How to Actually Get Better at Chess No-BS Guide

Main ideas / lessons (no-BS chess improvement)

The video argues that improving at chess isn’t just about generic advice like “analyze your games” and “do puzzles a lot,” but about adopting practical, repeatable strategies across:

• openings
• tactics
• time management
• calculation
• structured study

It presents “eight strategies” (though only some are clearly labeled as distinct sections in the subtitles) with the goal of reaching/breaking around 2000 on chess.com.

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Methodologies / strategies / instruction lists

1) Build an opening repertoire (without memorizing everything)

• Don’t try to memorize “every single line out there.”
• Do:
  • Prepare responses only to the most common moves your opponents play.
  • Play the same lines repeatedly to gain practical experience:
    • You’ll recognize familiar positions.
    • You’ll learn the right plans more naturally.
  • Choose an opening that fits your style:
    • 1.e4 → often more open games
    • 1.d4 → often more positional structures

Example framework (if you play 1.e4):

• Black’s common replies: …e6, …e5, …d5, …c6, …c5
• Your goal: have a go-to plan for each defense
  • If …e5 → transition to an Italian Game
  • If …d5 → consider an exchange variation
  • If they play something unusual/untested:
    • keep developing pieces
    • control the center
    • don’t panic or feel forced to “know theory”

Opening “logic” rules (3 rules):

1. Control the center
2. Develop all pieces (starting with the minor/light pieces)
3. Castle within the first 10 moves

Claim: these rules are enough to reach “solid positions” against most players.

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2) What not to do in the opening (and how to think instead)

• Don’t:

  • Move the same piece multiple times
  • Push too many pawns
  • Bring the queen out too early
  • Make pointless moves

• Always ask after the opponent moves:

  • “What is the purpose of this move?”
  • Look for what they’re threatening (pawn breaks, tactical threats, etc.)

Example warning: If your opponent plays Qh5 early, don’t ignore why—otherwise you can get hit by tactics like Scholar’s Mate.

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3) Avoid bad bishop-for-knight trades

General principle: piece values vary, but generally:

• a pair of knights ≈ six points
• a pair of bishops ≈ six points

Video emphasis: in many cases, having both bishops is very valuable (especially in the middle game) because:

• bishops control more squares “from a distance”
• bishops become powerful as the center opens

Instruction:

• Avoid trading off your bishop early.
• Trade only if:
  • you’re removing a strong piece on a key square, or
  • the trade gives immediate tactical advantage, or
  • the position is very closed and the trade is strategically justified.

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4) Master clock timing (especially in faster time controls)

Problem addressed: even winning positions fail if you run out of time.

Instruction:

• Don’t overthink “obvious” moves.
• Play openings quickly (especially if you’ve studied them).
• Use the opponent’s turn for thinking:
  • save “deep calculation” for the middle game

Applicable to: bullet, blitz, rapid.

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5) Learn board coordinates to improve spatial vision

Claim: many players underestimate how important it is to internalize square coordinates.

Instruction:

• Recognize squares instantly:
  • files A–H
  • ranks 1–8

This improves “spatial vision,” helping you track piece locations and threats.

Example problem it’s meant to prevent: losing a piece because you “forgot about the bishop in the corner.”

Suggested training:

• Use the free coordinate trainer on Lichess
• Pick one of two training modes → click start training

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6) Counterattack instead of being passive

Core idea: don’t just defend—counterattack to force mistakes.

Conceptual example (based on subtitles):

• Opponent uses a “lever attack.”
• Standard response: …d5 then Na5 targeting the bishop.
• Instead, recommended counter: Bc5
• Opponent best reply: Bxf7
• Many players choose Nxf7 due to temptation (fork on queen/rook).
• Then the attacker begins with Bxf2 (as described).
• If the opponent captures incorrectly:
  • attacker plays Nxa4
  • opponent faces severe move limitations (some lose instantly).
• Additional lines described: various king moves and queen moves leading to a mating net / initiative shift.

Takeaway: find counterplay at the right moment to flip the initiative toward your attack.

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7) Use elimination method for calculation (candidate-move filtering)

The video contrasts positional vs tactical calculation styles (Karpov vs Tal referenced), but stresses that you still must calculate.

It introduces Alexander Kotov’s “candidate moves” concept:

• list candidate options and analyze them

Practical issue in rapid/blitz: too many candidates wastes time.

Elimination approach (step-by-step)

1. Identify your candidate moves
2. Use a guideline to order search:
   • look at checks first
   • then captures
3. For each candidate, ask whether it’s weak:
   • eliminate weak candidates
4. Focus on the strongest line(s), predicting opponent responses

Example structure described: White’s move; candidate moves:

• Nxc3
• castle
• Qd5+

Checks: choose Qd5+ because it gives check and attacks a bishop. Then continue step-by-step with opponent responses such as Kf8, followed by checks/captures (e.g., capturing with check, attacking a pawn, checking again, then capturing).

Depth recommendation: calculate at least four moves deep to stay ahead.

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8) Study using the “20-40-40 rule” and focus on key endgame skills

Study time allocation:

• 20% openings
• 40% middle game
• 40% end games

Why: most games are decided in the middle game or endgame.

Middle game strategy checklist (instruction-style)

• Connect all pieces (avoid leaving pieces isolated)
• Put rooks on open files
• Trade side pawns for central pawns to control the center
• If the opponent has an isolated pawn:
  • block it with a piece (preferably a knight)
• Don’t create weak squares
• If ahead, simplify:
  • trade pieces to reduce complexity
  • (Example authority mentioned: Magnus Carlsen, who simplifies once he gains an edge.)

Endgame focus

Endgame begins when most pieces are gone and requires different goals:

• king activation
• pawn promotion

Instruction: learn typical endgame patterns for faster recognition and better conversion:

• queen vs pawn
• rook endgames
• stalemate situations

Suggested practice resource:

• chess.com puzzles focusing on these endgame themes.

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Speakers / sources featured (as mentioned)

• Unnamed narrator / speaker (delivering tips and examples)
• Alexander Kotov (referenced via his book and the “candidate moves” concept)
• Magnus Carlsen (referenced as an example of simplifying when ahead)
• Mikhail Tal (“Tal”) (referenced as a tactical-style player)
• Vladimir Karpov (“Karpuff”) (referenced as a positional-style player)
• Lichess (coordinate trainer tool referenced)
• Chess.com (puzzles and the improvement target referenced)