit helps so choose what you feel you like to do or lack. Anyway, I hope this helps someone reading this. Remember to take it one step at a time and have fun while doing so. Also Ezugo, you are already showing signs of strategic thinking of around 1000- 1200 level which makes me confident that you can keep climbing as long as you have the time and motivation for it. To all who read this, have a nice day and keep growing! :D
At 10:05, you seemed to be worried if you saved your rook, the king could take your knight, but you always need to look one step further when you’re stuck like this. If you move the rook to a1 or something, and Kxf3, then the room can take the light squared bishop, and not lose any material, since the King moved away from protecting the bishop
I was watching that and saw the rook king check to take the dark bishop and the knight to take the queen threat pawn also with a king check, and the other pawn also missed, easy win thrown away.
GL on your chess journey. Not that you need luck in this game. Just stick with it. When you find your ceiling (whatever that might be), be happy there. Maybe play for the love of the game, not for elo? That'd be my advice. Chess is life ❤
Don't be worried about your king when queens are traded. Usually it's safe enough without castling when queens are off the board. After queens were traded, you made some moves with your knights and bishop but forgot about your rooks. Look, see the value of the pieces as their potential, not their actual strenght. So your knights and bishop were already doing a good job. Lets say they had 70% or so of their maximum strenght. Your rooks in the corner used almost none of their potential strenght, like 10% or so. It was hardly felt that they are on the board. So when you are not sure what to do, ask yourself which pieces are in bad/passive positions and how can you activate them and make them use their strenght. Thats usually a good way to improve your position as a whole
Internally I feel like my mind notices these things here and there, but I've never really thought about it like this and so consistently. Definitely trying to utilize all of my pieces to their max potential from here on (even pawns). Thanks for the insight
Yo bro, nice series brings back nostalgia when I was this elo. Maybe turn on the function "show legal moves" in settings, that makes it easier to see what you can capture with a piece especially helpful with knight moves, you missed some pawn captures with the knight. Keep climbing!
His opening is called "Fianchetto", that's when you push the B-pawn or the G-pawn 1 forward and then put the bishop in there. His knight move certainly is incorrect though, they're supposed to put it in front of the bishop so they can do all sorts of discovery attack.
Also, in general, a bishop is better than a knight. It sure always depends on the position. A knight can cross very closed positions (pawns facing eachothers a lot) while bishop cover more squares in general but can be blocked easily my pawn chains.
The first person to comment with an answer on what was happening there. Thank you! I also never really appreciate my bishops, but maybe better understanding them will be the next step I need to break my plateau
1950 here :) I am not stuck but it is hard to climb from here on out. Most of my opponents were former 2150 and dropped 200 points so I have to be at my best every game. My growth and elo went like this: 0- 1000 Tactics, tactics, tactics. If you feel like getting better at something else then learn the basic king and pawn endgame technique and king and queen mating pattern. Learn a basic opening for white, learn 2 basic openings for black. (1 against 1.e4, 1 against 1.d4.) You can blunder a full piece and still win the game. Learn basic opening principles. 1000-1200 Do more tactics. Start learning basic strategy like what is an outpost. Also learn the basics of all endgames. For example, bishop vs knight. Lucena rook endgame. Philidor rook endgame. Queen vs 2 rooks. At this level it gets harder to come back in the game if you are a piece behind but you still have plenty of chances for a comeback. 1200-1400 Learn your openings a little more in depth so that you know what the opening is trying to do instead of just memorizing it. Keep working on tactics as always and just get more experience in every aspect of the game practicing what you already know. Try to blunder to a minimum. Say one big blunder every 2 games. 1400- 1600 Analyse your games more thoroughly to learn from your mistakes. If you lose a piece you are going to feel bad the rest of the game. Get your tactics up to 2500 (chess com). Learn the basic pawn structures and how to deal with familiar pawn structures. 1600- 1750 Know why you play your openings. Keep growing in tactics, strategy and endgames. Learn how pawn structures relate when you want to break the position open to attack. At this point you start focusing more on certain squares. For example I need to prepare the e4 pawn break and time it right to play the move. 1750-1950 Keep playing for more experience. Improve your tactics to 2700 (chess com). If you have a good knight vs bad bishop endgame scenario then you should be able to win this with your knight most of the times. Identify your strong sides and weak sides. Personally I sucked at attacking but was good at endgames. I started attacking anonymously on lichess every day. At a certain point I got the hang of it making me ok at attacking. If the position now requires opposite sides castling then I will have some trust in my attacking skills. 1950- beyond I think I need to train my tactics to 3200, something like that. I never read chess books but this would be a good time to read a book on openings, middlegames or endgames. I could do endgames studies to be more precise in the endgame but I guess every bit helps so choose what you feel you like to do or lack. Anyway, I hope this helps someone reading this. Remember to take it one step at a time and have fun while doing so. Also Ezugo, you are already showing signs of strategic thinking of around 1000- 1200 level which makes me confident that you can keep climbing as long as you have the time and motivation for it. To all who read this, have a nice day and keep growing! :D
@@Entheos84 Wish I could pin this comment!! Super insightful and encouraging with information for everyone at every step! Thank you for taking the time to leave this comment, genuinely!! 🙏🏿❤️
@ 16:07 I laughed when he didn't take your pawn. People fail to realize that when you only have bishop & king the best you can hope for is a draw. Pawn & king can win, bishop & king cant. Always take the pawn in that situation.
Way I see it, there's always more to be gained, but I learned that I will appreciate the journey and present form of the grind regardless! Hope that helps
Um, surely I was yelling loudly enough at the screen, that you should have heard me? Multiple times? ;-) Oh darn. You were wearing headphones! At the end of course, your opponent should have seen all they had to do was take your pawn, that he could never win the game when he had only a king and bishop. At best he could achieve a draw. And he had several chances to do that. One good way to progress for you could be to make at least a small study of endgames. Learn which basic endgames are won, lost, or drawn, and why.
Man, when you sacrificed your Rook at the end, I felt like you could've just pushed H4. If KxN, then hxBg3, and king can't defend against both the pawn and the rook and you win both bishops for a knight and a pawn
@@EzugoLive oh,i'm glad you saw it, i just removed because of the draw,because i saw you in the winning position, i was in shock haha i'm sorry, but keep improving, it happens
@@EzugoLive and redoing my comments, in the most high rating the bishops are actually better than knights in most of the times because of middle games and finals,but i don't know in your rating because of the forks,they seem to have troubles to see it..i pointed out about some moves you could have made it in 8:47 taking the pawn with check and then getting the bishop by checking the king with the rook forkin the king and bishop...but it was the final that you blunder the most,you should have give the knight instead,with would be easier with the time management
I want to share my path to 1950 elo and what I focused on at different levels. Hopefully others can learn from this aswell.
0- 1000 Tactics, tactics, tactics. If you feel like getting better at something else then learn the basic king and pawn endgame technique and king and queen mating pattern. Learn a basic opening for white, learn 2 basic openings for black. (1 against 1.e4, 1 against 1.d4.) You can blunder a full piece and still win the game. Learn basic opening principles.
1000-1200 Do more tactics. Start learning basic strategy like what is an outpost. Also learn the basics of all endgames. For example, bishop vs knight. Lucena rook endgame. Philidor rook endgame. Queen vs 2 rooks. At this level it gets harder to come back in the game if you are a piece behind but you still have plenty of chances for a comeback.
1200-1400 Learn your openings a little more in depth so that you know what the opening is trying to do instead of just memorizing it. Keep working on tactics as always and just get more experience in every aspect of the game practicing what you already know. Try to blunder to a minimum. Say one big blunder every 2 games.
1400- 1600 Analyse your games more thoroughly to learn from your mistakes. If you lose a piece you are going to feel bad the rest of the game. Get your tactics up to 2500 (chess com). Learn the basic pawn structures and how to deal with familiar pawn structures.
1600- 1750 Know why you play your openings. Keep growing in tactics, strategy and endgames.
Learn how pawn structures relate when you want to break the position open to attack. At this point you start focusing more on certain squares. For example I need to prepare the e4 pawn break and time it right to play the move.
1750-1950 Keep playing for more experience. Improve your tactics to 2700 (chess com). If you have a good knight vs bad bishop endgame scenario then you should be able to win this with your knight most of the times. Identify your strong sides and weak sides. Personally I sucked at attacking but was good at endgames. I started attacking anonymously on lichess every day. At a certain point I got the hang of it making me ok at attacking. If the position now requires opposite sides castling then I will have some trust in my attacking skills.
1950- beyond I think I need to train my tactics to 3200, something like that. I never read chess books but this would be a good time to read a book on openings, middlegames or endgames. I could do endgames studies to be more precise in the endgame but I guess every bit helps so choose what you feel you like to do or lack.
Anyway, I hope this helps someone reading this. Remember to take it one step at a time and have fun while doing so.
Also Ezugo, you are already showing signs of strategic thinking of around 1000- 1200 level which makes me confident that you can keep climbing as long as you have the time and motivation for it.
To all who read this, have a nice day and keep growing! :D
"Would rather have knights than bishops"
*Proceeds to use the knight in a braindead manner
Everyone's entitled to their opinion. Thanks for sharing yours, but also remember the point is to get better continuously! 💪
At 10:05, you seemed to be worried if you saved your rook, the king could take your knight, but you always need to look one step further when you’re stuck like this. If you move the rook to a1 or something, and Kxf3, then the room can take the light squared bishop, and not lose any material, since the King moved away from protecting the bishop
Exactly what I noticed, when I watched it back. Sometimes patience and that extra step of observation pays off heavy
I was watching that and saw the rook king check to take the dark bishop and the knight to take the queen threat pawn also with a king check, and the other pawn also missed, easy win thrown away.
GL on your chess journey. Not that you need luck in this game. Just stick with it. When you find your ceiling (whatever that might be), be happy there. Maybe play for the love of the game, not for elo? That'd be my advice. Chess is life ❤
@@leebumble I truly enjoy the game don’t worry haha. I’m also just a hyper competitive person!
@@EzugoLive My bad, I forgot to add the spirit of competition in the message.
Don't be worried about your king when queens are traded. Usually it's safe enough without castling when queens are off the board.
After queens were traded, you made some moves with your knights and bishop but forgot about your rooks.
Look, see the value of the pieces as their potential, not their actual strenght. So your knights and bishop were already doing a good job. Lets say they had 70% or so of their maximum strenght. Your rooks in the corner used almost none of their potential strenght, like 10% or so. It was hardly felt that they are on the board. So when you are not sure what to do, ask yourself which pieces are in bad/passive positions and how can you activate them and make them use their strenght. Thats usually a good way to improve your position as a whole
Internally I feel like my mind notices these things here and there, but I've never really thought about it like this and so consistently. Definitely trying to utilize all of my pieces to their max potential from here on (even pawns). Thanks for the insight
Yo bro, nice series brings back nostalgia when I was this elo. Maybe turn on the function "show legal moves" in settings, that makes it easier to see what you can capture with a piece especially helpful with knight moves, you missed some pawn captures with the knight. Keep climbing!
I'm glad you're enjoying the series my guy! Also I'm hesitant on adding the training wheels and getting too used to them you know 😅
9:00 could of checked with rook and won his dark bishop
His opening is called "Fianchetto", that's when you push the B-pawn or the G-pawn 1 forward and then put the bishop in there. His knight move certainly is incorrect though, they're supposed to put it in front of the bishop so they can do all sorts of discovery attack.
Also, in general, a bishop is better than a knight. It sure always depends on the position. A knight can cross very closed positions (pawns facing eachothers a lot) while bishop cover more squares in general but can be blocked easily my pawn chains.
The first person to comment with an answer on what was happening there. Thank you! I also never really appreciate my bishops, but maybe better understanding them will be the next step I need to break my plateau
Loving this series! I’m stuck in the 700s as well and it’s real tough to climb
im stuck in 1200
Im stuck at 1700
Feels nice knowing other people have walls they're facing ... BUT we shall make it through!!!
1950 here :) I am not stuck but it is hard to climb from here on out. Most of my opponents were former 2150 and dropped 200 points so I have to be at my best every game. My growth and elo went like this:
0- 1000 Tactics, tactics, tactics. If you feel like getting better at something else then learn the basic king and pawn endgame technique and king and queen mating pattern. Learn a basic opening for white, learn 2 basic openings for black. (1 against 1.e4, 1 against 1.d4.) You can blunder a full piece and still win the game. Learn basic opening principles.
1000-1200 Do more tactics. Start learning basic strategy like what is an outpost. Also learn the basics of all endgames. For example, bishop vs knight. Lucena rook endgame. Philidor rook endgame. Queen vs 2 rooks. At this level it gets harder to come back in the game if you are a piece behind but you still have plenty of chances for a comeback.
1200-1400 Learn your openings a little more in depth so that you know what the opening is trying to do instead of just memorizing it. Keep working on tactics as always and just get more experience in every aspect of the game practicing what you already know. Try to blunder to a minimum. Say one big blunder every 2 games.
1400- 1600 Analyse your games more thoroughly to learn from your mistakes. If you lose a piece you are going to feel bad the rest of the game. Get your tactics up to 2500 (chess com). Learn the basic pawn structures and how to deal with familiar pawn structures.
1600- 1750 Know why you play your openings. Keep growing in tactics, strategy and endgames.
Learn how pawn structures relate when you want to break the position open to attack. At this point you start focusing more on certain squares. For example I need to prepare the e4 pawn break and time it right to play the move.
1750-1950 Keep playing for more experience. Improve your tactics to 2700 (chess com). If you have a good knight vs bad bishop endgame scenario then you should be able to win this with your knight most of the times. Identify your strong sides and weak sides. Personally I sucked at attacking but was good at endgames. I started attacking anonymously on lichess every day. At a certain point I got the hang of it making me ok at attacking. If the position now requires opposite sides castling then I will have some trust in my attacking skills.
1950- beyond I think I need to train my tactics to 3200, something like that. I never read chess books but this would be a good time to read a book on openings, middlegames or endgames. I could do endgames studies to be more precise in the endgame but I guess every bit helps so choose what you feel you like to do or lack.
Anyway, I hope this helps someone reading this. Remember to take it one step at a time and have fun while doing so.
Also Ezugo, you are already showing signs of strategic thinking of around 1000- 1200 level which makes me confident that you can keep climbing as long as you have the time and motivation for it.
To all who read this, have a nice day and keep growing! :D
@@Entheos84 Wish I could pin this comment!! Super insightful and encouraging with information for everyone at every step! Thank you for taking the time to leave this comment, genuinely!! 🙏🏿❤️
great episode! I've been watching along since 1, i can't wait until u get to 750
I remember all of my day 1's!! Thank you! ❤
@ 16:07 I laughed when he didn't take your pawn. People fail to realize that when you only have bishop & king the best you can hope for is a draw. Pawn & king can win, bishop & king cant. Always take the pawn in that situation.
I only learned this like a week ago, so I'm not surprised!
Chess is not a game for brain fog 😭 Be kind haha
Hey man!!! Subbed :)
@@chesswithbrandon Thanks for the support brother!
Low elo chess, there is little chess understanding. My elo is 1660 but I still feel not good enough
Way I see it, there's always more to be gained, but I learned that I will appreciate the journey and present form of the grind regardless! Hope that helps
Um, surely I was yelling loudly enough at the screen, that you should have heard me? Multiple times? ;-) Oh darn. You were wearing headphones! At the end of course, your opponent should have seen all they had to do was take your pawn, that he could never win the game when he had only a king and bishop. At best he could achieve a draw. And he had several chances to do that. One good way to progress for you could be to make at least a small study of endgames. Learn which basic endgames are won, lost, or drawn, and why.
Thanks for the idea and I'm adding it to my study material. Also I may have heard your voice in the background at one point haha
Good quality! Keep it up
I appreciate the kind words, and will do!
You got this 🔥
Thanks man and I saw your channel, same to you!
8:59 rook can fork the king and bishop : )
Good vision! Maybe I should have slowed down and noticed the first time
@@EzugoLive yea, board vision is good to improve as everything is changing every move 🙌 👌
You missed couple forks not only horses can do that, but almost😁
Ya I saw a couple on the rewatch 😅, next time though!
sup! are you able to play some games with me? :)
Thanks for asking! At the moment I'm playing solo but I plan to do a viewer arena day in the future!
Man, when you sacrificed your Rook at the end, I felt like you could've just pushed H4. If KxN, then hxBg3, and king can't defend against both the pawn and the rook and you win both bishops for a knight and a pawn
You’re right if I’m thinking about it correctly. I only noticed on the playback of the video release. Brain fog is a hell of a thing 😅
@@EzugoLive always harder to see in the moment under pressure!
@@spagatek 👋🏿
@@EzugoLivekeep up the grind bro
A draw’s not a loss! You did have an advantage but you closed out a draw so that’s something too!
@@robertovillagran5364 I used to never draw games but I’m trying to hold onto my points as much as possible now! Thanks for that!
geez,that was rough haha
Your other message was appreciated! You should leave them up
@@EzugoLive oh,i'm glad you saw it, i just removed because of the draw,because i saw you in the winning position, i was in shock haha i'm sorry, but keep improving, it happens
@@EzugoLive and redoing my comments, in the most high rating the bishops are actually better than knights in most of the times because of middle games and finals,but i don't know in your rating because of the forks,they seem to have troubles to see it..i pointed out about some moves you could have made it in 8:47 taking the pawn with check and then getting the bishop by checking the king with the rook forkin the king and bishop...but it was the final that you blunder the most,you should have give the knight instead,with would be easier with the time management
@@icon6343 Great information for others who might be around the same elo and watching! Thanks for the insights
bro i can teach u chess if u want (my elo is 1200)
I appreciate the offer, but I'm approaching the journey on my own! That said, I do watch videos and study a bit!
@@EzugoLive ok bro
500 - 1100 elo are so easy bro