ChessNut's Class C Level Classroom Please contact Brian Thompson for corrections and updates. A Note to the Student | A Note to the Coach

Training Goals - Class C

The Class C Level Classroom is for the player who has started playing in chess tournaments and is already a member of a chess club. This player also has already developed some degree of Tactical skill, has a solid foundation and regular training in chess Endgames, and has begun regular training in chess Strategy. The Class C level player consistently does well against opponents with a little or no chess tournament experience, but has trouble against more experienced tournament players.

1. Continue studying chess games that were played by Masters and explained by great teachers. ('C.J.S. Purdy's Fine Art of Chess Annotation, Volume Three', Purdy; 'Russian Chess', Pandolfini) - Why: With the volume of quality chess material on the market, it is conceivable that you could 'pick the brain' of a chess Master every day, and never exhaust the supply of games. Playing through well explained games is almost like having a Master right there with you.
   
   
2. Continue studying chess endings. ('Silman's Complete Endgame Course', Silman) - Why: As you progress to higher levels, learning more complex ideas by building on your current knowledge is the surest way to improvement.



3. Begin studying a chess opening repertoire. ('Action Chess', Purdy) - Why: With a solid foundation in the "Opening Principles", it is time to organize a plan for your opening play.



4. Continue studying chess strategy. ('The Amateurs's Mind', Silman; 'Russian Chess', Pandolfini) - Why: Like tactics, the more strategic concepts you understand, the more weapons you carry into battle. You need to be well armed in a battle of ideas.



5. Continue studying chess tactics. ('303 Tricky Checkmates', Wilson) - Why: A really good player doesn't see tactical combinations as individual moves, he sees them as patterns of cooperating pieces. Learn these patterns and the tactical possibilities will jump at you from the board.

Recommended Tools

1. Visit the Chess Position Trainer web site and download this free chess study tool. Watch the free videos and read the support documents to put this program to use with your opening repertoire. CPT is great for taking opening theory from your favorite book and organize it for repetitive study.



2. Visit the Chess.com web site and sign up for a free basic membership. You'll be able to play your friends on-line at any time, making it easier to get in your practice games.

Projects

Study:

1. Study the information about the Chess Position Trainer freeware program in the Tools section above. Use CPT to begin training your opening repertoire. Either download a repetoire from the CPT site or create your own from a repetoire book like Purdy's 'Action Chess'. Study your repetoire with CPT's Training Mode at least three times per week, for at least 30 minutes per session.



2. Continue to run the Tactics Training in Chessimo at least three times per week, for at least 30 minutes each session. Repeat these sessions until you complete Tactics Module 03, all units.



3. Contine to run the Endgames Training in Chessimo at least three times per week, for at least 30 minutes each session. Repeat these sessions until you complete Endgames Module 02, units 01-25. If you have any trouble understanding the concepts in these Chessimo drills, immediately refer to the appropriate section in 'Pandolfini's Endgame Course' or 'Silman's Complete Endgame Course' for an explanation of the key concepts. Once you've read the section that covers your current Chessimo Endgame drills, return to the drills and look for the application of the Pandolfini/Silman lessons!



4. Begin to run the Strategy Training in Chessimo at least three times per week, for at least 30 minutes each session. Repeat these sessions until you complete Strategy Module 01, all units.



5. Play through at least 10 Master level chess games per week, like those in 'C.J.S. Purdy's Fine Art of Chess Annotation, Volume Three' by Purdy or 'Russian Chess' by Pandolfini. Make sure that the games you choose have lots of notes explaining why some moves were good, and why some were mistakes. Continue playing through Master games until you have studied 100 games. Ask your chess coach or mentor to explain any of the notes that you didn't understand.



6. If you don't read every book from this section, at the very least read 'Action Chess', by Purdy and 'Russian Chess' by Pandolfini. Also read the appropriate section from 'Silman's Complete Endgame Course', by Silman. Purdy, Pandolfini, and Silman represent the best in chess instruction for their ability to present material in that is easy to understand and remember. These books have a nice mixture of Opening Theory ('Action Chess'), Strategy ('Russian Chess'), and Endgames ('Silman's Complete Endgame Course') that will maintain a balance in the material that you review in this Classroom level.



7. If you skipped ahead to this Classroom, go back through the prior Classroom levels and check out the books, tools, and projects that you missed. Some of this material MAY be review, but in order to build a solid foundation it is important to set the building blocks of chess skills in the correct sequence. You will use the material in this and all previous Classrooms in order to progress more quickly in the next levels.

Practice:

1. You've reached the ChessNuts Class C Level Classroom, have joined a chess club, and are a tournament chess player. The USCF rating range for Class C is 1400-1599 and is an accurate measure of your chess knowledge. If you have done all the exercises in the previous ChessNuts Levels, your USCF rating should fall into the Class C range once you have played 20-25 rated games. You are now qualified to become a chess mentor for a player in the Beginner, Novice, or Club levels. Becoming a mentor will force you to periodically review chess basics, keeping you grounded and operating from a solid foundation of knowledge. Find a suitable student, and become his or her mentor.



2. While you are completing your Study Projects, continue to play games with your friends and record the moves on a Chess Score Sheet. Keep playing at your chess club at least once per week, and record those games also. Each week you should be able to record 10-20 games. If you can't meet them in person, then arrange to play your practice games on-line at Chess.com with a free basic memebership.

Review:

1. Select 2 of your own games every week to review with your chess coach or mentor.



2. Select 4 of your other games every week to review with the ChessPad / Crafty tool from the Club Classroom level.



3. Review at least 2 games every week with your chess student.

Once you have completed Study Projects 1-6 and have attained a USCF rating of 1600 or more, you will be ready to join the Class B Level. (Expected completion time: 24-30 weeks) If you experience difficulty in reaching the next level, review the material in this and the previous level, repeat the Study exercises, Practice, and Review with your chess coach or mentor. Once you fully understand the material and use it in your chess games, your rating will reach 1600 and you will be ready to move to the Class B level. There are no short-cuts.
 

Recommended Books

I own a copy of each of the following books, and recommend them for this specific training level because their content and presentation is consistent with this level's Training Goals.

                 

Hover your mouse over any of the pictured books to get a Power Preview from Amazon.com, or click on any book image to go to Amazon.com for descriptions and reviews.

 

This project is a work in progress. As I find more useful material, I'll pass it along. If you know of a CHESS book or tool that might interest other ChessNuts, please contact The ChessNut.