Simple Chess: Playing VS. Studying: Which Is Really Better?

There are tremendous amounts of online tutorials, blogs, books, and chess sites that provide you the ability to broaden your knowledge in every aspect of chess.

Thanks to technology and the instant access to the internet, anyone can study chess from home without the need for a chess coach. It would seem as though those serious about improvement would be foolish not to seize this opportunity and improve their knowledge.


You go out and try to read every book you can get. You watch every video you can find on Youtube and you solve as many tactical puzzles as you can handle.

You learn. You learn some more. And then you learn even more. As much as you can anyway.

You learn how to checkmate your opponent. You learn how to take the opposition. You learn the 8th move of a sideline in an opening. You learn how to pin a piece. You learn how to put your rooks on open files. You learn that you need to learn more.

What I find is that people do everything except take action.

Better knowledge does not lead to better chess playing abilities. The key to success in chess is not excessive knowledge, but the ability to use your knowledge during an actual game.

Here's something to think about:

Now, studying is crucial. Don't misunderstand what I'm saying. However, you have to stop studying and learning from someone else's mistakes. The best thing that you can do is learn from your own mistakes and experiences. After every game you play, go over it with your opponent first. Then go over by yourself within 24 hours doing a simple look at the game. Then within the same week, I recommend going over the game in-depth. Finally, you can let a stronger player go over it with you or plug it into your favorite chess program and let your favorite engine rip it apart.

• Stop learning by consuming. Start learning by creating your own lessons.
• Stop learning by surfing the internet. Start learning by doing (join a club, join a tournament, etc.).
• Stop learning by watching games being played. Start learning by playing your own games. 
• Stop learning by reading annotations. Start learning by writing your own annotations.  

You can sit at home reading books, watching videos, and analyzing games played by others. While you are doing this someone else is already reaping the rating points for his or her hard work of actually playing.

So put your book down, pause that Youtube video and get out there. Start learning from your own games.