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📈 Chess Study Plans by Rating: The Roadmap to Mastery

The biggest mistake improving players make is studying the wrong things at the wrong time. A beginner should not memorize 20 moves of the Sicilian Najdorf, and an Expert should not spend hours on basic checkmates. Select your current rating range below to see your custom curriculum.

🌱 The Beginner (0 - 1000 Elo)

Focus: Safety, Rules, and Basic Tactics.

• Tactics (80% of time): Stop hanging pieces. Practice simple 1-move captures and checks. Go to Tactics Guide.
• Openings: Do not memorize moves. Learn the Golden Principles (Control center, develop pieces, castle).
• Endgames: Learn how to checkmate with a Queen and King, and a Rook and King.
• Goal: To play a whole game without giving away a piece for free.

🔨 The Club Player (1000 - 1400 Elo)

Focus: Patterns, Plans, and Blunder Checking.

• Tactics: Learn patterns like the Pin, Skewer, and Fork. Solve 15 minutes of puzzles daily.
• Strategy: Stop attacking blindly. Learn to look at your opponent's threats. Avoid Blunders Guide.
• Openings: Pick 1 opening for White (e.g., London System or Italian) and 2 for Black. Learn the first 5 moves perfectly.
• Endgames: King and Pawn endings. The "Opposition" concept.

⚔️ The Intermediate (1400 - 1800 Elo)

Focus: Repertoire, Structures, and Positional Play.

• Openings: Build a real repertoire. Understand the "Why" behind the moves.
• Middlegame: Learn Pawn Structures (IQP, Chains). Learn when to attack and when to maneuver.
• Endgames: Rook endings (Lucena and Philidor positions). These occur in 50% of tournament games.
• Analysis: Start analyzing your own games without an engine first.

🏆 The Advanced / Expert (1800 - 2200 Elo)

Focus: Calculation, Deep Theory, and Psychology.

• Calculation: Train visualization. You must calculate 3-5 moves deep accurately.
• Openings: Deep preparation. Find "novelties" and side-lines to surprise opponents. Use Databases.
• Strategy: Prophylaxis (preventing opponent's ideas) and complex positional sacrifices.
• Psychology: Managing time trouble and tournament nerves. Psychology Guide.

Need a structured video course? Check out our comprehensive library on the Guide to Chess Courses page.