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How do I get better???

Hi, I am a 1750 FIDE rated player from India. I actually had a peak of 1820 but I lost a 70 points across 3 different tournaments. I don't know why but Ever since, I think my game has been going down. I am blundering pieces against lower rateds and am getting easily outclassed by higher rateds. As I am in higher grades of my schooling, I can't just abandon my studies nor does my heart allow me to quit chess. What shall I do to simultaneously maintain my good grades in school and reach my target which is 2000 FIDE in 2.5 years?

Hi, I am a 1750 FIDE rated player from India. I actually had a peak of 1820 but I lost a 70 points across 3 different tournaments. I don't know why but Ever since, I think my game has been going down. I am blundering pieces against lower rateds and am getting easily outclassed by higher rateds. As I am in higher grades of my schooling, I can't just abandon my studies nor does my heart allow me to quit chess. What shall I do to simultaneously maintain my good grades in school and reach my target which is 2000 FIDE in 2.5 years?

"I am blundering pieces"

  • Always blunder check before you move.

"against lower rateds"

  • Do not underestimate lower rated players.

"outclassed by higher rateds"

  • Do not get intimidated by higher rated players.

"I can't just abandon my studies"

  • Do not do that.

"quit chess"

  • No need to. Many strong chess players have university degrees.

"good grades in school"

  • 'I ... have two vocations: chess and engineering. If I played chess only, I believe that my success would not have been significantly greater. I can play chess well only when I have fully convalesced from chess and when the 'hunger for chess' once more awakens within me.' - Botvinnik, World Chess Champion and Ph.D. in Engineering.

"target which is 2000 FIDE in 2.5 years?"

  • That is a modest target. 2000 in 1 year is possible.
"I am blundering pieces" * Always blunder check before you move. "against lower rateds" * Do not underestimate lower rated players. "outclassed by higher rateds" * Do not get intimidated by higher rated players. "I can't just abandon my studies" * Do not do that. "quit chess" * No need to. Many strong chess players have university degrees. "good grades in school" * 'I ... have two vocations: chess and engineering. If I played chess only, I believe that my success would not have been significantly greater. I can play chess well only when I have fully convalesced from chess and when the 'hunger for chess' once more awakens within me.' - Botvinnik, World Chess Champion and Ph.D. in Engineering. "target which is 2000 FIDE in 2.5 years?" * That is a modest target. 2000 in 1 year is possible.

"... playing too many games at a fast time limit will corrupt the decision making process. Instead of playing good moves, a player honed on blitz will look for moves he can make quickly and perhaps bring himself closer to a win on time. ...
... you need to keep to time limits in which the chess position is more relevant than the thinking time, and, ideally, much more relevant. ..." - GM Nigel Davies (2010)
"... Most internet players think that 30 5 [(30 minutes with a five second increment added every move)] is slow, but that is unlikely slow enough to play 'real' chess. ... Many internet players are reluctant to play slower than 30 5 so you might have to settle for that as a 'slow' game." - NM Dan Heisman (2002)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627010008/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman12.pdf
That was back in 2002. These days, you might have to settle for 15+10.
"... Though being a chess pro might sound romantic (it certainly did to me when I was young), the romance quickly melts away when you realize that you’re broke, starving, and living in a hovel. ... Of course, being a grandmaster and teaching students and writing books isn’t that bad. But you would make far more money and have much more security if you went to university and got a great career. ...
It's not all bad news!
... I’ve known many very low-rated chess teachers who are absolutely excellent. Teaching is a skill, and even if you’re rated 1500, you might be just what the doctor ordered for children or beginners of any age. ..." - IM Jeremy Silman (2016)
https://www.chess.com/article/view/can-anyone-be-an-im-or-gm
"... Most players have the potential for a certain level; once they have reached it they can only make further progress with a great effort. ..." - from a 12 page chapter on becoming a chess professional in the book, Luther's Chess Reformation by GM Thomas Luther (2016)

"... playing too many games at a fast time limit will corrupt the decision making process. Instead of playing good moves, a player honed on blitz will look for moves he can make quickly and perhaps bring himself closer to a win on time. ... ... you need to keep to time limits in which the chess position is more relevant than the thinking time, and, ideally, much more relevant. ..." - GM Nigel Davies (2010) "... Most internet players think that 30 5 [(30 minutes with a five second increment added every move)] is slow, but that is unlikely slow enough to play 'real' chess. ... Many internet players are reluctant to play slower than 30 5 so you might have to settle for that as a 'slow' game." - NM Dan Heisman (2002) https://web.archive.org/web/20140627010008/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman12.pdf That was back in 2002. These days, you might have to settle for 15+10. "... Though being a chess pro might sound romantic (it certainly did to me when I was young), the romance quickly melts away when you realize that you’re broke, starving, and living in a hovel. ... Of course, being a grandmaster and teaching students and writing books isn’t that bad. But you would make far more money and have much more security if you went to university and got a great career. ... It's not all bad news! ... I’ve known many very low-rated chess teachers who are absolutely excellent. Teaching is a skill, and even if you’re rated 1500, you might be just what the doctor ordered for children or beginners of any age. ..." - IM Jeremy Silman (2016) https://www.chess.com/article/view/can-anyone-be-an-im-or-gm "... Most players have the potential for a certain level; once they have reached it they can only make further progress with a great effort. ..." - from a 12 page chapter on becoming a chess professional in the book, Luther's Chess Reformation by GM Thomas Luther (2016)