Improve Your Chess!

I simply was not happy with my current USCF rating of 1496. First, I thought it did not reflect my strength. And second, well ... it was just plain embarrassing. I have been playing chess for 7 years and this rating was not acceptable for the amount of effort dedicated to my chess study and tournament play.

I did not have access to a chess tutor nor could I afford such a structured routine. As a professional software developer and business owner, my time was not only limited it was unpredictable. Knowing my own personal strengths and weaknesses led me to the answer. I would simply have to teach myself!

My first question: could this be done? My second question: what results could I expect? These questions led to an article published at The Chess Cafe called "400 Points in 400 Days". Although I did not follow the prescribed method, it did encourage me to find my own way.

In a strange schizophrenic frenzy, I decided to analyze my play. Not my games, although that was included, rather I would focus on how well I played; my knowledge base, game strategy, level of concentration, etc. I did this through a serious of questions and answers which are presented on the following pages.

From reading these questions and answers, I hope to inspire you to chess self-improvement!

Written by: Kevin Monte de Ramos