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

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In this video lesson, GM Igor Smirnov shares with you the remarkable journey that took him from a rating strength of around 1600 to getting a FIDE rating of 2260. He achieved this feat through dedicated practice, learning from his mistakes, and adopting a new way of thinking about the game.
Back then, he had a basic understanding of chess. His thinking was focused on individual moves, and he often missed the bigger picture. He was reactive, responding to threats without fully evaluating them. His thinking was somewhat limited and his moves didn’t contribute to his overall development or plan.
GM Smirnov's journey to 2260 involved more than just one game, of course. He underwent rigorous training, learned from strong players and coaches, and, most importantly, changed the way he thought about chess. He understood that simplifying his thinking and adhering to core principles, like development and evaluating threats, could lead to better moves and positions.
▬▬▬▬▬▬
► 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
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[@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.

[@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.

[@mithunpatil2968]

I AM 1300

[@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.

[@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.

[@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

[@user-kz3ub4fn8d]

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

[@Richson44]

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

[@z-e-t-aanimations8823]

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

[@GMIgorSmirnov]

Glad you think so

[@user-nd4ez7qy5t]

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

[@user-pn2ce6lu7j]

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.

[@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

[@zuperjeesus]

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

[@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!

[@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

[@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

[@user-ru9st4oq3v]

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

[@herbieogden9300]

fascinating and enlightening. Thank you.

[@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.

[@sachmai8708]

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

[@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)

[@aungkoung0075]

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

[@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.

[@fostersian3355]

Simple yet insightful. Thank you!

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

A very useful approach, thank you!

[@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!

[@ThatCzechMapper]

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

[@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! :)

[@grahamf695]

Great lesson - so simple!

[@MaxAct2000]

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!

[@TheDeclancox]

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

[@GMIgorSmirnov]

😊

[@philipbloom]

Your videos are so helpful Igor. Thank you.

[@thisaintart]

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

[@WorldOfBgmi]

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

[@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]

😀

[@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!

[@renesoftware1622]

Thank you very much gor your great video!

[@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...

[@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!

[@Deadeye1967]

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

[@KvS1248]

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

[@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

[@betterdayz2011]

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

[@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😊

[@user-gb5ep4dl9s]

30 Min on each side is classical at lichess lol

[@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,

[@MindfulMusings-fy2fx]

VERY HELPFULL, THANK YOU

[@b4ph0m3tdk9]

This was valuable, thx!

[@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!

[@epicchess2021]

Awesome video thanks for sharing!

[@tonyaldridge8917]

Happy to find this 👍

[@Shaun_GTI]

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

[@GMIgorSmirnov]

Great to hear!

[@teslaff9424]

Nice teaching thank you ☺️☺️

[@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.

[@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!

[@cliffberry1900]

You ARE the best chess coach out there!

[@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

[@KvS1248]

Very instructional 👍

[@nickyork8901]

VERY interesting video, thanks for sharing these ideas.

[@GMIgorSmirnov]

Glad you like them!

[@thorsteinnlavoque3147]

I agree Igor you are a great chess teacher

[@_Adi-]

11:51 Bg4 then if g5 comes Or even anything else You can go knight g6 and if he takes you can go Be6 and capture the knight while winning 2 pawns

[@techlearner1924]

Nice. Very good and smooth explanation.

[@robmo6505]

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

[@deanepeterson9286]

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!

[@watteau6646]

Very instructive video. Thanks!

[@GMIgorSmirnov]

Glad it was helpful!

[@therifftones2198]

GJ congrats !

[@Newton_Xavier]

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

[@dicklaurent1]

Igor, you are awesome! In Lichess rapid I went from 2000 to 2200 thanks to your opening videos and complex ideas. With all that said, if one becomes a GM, it's because he is a genious. Great part of ppl simply doesn't have the skills for that, including myself.

[@GMIgorSmirnov]

Fantastic!

[@ultrafly100]

Yeah, dude got me from 1000 to 1700 on Lichess rapid in a year, and it only took that long because I spent 6 months not training properly.

[@aminnoroozi5242]

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

[@sgazzz]

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

[@GMIgorSmirnov]

🙏🏼

[@john-henrylochbaum9324]

Love your videos Igor! You're a really gifted player AND teacher and I find that combination to be very rare. If you could suggest one of your courses for a 1200-1400 player, what would you suggest?

[@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.

[@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.

[@raildopereira777]

This video description is a masterpiece of a player chronicles.

[@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?

[@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

[@fredvomjupiter8849]

I liked this video very much. Thank you!

[@vik1974]

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

[@GMIgorSmirnov]

Glad to hear it!

[@micheljay8822]

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

[@labankatayi519]

This was very helpful

[@blissfulbrain80]

Great video!

[@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.

[@Chessboon]

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

[@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.

[@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"

[@dgdilluff3184]

Nice video bro keep going

[@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.

[@nikb3713]

Спасибо за твои видео. Каждый раз нахожу их очень полезными

[@geddylee501]

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

[@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!!!

[@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.

[@thomasgrabowski2202]

I love the strategies you share. Really solid! Hiring a coach helped you a lot though didn't it ;P!

[@Abocad2]

I think I'll try this. I'm one of those who gets stuck between 1600 and 1700 (rapid). I don't think that is a problem in itself, but I do like to see if I can improve a bit. I started two years ago and am no longer the youngest at 57, so I'm afraid I won't get much further, but who knows.

[@tigerspaw]

Fantastic video

[@The-Cosmos]

These walkthroughs of beginners mind are most usefull

[@palent4869]

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

[@jaydeepkar9368]

Your videos are very very useful.

[@Erik_001]

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

[@GoceMKD1303]

Nice video and you are one of my chess idols. Maybe you are not like Fisher, Kasparov or Magnus but you got more time to explain to us how to be better chess players. Thanks a lot. Greetings from Macedonia . . .

[@JohnS-il1dr]

This guy teaches way better than Magnus. I bought one of Magnus chessable vids and i nearly fell asleep. He doesnt know how to impart the knowledge even though hes the greatest chessplayer currently.

[@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.

[@ChessManraj565]

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

[@gerokron3412]

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

[@harish663]

I have a problem of what opening should I play for what and remembering they're names what shall I do for it