Coaching App/Game

steve_r

Hi folks

Starting to play again for the first time since I was in school.

What I'm looking for is an app or a game that I could play against and it could make comments or observations on my approach.

I'd like to learn more about openings and strategy, so I'd like to be able to try scenarios.

Could people recommend anything to me? Also keen on youtube/podcast coaching if people have any recommendations?

cdeb

I think you'd struggle to find an app that'd make comments on your game.

Fritz or a similar chess engine is a basic approach - it's a very strong engine (they're about 3200 strength these days - so way stronger than the top GM), and it'll "score" the position after each move. You can see where a mistake is made because the score jumps, and it'll tell you what the best line is, but it won't make comments on your play. This is a particularly human ability and I don't think there is a computer that could really cover that to be honest.

There's a number of chess books or DVDs you can try for openings and strategy; the chessbase online shop is a good place to start. If you're going to watch a DVD, I'd strongly recommend making written notes as you along to drum the points home and have a future reference point, otherwise it's very easy to think you're learning just by watching, when you're not really.

What sort of strength are you? That'd impact what you want to watch/review, etc.

sodacat11

The Magnus Carlsen app called Play Magnus is very good and has an instruction element to it.

What part of the country are you living in? I could recommend an excellent coach in the Kildare area !

Retd.LoyolaCpt

Snowflake Sodacat and his techy millennial apps. Not in my day - we had to bring our own boards to events, it was 4 shillings for entry fee, you got to wind your own clock and nobody got a prize at the end, not even the winner; none of this slowflake-grading-prize-for-all nonsense. The way it should be.

steve_r

cdeb wrote: »

I think you'd struggle to find an app that'd make comments on your game.

Fritz or a similar chess engine is a basic approach - it's a very strong engine (they're about 3200 strength these days - so way stronger than the top GM), and it'll "score" the position after each move. You can see where a mistake is made because the score jumps, and it'll tell you what the best line is, but it won't make comments on your play. This is a particularly human ability and I don't think there is a computer that could really cover that to be honest.

There's a number of chess books or DVDs you can try for openings and strategy; the chessbase online shop is a good place to start. If you're going to watch a DVD, I'd strongly recommend making written notes as you along to drum the points home and have a future reference point, otherwise it's very easy to think you're learning just by watching, when you're not really.

What sort of strength are you? That'd impact what you want to watch/review, etc.

sodacat11 wrote: »

The Magnus Carlsen app called Play Magnus is very good and has an instruction element to it.

What part of the country are you living in? I could recommend an excellent coach in the Kildare area !

Thanks guys, I'll try both of them out.

I have a tendency to make absolute howlers like I'll just miss an attack or move to an unprotected space. Once that happens I'm on the backfoot straightaway.

I need to be more careful about how I go about my attacks, and more patient when making moves but that's easier said than done!

I'd love to play in real life but have a newborn so need to stay around the house these days!

Mr. Incognito

Play on chess.com and buy chess books not apps as its easier on the brain to read a non screen when contemplating

sodacat11

Retd.LoyolaCpt wrote: »

Snowflake Sodacat and his techy millennial apps. Not in my day - we had to bring our own boards to events, it was 4 shillings for entry fee, you got to wind your own clock and nobody got a prize at the end, not even the winner; none of this slowflake-grading-prize-for-all nonsense. The way it should be.

What rubbish, we didn't have our own boards, it was tuppence to enter and we used hour glasses not clocks.
If you think I am exaggerating about snowflakes ,,, I was at a chess fun day recently for children where the winners got prizes and the "non winners" (that's what they called them) got prizes too. I am all for encouraging children but in my classes only the winners and runners up get prizes because I find that the losers (yes I still use that un-PC term) try twice as hard to try and be a winner the next time. Rewarding "non winners" for losing gives them no incentive to improve whatsoever. Molly coddling children and wrapping them up in cotton wool does not do them any favours at all.

brilliantboy

sodacat11 wrote: »

the "non winners" (that's what they called them) got prizes too.

sounds like a great idea

Mr. Chairman, look into it.

sodacat11

brilliantboy wrote: »

sounds like a great idea

Mr. Chairman, look into it.

I think that I must not be just from a different generation to you and Retd Capt Loyola but perhaps from a different planet :eek:
I always enjoy "the chase" whether this is on a relationship level, a business level, a personal development level or indeed a sporting level. It strikes me that the pursuit of excellence is actually far more enjoyable than actually attaining it. I think that is why so many sports stars, show business people, artists, musicians and billionaires go off the rails and end up alcoholics, drug addicts or suicidal when they reach the "top".
Much as I enjoy winning I think that if I was to start winning every tournament I entered and hardly ever lost a game I would soon tire of chess. Unless one suffers setbacks and enjoys making the effort to try and improve then victories become hollow and meaningless. You often hear of lotto winners who don't give up their day jobs as cleaners or whatever. Those people understand that happiness doesn't come from getting what you want , it comes from wanting what you get. Diluting competitiveness by rewarding failure actually robs people (children especially) the joy of working to attain a goal and sometimes achieving it. All this rubbish about "non winners prizes" and rating floors being ignored are typical examples of this modern day wishy washy aspiration to make everyone the same. If you have no musical talent you can be a rapper. If you can't draw you can always paint abstract art. If you can't cook you can order a takeaway and if you can't play chess you can have a non winners medal or play in any tournament by asking the organiser to ignore the rating floor. :pac::pac::pac::pac::pac::pac::pac::pac::pac:

Ficheall

cdeb wrote: »

I think you'd struggle to find an app that'd make comments on your game.

Lichess sort of does this. If, after a game, you click "Computer analysis", it gives a "Learn from your mistakes option", which goes back through your mistakes and lets you replay them and tells you where you went wrong.


I'm getting an internal server error when I try to upload a pic, but if you click on "Learn from your mistakes" (bottom right) here, you should be able to see the many mistakes I made (purely for your enlightenment, of course, plus it is 3am...) in this game and to play through them and find the better moves:

https://lichess.org/ZO1NSggh/white


And, of course, lichess is free and allows as much analysis as you want