The Brutal Truth of Adult Chess Improvement

Let's talk adult chess improvement for real.

Benedictine on Chessable. Channel for adult chess improvers, beginner/intermediate chess players (800-1800). Content creator, Chessable author and writer.

Brief Bio:

I played my first chess tournament aged 36 and achieved my aim of 1800 OTB. I am a Chessable community author - author of the popular courses Common Chess Patterns and the Visualise series and others. I am also a writer of fiction. Writing historical murder mystery comedy in the form of the Lavender and Brown series. See the links below:

To watch or to listen to my interview with Ben Johnson on the Perpetual Chess Podcast:

To watch:
To listen:

*To support the channel*:

Chessable Courses:

Common Chess Patterns:
The Visualise series:
Blunder Busters:
Paul Morphy – 25 Games to Memorise:
Knight Fork Trainer:
100 Chess Tactics, 100 Chess Threats for the Club Player:
Chess Immortals - Wilhelm Steinitz:
FREE: Basic Chess Patterns:

To train chess visualisation on your phone, table or reading device:

My Merch Store - grab yourself a 'I Play Chess and Blunder' bargain here:

My murder mystery comedy series:

“Lavender and Brown – The York Mysteries”:
“Lavender and Brown - York Shorts”:
“Lavender and Brown – The Castle Howard Christmas Mysteries”:

Thanks for watching and subscribing!

[joyoboyo-mw]

I'm an 1800 OTB fide, i'm 26 i just started to take chess seriously.. i started just studying chess two weeks ago.. never opened a chess book before and i already started to see that i was always relying on tactical skills and instincts never studied opening theory or endgames nothing.. now that i'm putting on the work.. just 2 weeks and i'm starting to see things differently.. its a science that needs to be treated as serious as it should to get to master levels or even grand masters.. i honestly feel like if you have the dedication and you feel like you're picking up things fast you can level up your game to a point you won't ever dream about

[southernrun]

Enjoy the break and will take time to go back through videos you’ve done I haven’t seen. Look forward to your course release.

[gregwhittier]

I'm starting at 52 from zero (a friend taught me how the pieces moved when I was 6, but he left out en passant and castling I'm pretty sure). I'm plugging away because I'm fascinated by just how bad I am at this. It has taken me a bit to learn tactics are the key and am a bit worried about my ability to absorb them. It reminds me of skill sports. I was on a swim team as a kid and I'm pretty sure I could swim passably now by putting in some work, but I can't imagine starting out without being able to swim a legal breast stroke or do a flip turn from muscle memory. We'll see!

[thedilletante]

I bought Visualization #1 without knowing it was your work. And the after watching several adult improver interviews bought Common Chess Patterns. I'm not sure the exact impact these have had on my game, but even the awareness of needing to build up a library of patterns probably is making a slow improvement.

[OTBwoodpusher]

As an adult playing OTB, leave your ego at the door. Playing U1200 section you’ll be matched with preteens and teens, and you’ll lose. It’s all part of the learning process.

[companyjoe]

Thanks. Now I feel silly for wondering what is wrong with me. I'm old, there's no way I can learn as fast as I could as a kid. This takes a burden off my shoulders.

[Aequitas]

Here is the thing.

For me I learned chess at a very young age. Basic theory for 2 moves perhaps explained by my father. Never looked at chess anymore. In the age of half way in the 20s I started playing. I played very active 2 seasons, then I played for many years like 7 games maximum on a year. Now I play more again since this 2023. I reached a 1950 FIDE rating.

Anyone who plays chess and does effort CAN reach1900+. This is easily to reach.

What is important to do?

1. Solve tactical puzzles. Take puzzles that need maximum 3 moves to be done. Learn to spot it quickly.
2. Study openings. Do not make the mistake to learn whole lines but study more the ideas of the opening.
3. Read books about strategy. Learn how to exploit certain weaknesses or how to play certain types of pawnstructures.
4. Study BASIC endgames. Not to deep. But you need to know the piece checkmates, and certain endgame themes.
5. The most important! Play games and do analyse them and avoid making the mistakes you make! Learn from them.

If anyone has questions or want a book recommandation of any subjected just ask. I will answer them.

[travistucker]

No lies detected. Thank you for this video.🔥💯

[Orwaha]

You have to be willing to be a fool to become a master.

[edsanjenis]

Everything he said is true, tactics is the key to improvement.

Edit: Plus it is better to be 1800 otb than online, there's more respect.

[jackmckok]

The man speaks the truth . If you are of average intelligence, you can reach category A level. It takes time and a lot of perseverance.
The sticking point of most payers is between 1900 and 2100. Beyond that level it usually takes a special talent for the game.

[luckbeforeleap]

For sure the ability to take many, many, many losses and keep coming back for more is the most important thing. Intelligent people struggle with this because all their life they are seen (and see themselves) as super smart. An impulsive (or thin-skinned) person with a genius IQ will fail at chess and just give up because the hammering of losses will destroy their ego before they can get any good at the game.

[alexwhite]

Props to Benedictine for making this video despite the strange head injury. I hope he's back soon : )

[bluefin.]

Enjoy your break. Take as long as you need, but hurry up and come back. :-)

[Ralphistoun]

I am 17 and I feel like I started late I got to 1200 in 2 months and it was feeling great however for the last 2 months I have put in hours and hours and haven't improved in fact I am still 1200 :(, also I do 30 minutes of tactics a day is that enough?