memorizing specific end games is about as useful as memorizing specific openings. Once again, good luck if that is your strategy. Human memory is severely limited when it comes to rote memorization. You are much better off understanding the principles behind why said end games and openings follow a consistent pattern.

How many end games are there total?

Many people think that chess is a sport of memorizing moves and tactics, because they see people do the same moves over and over and over in many games, from openings to even end game tactics.

However it's not because we memorized the games, not by any means. For example until today I have not memorized even one single game in my life, yet I have beaten masters before. But if you showed me a game where a certain tactic is played I would still know it even if I didn't memorize the game itself.

In short, memorizing is something that happens to a chess player when he plays a lot, you will intuitively know moves without having to think, you will know what will lead to where in many scenarios (as long as you don't hit the 2000+ bracket)... And the main reason is because you had trial and error and learned these same tactics they are using by heart.

https://chess.stackexchange.com/ques...-chess-ability

Once you get more advanced then yeah but if you don't have the principles down then good luck with just trying to use rote memorization to memorize end games and openings.

you just made it sound like it's simple to be great at chess if you just memorize a bunch of **** but "what's the fun in that." really it's just a matter of as you play more certain patterns emerge and that's why specific openings and end games have names to them. For the most part those openings and end games would be arrived at with a proper understanding of the basic strategic and tactical principles in the first place.

... endgames aren't the only part of the game based on theory. The entire game has basic strategic and tactical themes to it which lead to the predictable patterns you're referring to in end games and openings. You can try through rote memorization to memorize each one but I think to the extent that chess instructors encourage you to study them it is to analyze the themes underlying them rather than to just memorize a series of specific sets of instructions.

And you can try to memorize openings. And memorize the names associated. you're better off trying to get the basic principles down before you bother with that ****. Most of them follow basic tactical patterns that make them more intuitively obvious than trying to go with rote memorization.

you can be really good without knowing how to open?

I agree with both of you in several ways but I think this statement is what I agree with the most. For instance before I had ever heard of a "London opening" I figured out that it can be powerful to to get key pieces like a Bishop and a Knight out towards the middle of the board as soon as possible. Therefore an opening play for white like D4 is good and logical because it opens up the diagonal for your Bishop to get into the game. I didn't have to memorize this, it just made sense.

That's a very surface level example. On the other hand I think it's a lot more important to study endgames than openings. It is nowhere near as obvious or intuitive to execute a lot of the checkmates that are out there. At least for me anyway. A situation like King/Bishop/Knight is extremely difficult to find the checkmate. There are memorization helpers I've used like "to checkmate with just a King and a Rook, create a right triangle" like is mentioned in this article:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checkmate#King_and_rook

These kinds of memorization helpers feel extremely important to not blundering endgames

YD, since you have a premium account can you check if Chess.com has chess960 or FischerChess (same thing) - with a premium account and if possible if it can be utilized with a mobile device?

Please.

Same. I use to play the london opening against my phone all the time and i had no idea it was the london opening till i saw a youtube video about it.

I think it is.

Looks like no. There are a decent number of cool looking variants you can play but I can't find this variant

It’s too bad. FischerChess basically removes the memorization component from the game and replaces it with on the fly skill. I’m not saying I think it’s better I just think it’s really cool.

Yeah I think it sounds fun as hell. I don’t see why it would be all that hard to implement, so I’m surprised chess.com hasn’t put it in

This is starting to get weird

https://i.imgur.com/qMdZSbl.png

Most my opponents in rapid chess:

https://i.imgflip.com/4/2qmyau.jpg

My opponents in blitz chess, even at like 450 ranking for some reason:

https://images.firstpost.com/wp-cont...640&height=362

I do not understand why there's such an enormous discrepancy here. My opponents in blitz seem to never make mistakes despite such a shorter timer

I think blitz is trendier right now and attracts better players. The ratings may be skewed because of the competition.

Just a theory.

Just got absolutely thrashed again in Blitz by someone ranked 340, clearly I just need to stop playing Blitz until I have a better feel for the game. ****

I found 960 under “variants” and got demolished 4 games in a row. Three were on two minute thirty second timer (lightning I guess?) and I just ran out of time all three games. Then on a ten minute game I lost my queen just by a blunder.

I don't know how I missed that when you asked me about it a couple weeks ago, maybe it's newly implemented

Yeah I looked like crazy before I asked. From what I read the best I can figure is they had it, then took it down (maybe it needed work) and then put it up again.

It really puts chess on its head. You should try it. Whatever you’re used to is just blown out of the water.

Friend link, I'd be down to take you on in some 960

Or regular chess too of course but prepare for an easy dub

https://friend.chess.com/7aiq

I suck

96 still counts as 69.

I click the link but it doesn’t take me to an add friend

Maybe you could pm your user name

Weird

TabularClover14

I sent you a friend request

I’m usersomething

Accepted

This ****ing game just keeps making me so frustrated with myself. How the FUCK did I miss this play:

https://i.imgur.com/eJ5RQ7y.png

What the ****? That name is garbage.

You're garbage

Are those the names you're planning to give your yuppie trash children?

...

Isn't your name ****ing Charles lol

Yo Bats, what do your (minimal) friends and fam call you?

Charles?
Charlie?
Chuck?

Chucky would be even better than those

Lucky Chucky

Chaz

Scott Baio

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zrmx8plNCdE