Over 99% of chess players play way under their maximum performance rating. Wouldn’t it be great if you could simply flip a switch and your chess performance goes up? Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that, otherwise, everyone would’ve been a Grandmaster already. Don’t get upset though, because there are some things that I cover that act exactly as that magic switch. You won’t become a grandmaster or even a master overnight, but if you implement even some of the advice given here you will notice you start making progress [especially if you are stuck and not improving].

A game of chess is a complex affair. It starts long before the first move has been played. It starts at home. For chess, the wise words of Benjamin Franklin, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail” are applicable to the fullest. But how do you prepare? For now we will leave the psychological aspect out (and for those needing a shortcut here’s another famous quote, this time from Bobby Fischer: “All things being equal, confidence wins games.”) and we shall concentrate on the more technical aspects of training concerning the three main phases of the game – the opening, the middlegame, and the endgame.

In order to improve at chess every player must work hard and invest some daily time and effort. There are many things you can work on, from openings to endgame, tactics and the middlegame. However, there are  few basic skills one must develop and constantly train. The consistency of training is perhaps one of the single most important things a chess player can do in order to be successful. Similarly to exercising in a gym, working on your game is a process. The improvement will be gradual, but definite if you keep applying yourself. Here are the 5 most useful chess skills you can learn in just 5 days!