How to get better at chess

Many club and online games are decided by mistakes rather than brilliance: a piece left hanging, a simple fork missed. That is good news, because it means improvement comes from habits anyone can build. Check for threats on every move, practise tactics, and learn from your own lost games.

A practical improvement plan, then apps for playing, puzzles and analysis, with a section for chess apps rising by visits on the Censuus ranking.

Chess apps rising by visits and sponsorship on Censuus

A younger app from an independent developer:

Ranked by visit traffic and sponsorship on Censuus, not editorial opinion. The list changes as new apps appear and gain traffic.

Check every move for threats

Before you move, ask two questions: what does my opponent threaten, and is the piece I am moving safe on its new square? This simple routine prevents many lost games. It feels slow at first and becomes automatic.

Solve tactics every day

Forks, pins, skewers and discovered attacks decide many games. Solving a few puzzles daily trains your eyes to spot them in your own games. Accuracy matters more than speed; take your time on each puzzle.

Play slower and review

Fast games are fun but leave little time to think. Play some longer games where you can apply what you are learning. Afterwards, go through each loss, find the move where it went wrong, and only then check with an engine.

Learn openings by their ideas

Long memorised opening lines do not help when your opponent leaves the book. Learn the principles, develop pieces, control the centre, castle, and the main ideas behind a couple of openings you like. Compare apps for play and training in chess apps.

Compared from each developer’s own store description.
Habit	What you do	Why
Blunder check	before each move, ask what the opponent threatens	stops giving pieces away
Daily tactics	a few puzzles every day	pattern recognition wins games
Slower games	longer time controls	time to think and apply what you learn
Review losses	find the moment it went wrong	your own mistakes teach most
Openings by ideas	know why the moves are played	memorised lines fall apart

Frequently asked questions

What is the fastest way to get better at chess?

Check every move for threats to stop blunders, solve tactics puzzles daily, play some slower games and review your losses.

Should I memorise chess openings?

Not at first. Learn opening principles and the ideas behind a couple of openings; memorised lines help little when the opponent deviates.

Are chess puzzles worth it?

Yes. Tactics decide many games, and daily puzzles train you to spot them.