How to Improve at Chess
An honest look at what actually helps — and what mostly wastes your time
ImprovementGuide
9 min readChessOnyx
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Improve at Chess
In-depth articles on chess improvement and understanding engine analysis, plus a variety of openings to explore.
Articles
The Best Chess Openings for Beginners
Simple, solid openings that teach good habits without requiring memorization
OpeningsBeginner
7 min readChess Tactics vs Chess Strategy: Understanding the Difference
Why both matter, how they interact, and which one you should focus on first
TacticsStrategy
7 min readView All Articles
- How to Improve at Chess
- The Best Chess Openings for Beginners
- Chess Tactics vs Chess Strategy: Understanding the Difference
- Why Chess Engine Evaluations Are Not Absolute Truth
- How Hardware Affects Your Chess Analysis
- Why Your Accuracy Score Differs Across Platforms
- Understanding Stockfish Depth and What It Means for Your Games
- How to Get the Most Out of Engine Analysis
- Getting Your Games Into ChessOnyx
- Reading Your Player Card
- Training Mode: Practicing One Motif at a Time
- Scouting Your Opponents
- How to Study an Opening Properly
- What Makes a Move "Brilliant"?
- Guest, Free, or Pro: What Each Tier Gives You
- Practising Against a Bot That Matches Your Level
- Why You Play Better When You Are Watching
- How to Calculate Variations
- The Endgames You Actually Need to Know
- Why You Lose on Time (And What to Do About It)
- What to Learn First
- When to Trade Pieces
- View All Articles →
Popular Openings
Queen's Gambit
The Queen's Gambit is one of the oldest and most respected chess openings, arising after 1.d4 d5 2.c4. White offers a pa…
3 variations→
Sicilian Defense
The Sicilian Defense begins with 1.e4 c5, making it the most popular response to 1.e4 at every level of play. By advanci…
4 variations→
Ruy Lopez
The Ruy Lopez (Spanish Opening) is one of the oldest and most thoroughly analyzed openings in chess, beginning with 1.e4…
3 variations→