How I Went From 1600 to 2260 Chess Rating in 1 Year

[@GMIgorSmirnov]

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[@HenrykZ]

Hey thank you for your report, i did a rating jump of + 100 recently to 2120 (still going up) but just because of that i recently opened the games in an more unusual way. :D It's 1. c4 .. 2. a3 .. now it depends on blacks move but i always intent to move b3 -> bb2 and stay optional with d3 or e3 or g3. I realized that i am always very flexible and stable with this, because i can also move e3 together with d4 if black develops Nc6 Bc5 for example. With e3 can develop Ne2 or still possible g3 bg2 which mostly leads me to win. I think, because it is quite an unusual opening, it might make my opponents to move more careless, would appreciate if you think about and respond. The idea behind it is that I keep more options open to adapt my structure without having to commit to familiar areas in the opening phase and I've had success with it against much higher-rated players, which amazed.

[@johnscott2964]

Great, great video, Igor!! You're doing wonders for my chess and also my personality; you're remarkably humble and obviously a "really nice guy"!! This is a good reminder that we don't need to be arrogant; if we have the goods, they speak for themselves!! It's up to other people to figure that out!

[@joelgargus]

This is one of the most valuable chess videos I've ever watched. I'm at that 1600-1800 level and am struggling to find the right IDEAS in each position and am most often looking at positions move-by-move because I don't know how to decide the right long term plan among many choices.

[@LoaderGotDevoured]

what's your elo now? 2300 IM?

[@cronoscraiss330]

Honestly, I believe you are the best chess teacher out there, Igor! 🎉😊

[@Princess_Blue380]

Forget about gotham he doesn't teach anymore

[@GMIgorSmirnov]

Thank you so much!

[@gollumchess]

​@@GMIgorSmirnovI too believe the same

[@mahtrethirupathi9176]

Exactly..

[@dataman9370]

Much more practical and less arrogant than Levi and Hikaru.

[@z-e-t-aanimations8823]

Thanks for all of these precious principles, Igor. They are tremendously important.

[@GMIgorSmirnov]

Glad you think so

[@lucastrojanowski]

What I love about GM Smirnov’s videos is that he’s teaching more than tactics, specific situations etc, he teaches a new way to think about the game. I can only watch maybe one video at a time if I really wanna absorb it, but every time I learn to think using a tool he gives us, I go up 100 elo

[@SimplifiedPie]

Thanks Igor, I've been playing for 11 months now and I'm almost 1600, with a goal to get to 2000 in two years. Your videos have really helped me out a lot, and I believe that it'll take me slightly under 8 more months until I'm 2000!

[@GMIgorSmirnov]

Great to hear! Good luck.

[@facebooksecurity359]

Wow were the same

[@macdonaldnnadi]

Nice! I went from 700 to 2000 in a year

[@FrankBakulov]

on licehss or elo?

[@SimplifiedPie]

@@GMIgorSmirnov I saw this video in my feed again, I'm currently 1882, hoping I can reach 2000 in 3 months

[@GMIgorSmirnov]

► Chapters 00:00 GM Igor Smirnov's Rating Climb From 1600 to 2260 ELO 00:10 Game-1 00:50 Test your thinking process 02:01 How advanced players & GMs think 03:12 Tip-1: Do NOT play reactively 05:00 Tip-2: Prioritize development in the opening stage 06:35 Tip-3: Ensure your pieces get maximum activity 08:31 Can you actually go from 1600 to 2200 ELO? 09:01 Tip-4: Bishops are stronger than knights (in general) 11:02 Tip-5: Have a clear plan instead of making one-movers 12:39 Game-2, reached 2260 and became an IM 14:08 Tip-6: The right plan in the middlegame stage 16:52 How YOU can reach 2000 ELO

[@zacharysherry2910]

Lol, time stamps 00:00

[@Dragon-q5s]

Hi can you write what you said between 16:00 to 18:00 sorry I couldn't understand your accent

[@TheSuperhoden]

I just passed the 500 elo and won another 3 game's. Including an 800 and a bit elo dude. Freaking loved that win.

[@ramonkok70]

Nice!

[@Thankan6969]

Good😀

[@chad0x]

Your point at 4:50 is so important! I have all these little bits of information in my head including of course "capture towards the centre" and because I don't understand what I'm supposed to be doing, I just follow those "rules" blindly when I'm unsure what I'm supposed to do. Now I see clearly that in this position, dxc is much better because it helps us to develop our bishop.

[@RobertHawthorne-j3v]

I think this might be my favorite video of yours. I really hope you do more videos like this where you compare the lower rated player's thinking system with that of a stronger player, especially cases where the lower rated player incorrectly prioritizes the same rules/heuristics the strong player uses. If you made a course about this I would definitely check it out.

[@kona744]

well done. We should also add, practice makes perfect. Those simple ideas are powerful. 1. Opening: dev & move all the pieces u have. 2. middle game: make your pieces more active & invade enemy territory. 3. Final> exchange your weaknesses. Overall> stop the move by move thinking and have a plan for each opening...

[@twentyrothmans7308]

Thank you, Igor, for not defeating my countryman in Game 1. And thanks again, for all the effort and time that you dedicate to this channel. Your insights are fantastic.

[@GMIgorSmirnov]

😀

[@Richson44]

THANK YOU Egor ! This one blast from the past class was Soooo helpful ! I will buy your course very soon...

[@sachmai8708]

This is a high quality video 👍 because it shakes people out of their thinking patterns. Appreciate it

[@animedebo8183]

Im made it to1486 elo in 6month. Everyone in my chess club said i learned really fast compared to everyone else. I just started played chess in March this yr

[@KILLTHEREDDITOR]

Ok

[@hildebrand142]

good job. keep it up!

[@ProfLiu-mf4fy]

🎉

[@CarlosCruz-rn9ii]

Im in the exact same situation i got from 672 to 1613 in 6 months and now im at 1490 thats why im in this video

[@Okoro-l6k]

​@@CarlosCruz-rn9ii bruh 😭

[@kevinmartella8570]

Thanks for the Channel, Im from Brazil and your videos helped me get to 1100 rating. Hope to see more of your content, be safe and have a great weekend

[@duccline]

the difference between the bishop and the knight in chess is just like e and pi in math, both are approximately 3 but they have a considerable difference that can't be ignored

[@eduardomota3068]

im an engineer and i say both equal 4 or g^(1/2)

[@SarahHenderson-s7e]

great video, really sank in the next step into the middle game. Thanks again, keep it up.

[@user-nd4ez7qy5t]

Really useful tips! Thanks for the educational videos, keep them comming!

[@verstraetenandre]

I started playing late, i'm 45 and i can sustain a 1400 online rating, i play "rapid" games with 30 mins for each side, i tend to overthink a lot, this video is certainly interresting, i feel that there is still a mental barrier that i can pass....

[@christiangro1927]

I am totally with you. Started with an age of 41, having a classic rating of almost 1200 and overthinking everything what leads to lost games, even if i had a +5 Position with white. My only problem is myself 😢 so, hard for me. Harder than for Kids with fresh thinking, clearer minds, etc. Looking forward to get better here 😊 Thanks Igor ❤

[@natasdabsi1138]

​@@christiangro1927good luck king😊

[@JsdGg-p8e]

30 Min on each side is classical at lichess lol

[@ChessBitez]

"I was 1600. I played bad chess".. No, I'm not crying

[@SuhbanIo]

me at 200 elo:

[@vaderx2000]

Don’t feel bad, to a GM 1600 IS bad chess even though it’s way better than most people.

[@VihanPatil2960]

I AM 1300

[@rakhikhangwal4111]

I'm 1700 and Bad as well as good like 1600s Make Damn good moves like GMs as well as blunders like 900s so that explains it

[@DavidPeriard]

😂😂

[@ThatCzechMapper]

Love your videos! Everytime you upload i know i Will have a good time

[@ReflectionOcean]

- Focus on the three main opening tasks: develop pieces, castle, and connect rooks. (2:07) - Evaluate threats before reacting and consider proactive moves. (3:17) - In the endgame, concentrate on pawn structure and promoting pawns. (11:08) - Develop a clear action plan and avoid "one mover" thinking. (11:38) - Understand the relative value of pieces, like the bishop generally being stronger than the knight. (9:14) - Continuously ask yourself how to increase activity and pressure on your opponent's half of the board. (14:09)

[@philipbloom]

Your videos are so helpful Igor. Thank you.

[@thisaintart]

More videos analyzing each move using before/after mindsets! That helped 1000x

[@thedilletante4401]

I've been watching your material for the past month. You basically said something I never really thought about when trying to improve. Changing the entire way of thinking about chess. I mainly just thought about adding knowledge like some combinational idea or endgame idea.

[@zuperjeesus]

Thank you Igor for your insights! Really appreciated and useful.

[@5piral0ut]

I’m 1600 and I came up with the same Qe2 move! It also offers the possibility to play Qb4+ next move forking the bishop…. But I now see that is easily refuted with Nc6…. Looking forward to seeing your more advanced thinking!

[@fortyofforty5257]

What a wonderfull video by Igor. Okay, this is not some "how to win in 3 moves" clickbait, or "this is the best opening superhypergambit for white" tease. No, this is a very logical progression through one of Igor's own games from when he was 1600. He goes step by step, showing the moves he played (maybe we'd play the same ones today), and why they were wrong (or not ideal) compared to how he evaluates moves today as a 2260 GM. I actually found this video a very refershing change of pace from the instructional videos where I try to remember the moves that will get me a winning position as white or black (only to have my opponent immediately deviate off course and throw me off my preparation). So, in short, I really liked this video.

[@Shaun_GTI]

I got the course when it first launched and it is very well done! Thanks, I recommend it.

[@GMIgorSmirnov]

Great to hear!

[@KvS1248]

Can you please also teach this to Levi Rozman? He wants to be a GM so badly :)

[@richardarreola8180]

Ouch!😂

[@KvS1248]

@@richardarreola8180 😄

[@zacharysherry2910]

It sounds more witty when you spell the insult correctly.

[@fostersian3355]

Simple yet insightful. Thank you!

[@CT2507]

Excellent video for someone who is stuck at 1500! Just what i need to get my mind on the right track and start asking myself the right questions! Liked and subbed! :)

[@cliffberry1900]

You ARE the best chess coach out there!

[@Melancholy_Hub]

I like your honesty mate. You won't mislead your students. You're a good teacher and a good grandmaster indeed

[@Theodicy101]

I always enjoy your chess videos GM Smirnov, and I greatly appreciate your posting them. I know it takes a whole lot more effort and planning behind the scenes to arrive at the well-done finished video than most realize. I also have to say that you are, commendably, very humble and modest. You never demonstrate an attitude of superiority and are always positive and supportive in trying to help others improve...and, as to the modesty...you say that you're no genius and nothing special as a chess player and just followed some basic principles and started getting properly focused with a good chess coach, but to go from 1600 to 2260 in one year is very rare, and to additionally earn your IM just a year after that is phenomenol. Few IM's or GM's have made that rate of progress, and you clearly have a special talent for the game. As much as I enjoy your videos, I know they take a lot of time away from more serious chess study--though I know they obviously come with a well-deserved financial reward--but, as much as I'd miss new videos from you, I'd love to see you focus intensely on the game for two to three years and see what you could achieve. With your obvious innate talent, there's no telling where you'd be. Best of luck to you!

[@drakeelite4]

I relate to many of the moves you played as a 1600 ELO rated player! Much to learn from your videos to improve game!

[@Ryuga_019]

Thanks You I learner so much from this video. I can relate to your old version.

[@herbieogden9300]

fascinating and enlightening. Thank you.

[@daysendSS]

Igor, your classes, courses, and KZbin videos have helped me progress faster in chess than any others I've been able to find. Thank you!

[@GMIgorSmirnov]

Great to hear!

[@Newton_Xavier]

You are amazing Igor... Your teaching is awesome... Keep teaching chess... Love from India

[@betterdayz2011]

This is the best chess channel on KZbin. Thank you for everything you do.

[@CristanMeijer]

So the 3 phases are: Opening: develop pieces, castle, connect rooks. Move every one of your pieces to an active square. Middle game: move pieces and pawns to the opposite side of the board. End game (queens are gone): all about the pawns

[@ignatiusnkesiga9601]

Watched this season once and started cooking online, here for the second time this video is saved very nice and most practical and straightforward concepts that work

[@shadowphoenix8962]

There are many good coaches on line,but I have no earned more from you than any of them. Unfortunatly,I needed you 62yrs ago. Still think I could reach my goal of 1800 if I could get to live play. For that I thank you sir.

[@pokerchannel6991]

hi: don't let ppl tell you that you can still do it at any age. Age is unforgiving. I know, I am old af and I can't do some of the shiat that fantasy says I should still be able to do. You know what I mean? We too old for htat.

[@lukaswolek7294]

That’s the great thing about chess. It doesn’t matter how old you are. You can always enjoy the game and you can always improve.

[@Vihaan-p6c]

These two comments are like, polar opposites lol

[@vik1974]

brilliant video. i feel like i learnt a lot from this

[@GMIgorSmirnov]

Glad to hear it!

[@walterbrownstone8017]

Always good stuff from Igor. I'm lazy so I just study tactics and that's about it. But I'm actually trying a little bit to implement your last video. So I'll probably stay at 1400 with the potential to be 2000 for a while. Chess is more fun when you don't try too hard.

[@The-Cosmos]

These walkthroughs of beginners mind are most usefull

[@allanchisulo2710]

Hi, Igor! Thank you very much for sharing your great chess knowledge! I find each and every of your chess videos to be very instructive! Please, keep up your good works!

[@GMIgorSmirnov]

Happy to hear that!

[@robradomski1]

I only watch these videos because I love hearing Igor use the word crush as in "you will crush your opponent" and when he's really serious, change the word to "crushing"

[@techlearner1924]

Nice. Very good and smooth explanation.

[@Pumpk1nGn4t]

Levy needs to see this💀

[@kalelpi314]

Igor, can you explain in a future video the difference between ratings by game type? There’s bullet, blitz, rapid, daily. It seems rating by speed level are different true levels of skill. Thx for all you do.

[@nickyork8901]

VERY interesting video, thanks for sharing these ideas.

[@GMIgorSmirnov]

Glad you like them!

[@aungkoung0075]

Congrats! And thanks for the videos. And I hope you'll make caro kann defense in depth video.

[@chessx6847]

11:48 Bf3 is actually Stockfish 16's third choice, the first being Rfd1 and second Nf3.

[@robmo6505]

Another excellent lesson. I've finally subscribed, don't know what took me so long.

[@mattr4296]

Love these videos great work. Always hovered around 1500 when i focus but find it easy to just play fast rubbish moves. I think asking myself such a simple question 'how do i attack my opponents side of the board' will really help

[@Blake-r4g]

Igor I can tell you,you are the best teacher in the whole world,I don't spend any money for class or something else I just watched your videos and I grow up my 1723 elo to 2346 and I'm FM.ty for everything man❤

[@sackwhacker]

When I started with your course, I was 1200. 3 years later, I'm 2k+ on all platforms in all time controls Thanks Igor!!!

[@attilahalmai4590]

Very simple, however high-level, understandable, natural-style teaching! Far better from those chess videos, where the teachers are shouting, making faces and squinting their eyes! 👌👍

[@deeperanddeeper]

Just say it: Levy Rozman.

[@attilahalmai4590]

@@deeperanddeeper 😅

[@Deadeye1967]

Really good video, well done Igor, keep it up.

[@abvll5049]

I think you are a grandmaster with a special sense/talent to empathize skillfully at lower levels and teach....Not at all easy. One reason why ,in general, not all great sportsmen don't become great coaches too. Big fan from India. Looking forward to tasting chewing and digesting all your videos .

[@怪人-b1x]

I saw this video the first time i was 600, and those principles actually helped me a lot. Right now I'm 1500, and I hit a plateau yesterday, and I think that's because I forgot these "simple" but direct principles. I've tried hard to create complicated but exciting positions, and I put these essentials ideas aside. I'll come back again once I become a better player

[@epicchess2021]

Awesome video thanks for sharing!

[@i.g.l.z.9215]

A very useful approach, thank you!

[@KvS1248]

“I played bad chess and now I’m a GM” Stockfish: “Yes”

[@grahamf695]

Great lesson - so simple!

[@ericst-laurent1194]

Now my rating is on a high sequence but i wish its gonna stay in this sequence,a very important thing for me is the confidence aspect,now i don't overthinking too much when i play my chess games like before and my game are very better and my intuition is really the great key of my success now,i play strategically without practice this often just i watch many videos on youtube about chess,i analyse my games and just do my best without complicate too much the chess games!For me now is the only explanation i have for my high raise rating.I already be at 2016 since somes weeks of this,my highest rating at life but now i work hard for come back to this level,i am actually to the 1860 around i win a lot the last three days but again,confidence i think is the golden key underated aspect of how i be up a lot the last three days,keep the things simple as possible.Thank you Igor for your nice and very instructive video.

[@sgazzz]

This was a great lesson and story of your journey 🙏🏼

[@GMIgorSmirnov]

🙏🏼

[@geddylee501]

As you explain brilliantly, it's about playing all the right moves in the wrong order ...

[@xxMADxxSCIENTISTxx]

5:52 Indeed, there is such a word, it's just pronounced a bit differently. :) It should sound more like 'ee/uh-ruh-nee-uhs'. Cheers, mate! Your lessons are great.

[@letswaveabook3183]

Because he asked, I will put my chess story. I started to give it a try at the end of February and my rating was around 1050. I probably did some principles right, but did not understand the greater picture. I adapted my play and dropped to 950 (with ups and wowns). In the last week, I improved my rating from 950-1000ish to 1100 after learning the accelerated London system. Ineed to learn to play the variations of the Sicilian defense though.

[@raildopereira777]

This video description is a masterpiece of a player chronicles.

[@spindriftdrinker]

At 5:30 there was another good reason besides development to take back with the d pawn. Taking with the b pawn would have ruined the queenside pawn structure.

[@monk_play_chess]

Congratulations ! Igor for inspiring chess players like us stuck at 1850.

[@palent4869]

This video answered questions I didn't even know I had yet

[@barbarabarry3799]

I liked this video a lot because it's about developing strategy, so thank you. The other video I found especially helpful was Lasker's golden rule,

[@jackslover107]

I watch your videos regularly and feel I could learn a lot from you. I dropped from 660 to 391 in two weeks ago obviously I need help. I can’t remember all of what you say. I have been playing for about a year. Since I am 81 years old my goal is modest. I would like to eventually reach ,about 1500, higher if possible but I don’t know where to turn for help. Any suggestions you would be so kind to give me would be greatly appreciated.

[@hildebrand142]

🤔 keep playing!

[@doormatcat]

I've been playing for 3 years learning online and have been stuck at 1900 Fide for about 1 year or maybe a bit more. I hope following the principles and using the things I learned in this video I can level up my game a little. Becoming a Master would be ideal but I don't know if I have the time to put that much work into chess.

[@Chessboon]

You are doing great my chess level increases by your tips 👍

[@Erik_001]

hmm.. 'a3 is the best move'. that was quite instructive that point. thank you very much.

[@micheljay8822]

״just know what to do” That’s the best tip I’ve ever gotten!

[@ctsirkass]

In my case my friends started playing chess so I went to a local chess club at 18 years of age. I read a book for beginners that had the principles of openings, endgame & middlegame and started playing. In one year I played about 100 games and I won almost all of them, getting an Elo 1850. I think my winning rate was about 90% as I was playing for my chess club at the last chessboard and consistently facing bad opponents (~1400-1800). I then stopped playing chess. Generally I found it a quite easy to learn game and fun to play, but very time consuming so I could not do the sacrifice of spending time to read and get better. I feel that if I read a couple more books and leaned how to play the opening (I never learned a single opening so in every game I was improvising) I would become 2200+. - I think I played every first move there is: a3, a4, b3, b4, c3, c4 etc. even f3! I have played against 2200 in my club and if I manage to get out of the opening unscathed I usually do well. Nowadays I just watch a couple of events from online and solve the odd puzzle in the newspaper.

[@ericastier1646]

That was really cool, I am a passive chess fan. I can play chess but have no rating. I've been following Chess on youtube for three months like top tournament, analyzes, commented plays, best engine moves, calculating, and learned a lot without playing at all. My true level has probably increased without playing chess ! I plan to reach 2000 Elo equivalent without playing a single game.

[@watteau6646]

Very instructive video. Thanks!

[@GMIgorSmirnov]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ChristianSoschner]

Excellent content. Openings: develop pieces castle connect the rooks

[@TESLA_FF17]

Nice teaching thank you ☺️☺️

[@TheDeclancox]

I really enjoy your content Igor, very easy to understand and makes a ton of sense, thanks 😊

[@GMIgorSmirnov]

😊

[@tonyaldridge8917]

Happy to find this 👍

[@ChessManraj565]

Thank you sir igor , due to your courses I was able to reach from 1600 to 2024 in rapid in few months

[@Kadungiz]

I don’t need to compare you from others. But I really a lot from you coach Igor

[@larap.1850]

I love how humble you are. It gives people hope that they can also improve. Thank you for sharing your personal story.

[@ctsirkass]

You say that you where playing for 6 years and then in 2 years you became an IM. I see you were born in 1987 and became an IM in 2001, so that means you became an IM at 14. This means that you started playing chess at 6 years of age and "played average" until you were 12. Then you experienced a meteoric rise. This is because your brain developed as it happens with all boys at that age. You could absorb more information and you could think more clearly and calculate deeper lines etc. Pretty normal. Even if you did not study at all you would expect a 12yo to get 2000+ in 2 years time just because of this effect.

[@theskywarsnoob5761]

Fr Fr

[@kriszed5329]

Good video! Interesting that even as an IM your opening knowledge only lasted a few moves. This is probably something I , and many others, dont understand. Strong players dont need to memorise openings because they can create their own!

[@honorebarera8171]

This is a very Very helpful video. But I didn't get the question he was asking himself during mid game : " how do I move.....off the board or ????? Anyone ? Any help ?

[@gerokron3412]

Igor is an above average chess player, but also an above average teacher. Thx for this lesson, mate. Cheers!

[@chryslercartography9024]

Great video on planning. I am not a chess Grandmaster. These are some very interesting ideas🎉. When I play competitive tennis I think in term of SWOT analysis. How to size up your opponent is key. The concept of beginning middle and endgame is useful as well perhaps in tennis but that's always changing. What happens if you're still developing your pieces while your opponent is playing the endgame from the very start like Scholar's Mate?

[@b4ph0m3tdk9]

This was valuable, thx!