Many players want to get better at chess quickly but struggle with how to do it. You might think playing more games is enough, but this alone won’t make you a much stronger player. Without the right approach, you can spend hours playing without significant improvement.
The fastest way to get better at chess is to train efficiently. This means combining structured learning, regular practice, and game analysis. Simply memorising openings or playing blitz games won’t help if you don’t understand key concepts. You need to focus on the right areas at the right time, depending on your skill level.
In this guide, you’ll find a step-by-step plan based on your chess level — beginner, intermediate, or advanced. Each section covers the most effective training methods for your level, helping you improve in the shortest time possible.
Before diving into training techniques, it’s important to start with the right mindset. How you approach improvement can make a big difference in your progress. Let’s begin there.
The importance of mindset in chess improvement
Your mindset plays a big role in how fast you improve. Many players get stuck at the same level for months or even years, not because they lack skill, but because they don’t approach improvement the right way.
If you’ve been playing chess for a while but don’t see much improvement, you might be making one of these mistakes:
Skipping game analysis. If you don’t review your games, you won’t learn from your mistakes. This leads to repeating the same errors. So when you encounter mistakes in your games, try to view these not as frustrating setbacks but as valuable learning opportunities. Take time to review your games carefully, understanding where things went wrong and what you might have done differently.
Studying without a plan. Watching random chess videos or reading books without a clear goal won’t help you progress efficiently.
Focusing too much on ratings. If you only care about gaining rating points, you might avoid tough challenges, which slows down improvement.
Playing too many fast games. Blitz and bullet games can be fun, but they don’t help much if you don’t spend time thinking about your moves.
Setting realistic goals forms a crucial part of chess improvement. Rather than aiming vaguely to "get better," consider specific targets such as improving by 200 rating points over six months or mastering a particular endgame technique. These concrete objectives give your practice purpose and direction.
Another thing you should be mindful of is consistency, as it matters more than intensity in chess training. A daily practice session of 30–60 minutes yields far better results than sporadic marathon sessions followed by long periods of inactivity. The brain absorbs chess knowledge more effectively through regular, moderate exposure rather than occasional immersion.
The last thing I want to cover in this section is to speak about balance in chess. Whilst playing games regularly is essential, dedicated study time proves equally important. Ensure you're learning new concepts from books, videos or coaches, then deliberately applying these ideas in your actual games. This connection between theory and practice accelerates your progress significantly. But these two aspects are only the base and the walls of the improvement. There is also one more important element – it’s fixing the mistakes you make. GM Avetik Grigoryan made a good point about following a specific improvement formula:
Study → Practice → Fix → Repeat
In his opinion, this is the best improvement formula for any kind of activity, and I strongly agree with this idea. We learn something, test it in the field, analyse the made mistakes to fix them and repeat the cycle again.
Now, let’s get into more specifics for different kinds of levels.
How beginner chess players should improve their game
If you’re new to chess, your main goal should be to build a strong foundation first. Many beginners try to memorise openings or play countless online games, but without a proper understanding of the basics, progress will be slow. Before focusing on advanced ideas, it’s important to master the key principles that shape every game.
Start with the basics
The first step is learning the rules, understanding how each piece moves, and learning how to checkmate. Rather than memorising move sequences for the opening game, focus on controlling the centre, developing your pieces efficiently, and ensuring your king’s safety. These basic ideas apply to every opening, no matter what moves your opponent plays.
Another important area for improvement is recognising common tactical patterns. Basic motifs like forks, pins, and skewers occur frequently in games, and once you can spot them quickly, your overall play will improve. Solving simple chess puzzles is one of the best ways to sharpen this skill. Aim for quality over quantity — spending time understanding why a tactic works is far more effective than rushing through puzzles without thinking.
Include analysis of your chess games
I have mentioned previously that analysis of your own game is a big must if you want to improve. However, some beginners think it is too early to work on this part, but that is a big mistake. You should review your games from the beginning. If you don’t analyse your games, you won’t know what went wrong or how to avoid repeating the same mistakes. If you think that you don’t have enough knowledge to do this, then try the analysis feature on chess.com After every game you get a chance for the engine to make the analysis for you. It will show the good moves that you did, your flaws and serious mistakes.
Piece of advice for running the analysis with chess.com – don’t get discouraged if you see a lot of red notes and mistakes. Try not to bother about those things, but make conclusions out of it.
Another mistake is playing too many blitz and bullet games. These formats encourage quick reflexes but don’t give you enough time to think through your moves. It’s much better to play longer games, such as rapid or classical, where you can apply the concepts you’ve learned and develop good decision-making habits.
To improve efficiently, beginners should follow a simple structure: learn key principles, apply them in real games, review mistakes, and repeat. This creates a solid foundation that will make learning more advanced concepts much easier later on.
How Intermediate Chess Players Should Improve Their Game
Once you’ve mastered the basics, the next step is to train more efficiently and smarter. At this stage, improvement isn’t just about playing more games but about studying and correcting mistakes. Many players reach an intermediate level and get stuck because they continue using beginner methods or focus too much on just one aspect of the game. To improve quickly, you need to work on tactics, endgames, and structured game analysis.
Train your tactical vision
At the intermediate level, recognising tactics is no longer enough — you need to start calculating deeper. Instead of solving random puzzles, focus on finding tactical patterns in your own games. When reviewing a game, identify missed tactical opportunities, both for yourself and your opponent.
A good way to improve calculation is to solve puzzles without moving the pieces. Try to visualise the entire sequence before checking the answer. This forces you to think ahead, just like in a real game. If you struggle with this, start with easier puzzles and gradually increase the difficulty.
Develop your endgame skills
Most games don’t end in a quick checkmate but transition into an endgame. Many intermediate players overlook this phase, which often leads to throwing away winning positions. To avoid this, focus on common endgame patterns like king and pawn endings, opposition, and rook endgames.
You don’t need to memorise every theoretical endgame, but you should know key concepts like how to convert a material advantage into a win. A good starting point is to practice simplified endgame positions against an engine or training partner.
Learn openings the right way
At this stage, it’s useful to develop a basic opening repertoire, but memorising long variations is still unnecessary. Instead of learning move sequences, focus on understanding plans and typical middlegame positions that arise from your openings.
For example, if you play the Italian Game, study the key ideas behind it — piece activity, pawn structure, and common attacking plans. This will help you handle similar positions, even if your opponent plays slightly different moves.
Analyse your games and identify patterns
Game analysis is one of the most effective ways to improve, yet many players still don’t do it properly. If you only rely on an engine to tell you the best moves, you won’t learn much. Instead, go through your game move by move and ask yourself:
What was my plan in this position?
Did I miss any tactical opportunities?
What alternative moves could I have played?
Only after doing this manually should you check with an engine to see what you missed. This way, you’ll learn why a move was good or bad rather than just accepting the computer’s evaluation.
How advanced chess players should improve their game
The most important skill at an advanced level is knowing how to identify patterns in your mistakes. Instead of just reviewing individual games, start looking for recurring weaknesses in your play. Are you misplaying certain endgames? Do you struggle with specific pawn structures? Are you making strategic errors in closed positions?
One way to do this is by grouping your losses by common themes. Review your games and take note of frequent mistakes, then dedicate study time to those areas. A coach can be especially helpful in this process, as they can spot weaknesses you might overlook and suggest targeted training methods.
Improving your positional play
At this level, most games are not won by quick tactics but by long-term strategic planning. A good way to train this skill is by studying classic games played by strong positional players. Look at games played by Karpov, Petrosian, or Carlsen, and try to understand their decision-making. Ask yourself:
Why did they place their pieces in certain squares?
What long-term weaknesses were they targeting?
How did they handle imbalances in the position?
Practicing these concepts will improve your board vision and help you make strong moves, even in unfamiliar positions.
Adapting your play style and facing stronger opponents
Many advanced players hit a plateau because they play the same way against every opponent. At this level, you need to be able to adjust your strategy depending on your opponent’s strengths and weaknesses.
If your opponent plays aggressively, are you comfortable defending and counterattacking? If they prefer slow positional games, do you know how to create complications? Learning to switch between styles will make you a stronger player.
Another important factor is challenging yourself against stronger opponents. If you only play people at your level, improvement will be slow. Try playing against higher-rated players, even if it means losing more often. These games will push you out of your comfort zone and expose you to new ideas.
Is it time for a chess coach?
At this stage, progress often slows down because you don’t know what to focus on next. A coach can pinpoint weaknesses, create a structured training plan, and give personalised feedback that is hard to get from self-study.
Even if you prefer to train on your own, getting occasional guidance from a strong player can accelerate your improvement. A good coach will help refine your play style and ensure you are working on the right areas instead of just guessing what to study next.
Final word
Chess improvement takes time, but the key is consistent training and smart study habits. Avoid jumping between different learning resources or trying to fix everything at once. Focus on one area at a time, apply what you learn, and review your mistakes.
If you want to get better at chess quickly, it's a good idea to work with a coach. At Mindful Chess, we teach players of all levels and ages. We help them to get better at the game and improve their strategy. Our chess coaches have a lot of experience, so they can help you reach your goals. So, if you're ready to take your chess skills to the next level, we are more than happy to discuss with you our online chess coaching sessions.
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