Improve at chess and gain rating
Memorize an opening, build a repertoire, gain rating points.
Improving at chess means turning what you know into what you play. Most players between 800 and 1500 Elo lose games they knew in theory: the opening gets forgotten, the plan gets lost, the clock runs out. This page gathers our guides on memorization, building a repertoire and the Elo rating.
The most profitable lever is how you learn. Flashcards and spaced repetition make you recognize a position; replaying the opening move by move makes you remember it at the board. Then a minimal opening repertoire and playing every opening with a plan are enough to gain 200 points.
Finally, the classic question: openings or tactics? Both, in that order: a safe opening to reach the middlegame undamaged, then tactics to convert. The 800 to 1200 Elo guide lays out the program.
Articles in this theme
How long does it take to get good at chess?
How long does it take to get good at chess? Honest timelines by rating milestone, from club observation, plus what speeds you up and what slows you down.
How to get better at chess: a plan for every rating level
How to get better at chess without generic advice: what to work on under 1000, at 1000-1500 and at 1500-2000, plus a weekly routine you can actually keep.
How to learn chess openings: the 5-step method
Wondering how to learn chess openings without drowning in theory? Five steps, the mistakes that waste months, and how long it takes at your level.
Why do I keep losing at chess? The 6 real causes
Why do I keep losing at chess? Almost every loss under 1500 comes from one of six causes. Here's how to spot yours in ten games and fix it.
Building an opening repertoire (without drowning in it)
A good opening repertoire fits on a page, not in an encyclopedia. Here is how to choose your openings as White and Black, and how to work them properly.
Play the opening with a plan, not by rote
Reciting moves falls apart the moment your opponent deviates. Here's how to learn the plan behind your openings so you keep playing well off-book.
Reviewing your openings without spending hours
Reviewing your chess openings doesn't take whole evenings. Here's a short, spaced method to keep your lines fresh without wearing yourself out.
From 800 to 1200 Elo: the roadmap
Stuck around 800 Elo? Here's the roadmap to 1200: what to prioritize, the mistakes bleeding you points, and a study plan that actually moves the needle.
Openings or tactics: what should you work on first?
Openings or tactics first? It depends on your level and on what's actually losing you games right now. Here's how to split your study time by rating.
Chess Elo rating explained: what it means and the levels
What is Elo in chess? A plain explanation of how the rating is calculated, a table of chess levels by Elo, and what to work on at each level to climb.
How to memorize an opening: the active method that lasts
Rereading a line won't make it stick. Here's the active, recall-based method for memorizing a chess opening that holds up months later, not overnight.
Gaining 200 Elo points with your openings
Playing the opening well can earn you up to 200 Elo points. Here is how your first moves win games, and how to squeeze the most out of them.
Spaced repetition applied to chess
Spaced repetition keeps your chess openings from fading. Here's why it works and how to schedule your own lines so you review them at the right moment.
Why you forget your openings (and how to fix it)
Learn an opening at night and forget it by morning? That's a method problem, not a memory one. Here's why it happens, and how to fix it for good.
Frequently asked questions
How do I improve at chess quickly?
Play slow games, analyze every loss, learn one opening by playing it until you know it by heart, and solve ten tactical puzzles a day. Kept up for three months, this program gains 200 to 300 Elo for most players under 1500.
Do openings really raise your Elo?
Yes, especially under 1500: a large share of games at that level is lost before move fifteen. Leaving the opening with a healthy position and a plan removes that source of defeats.
Why do I forget my openings during games?
Because you read or watched them instead of playing them. Move memory is built by playing the moves yourself, in context, with guidance that fades. That is the principle behind the three passes in Prologue Chess.
Ready to win your openings?
Start with the Italian Game, for free. From your very next games, you'll know exactly what to play in the opening.
Download on the App StoreFree to download, on iPhone.