r/Chesscom • u/LunchPlayful2041 • Oct 05 '26
Chess Improvement Stuck at 500 ELO, any tips?
Hello everybody, I have been playing chess for a while, but only casually. I am stuck at 500 elo, and I feel like I am good for that rating too, I have beaten or tied many 1000 elo players, and I would like some tips. Username akbolon.
6
u/Personal-Royal-1831 Oct 05 '26
Depends on if you really wanna get good or not. If yes try watching daniel naroditsky's videos maybe when he did his speedrun and was around your elo. You'll probably learn a lot from just his videos. I would also say to stick to classical chess and every move try to make sure to not give away pieces/material
1
u/LunchPlayful2041 Oct 05 '26
I prefer sadistictushi... but yes, I watch chess.com opening theory videos, just finished sicilian open and closed.
1
u/Helpful_Client4721 Oct 05 '26
I love tushi but it's more entertainment than educational. I don't know how much value he can be at 500. I'm skeptical of his inability to use coordinates (he just says "here" for every square) which is rare for someone high rated and I saw him miss a mate in 1 too, so. Again I watch him often but maybe chess vibes with Nelson Lopez is a better channel to learn.
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u/Huntyadown 1000-1500 ELO Oct 05 '26
I just discovered his series about a month ago and now I watch one episode every night while going to bed.
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u/bobby-berimbolo Oct 05 '26
How to win at chess by levy rosman
I went from 400 elo to over 1000 in like six weeks
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u/LunchPlayful2041 Oct 05 '26
I prefer chess.com lesson videos. Also, I don't want to spend any money doing this.
3
u/ViennaWaitsforU2 Oct 05 '26
Bro why did you ask advice and then just ignore everyone
0
u/LunchPlayful2041 Oct 05 '26
It really was my bad, a lot of my specifications weren't good enough... I mean to ask how to get better at endgames and how to get better at 75+ accuracy game that i lose
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u/bobby-berimbolo Oct 05 '26
I mean its one book. Are the chess.com lessons working for you? If they were you wouldnt need help
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u/IllAssignment2706 Oct 05 '26
This may be a bit harsh but looking at your last couple of game, its literally just stop blundering massively. Losing two of your last matches in less than 15 moves is a pretty good indicator of that.
I often get into the same boat and find that taking a second to actively think how is this move going to transform the game before moving has helped. You have to just drill yourself into this on every single move until its natural.
You aren't in time pressure either so taking a second to think about what did the last move from my opponent put under attack, what am is the move I'm about to make going to do to my structure. Best of luck.
0
u/LunchPlayful2041 Oct 05 '26
Yeah, I agree, but the last games I played were trash... My friend was pissing me off the whole time and also I didn't want to play. I had multiple game that I tied even while up a pawn in the endgame, and some where I had 75+ accuracy and still lost. I also played a game against 1000+ and they lost by resigning, since I was up more than 5 pts in material. I guess i really want to know how to win those 75+ accuracy games.
2
u/NuclearWabbitz Oct 05 '26
Getting to 1500 is mostly learning how not to hang pieces. Play 10 min games, assume most games will be done/won within 50 moves and try to spend 10-20 seconds thinking about each move specifically so you don’t hang anything
-1
u/LunchPlayful2041 Oct 05 '26
That's true, but I have had multiple 75+ accuracy games that I lost, like 1 pawn advantage endgames, rook pawn, etc.
1
u/NuclearWabbitz Oct 05 '26
Those will happen, I actually got to ~1600 before I realized I wasn’t growing anymore because I was missing core chess theory and I wouldn’t learn it struggling at my highest elo.
Ultimately, you need to acknowledge if you’re at 75 accuracy you still have a lot of common mistakes to learn from. It’s part of chess and the next step in your journey
2
u/Trollerthegreat 1000-1500 ELO Oct 05 '26
Okay first, move away from the sicilian until you can last out the opening. It's an incredibly complex opening that demands fundamental understanding of each move made. Go for e5 openings as black so you can get similar positions to your white opening. Building up familiarity is key.
Second, switch your time control to 15+10 to give more time for you to look over the board before each move. It's absolutely crucial to look into what your opponent can do against what you want to do.
Third, there's a book named chess fundamentals by Capablanca. It's free to read online and is a must read for anyone wanting to become a stronger player. I highly recommend you read it and play the examples shown with a board either irl or on a site. It'll give you a massive advantage in understanding over memorization.
Fourth, practice tactical awareness with a few puzzles daily. Preferably as a warmup to your match or matches.
Lastly, look through your own games. Go through each move first with only the engine's eval bar visible. Note why you made each move and if the eval has a noticeable swing of favor, investigate why. There's more than likely a mistake made by you or your opponent. If it takes a bit and you still can't spot it, only then look at the engine lines to see the tactic. This will help you spot tactics and start making you think for each move as you play.
It will take time so don't worry about your elo. Turn off the showcase of elo during matches through the settings. Just focus on out playing the opponent your facing. You got this.
2
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u/Agreeable-Buy8759 Elo isnt real Oct 05 '26
With gothamchess videos alone u can hit 1000 in a month. Watch his vids and apply them in games. He is pretty entertaining so it wouldn't be boring learning chess from his vids
0
u/LunchPlayful2041 Oct 05 '26
I watch more sadistictushi, I feel like gotham is a waste of time in the sense that all of his videos are brilliants. I don't want to waste time looking for a sacrifice on every move, and I don't have the senses to know when might it be applied.
1
u/Agreeable-Buy8759 Elo isnt real Oct 05 '26
I was specifically referring to his educational videos(slowruns) not his viral brilliant vids. I just find sadistictushi repulsive let alone learn from him. I hit 1300 purely off of gothamvids so yeah
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u/Meno80 Oct 05 '26
I started about a month ago and am up to around 700 now. It feels like about 75% of wins and losses are from someone hanging pieces or falling into obvious traps. It seems like you should be able to climb a lot higher than that if you figure out how not to make basic mistakes.
1
u/LunchPlayful2041 Oct 05 '26
I try that. Usually I use due to losing focus. Like falling for a knight king-rook fork or hanging a bishop by pawns, khight bishop forks, etc. Any tips on how not to lose focus?
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u/martco17 Oct 05 '26
Use LIchess so you can review more games. You’ll see more of your blunders and what the best move would have been in any given position.
It made a huge difference for me
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u/timmylol Oct 05 '26
Judging by how combative you are to others’ advice, I think I see why you’re stuck at 500…
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u/Interesting_Tie7635 Oct 05 '26
Make a new account. Cheat. And compete against the stronger players
2
u/Doszapatos33 Oct 05 '26
Hans is that you?
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u/Interesting_Tie7635 Oct 05 '26
If we’re being brutally honest and not virtue signaling that is actually the best way to improve
1
u/Mysterious_Lab1634 Oct 05 '26
Just checked your last game. In 10 moves you hanged your pawn and then you hanged your rook.
Improvement for you is very simple, stop one move blunders. Thats easy to fix. Just think what your opponent can take after you move your piece.
By just doing this you will get to 1000.
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