10 Reasons Video Lessons Make You a Better Chess Player

Introduction 

Chess was catapulted into mainstream media with Netflix’s The Queen's Gambit, and it managed to change the perception amongst people that chess is a nerdy game. Millions of people have now started to play chess, and some were so fascinated by it that they went on to become titled players.

Alongside playing, everyone also started to consume a lot of chess content. Streamers and content creators used this opportunity to make chess videos that were fun and enjoyable rather than being academic and monotonous. 

In this article, we'll take a look at 10 reasons why using video lessons to study chess will make you a better chess player.

1. Visual learning enhances understanding

Chess is inherently a visual game. Seeing pieces move with lines and arrows pointing out important concepts helps us understand the game much better. 

For example, when you want to learn a new opening. A book might have endless variations and annotations, but a video lesson can quickly show the typical pawn structures, squares for the pieces, and the common plans for both sides. 

The real advantage of watching video courses is that in a video, you can compress a lot of information into a short time. This helps your brain to process and retain information more effectively. This has been proven scientifically also as Studies have shown that the human brain processes visual information significantly faster than text, with some studies even suggesting that it can be up to 60,000 times faster!

2. Insights from Master level commentary

The best video lessons are made by charismatic people who are also titled players. They bring in a ton of knowledge and practical experience. It makes total sense when they explain the thought process an ideas. 

For example, Hikaru is a Super-GM and currently ranked no.2 in the world with an Elo rating of 2800+. It will be right to say that every chess player knows him as he’s also a famous streamer. In his online streams, he plays against other titled players, and when he explains his thought process, you gain insight into how an elite player thinks and makes plans. This kind of direct insight is difficult to replicate through static learning materials like books and PGNs.

3. Accessible Learning for All Levels

There are so many chess books that it becomes difficult to choose one that’s appropriate for your level. For example, there are more than a dozen books on the Sicilian Najdorf! And there’s also the opportunity cost when you start reading a book and then feel like it’s not really for you. 

Video courses avoid this by offering a demo video so that you can see if you like the presenter and the content in it. Platforms like TheChessWorld, Lichess, and Chess.com offer an extensive library of chess courses, which are segregated by rating and topic. If you’re into streams, then you can always follow players who make content for your level.

For example, GM Daniel Naroditsky is great at breaking down complex ideas. In his "Speedrun" series on YouTube, he plays against club players and regularly poses questions to viewers, and then he explains the answers so well that players of all levels learn from his videos.

4. Interactive Elements in Chess Videos

Chess video courses are a great way to learn, but online platforms have come up with more innovative ways to improve learning through videos. These methods are all based on the idea of active learning, where you engage with the material actively. Some of the common ways to involve active learning are: 

• Asking Questions: After teaching a concept, presenters ask you to solve problems based on it.

• Move Trainer: Platforms like Chessable allow you to practice the moves discussed in the lesson directly on a board. They combine this with spaced repetition to help you memorize opening lines and tactical patterns.

• "Guess the Move": You pause and think at the critical position before getting an official feedback from the instructor. Research has shown that if you combine verbal and visual information you instantly supercharge the learning experience. Alternatively, you can play chess against computer and learn from the mistakes.
  

5. Learning Openings and Building a Repertoire

Almost every chess content creator or platform has an opening course. They are all the rage as it has become one of the top priorities for any club player. 

So what's the best method to learn openings? 

Videos have the best Return on Investment of time and energy when it comes to building a solid opening repertoire. 

You can choose between a short and quick course or a super detailed course, which goes into all the possible responses based on your level and commitment. This kind of flexibility is not available if you choose to read a chess opening book.

6. Learning Tactical Patterns

Video lessons can help you quickly go over many tactical patterns like forks, pins, skewers, and discovered attacks. The biggest upside is that you save a lot of time by not setting up the positions on the board and instead use that time to review the positions.

Another thing to note is that there are hundreds of books on Tactical patterns and combinations, but what sets apart video lessons is that the presenter has the freedom to pause at appropriate moments and pose questions to you. This is helpful because many books miss out on important sidelines. Pausing and asking questions on the sidelines helps the author to answer potential questions that you might have.

7. Understanding Positional Play and Strategy

Similar to a chess course on tactics, courses in positional play and strategy can also delve into the deeper, more subtle aspects of positional play. 

The things about positional exercises are that sometimes they have more than one plausible continuation. Books mostly give one line and leave out other possible tries. This can give wrong feedback and potentially hamper learning. Video lessons have the advantage that they can quickly go over other lines and explain them. 

8. Community Engagement

Chess streamers and content creators like GothamChess, Hikaru Nakamura, and Sagar Shah have built massive communities. 

If there’s something in the video you don’t understand or want to point out, then there’s a large community who have also seen the videos to back you up. Learning is always fun when you’re part of a vibrant and passionate chess community.

This community aspect can also be a huge motivator. People with different goals join a community, and when you see other players improving using the video courses, it motivates you to become better as well. You can also interact with fellow members. This social aspect makes the learning process more enjoyable. 

9. Flexibility in learning

Arguably, the biggest advantage of learning through video courses is that they offer great convenience. You can watch them anytime, anywhere on multiple devices. This means you an study no matter what and where. You can also pause, rewind and rewatch at your convenience.

This self-paced approach is better than a one-size-fits-all approach.

10. Staying Updated with theory and trends

Theory evolves very quickly in this age of computers. For this reason, most authors avoid writing books on opening theory as it can get out of date pretty quickly. On the other hand, video lessons can be updated with relevant information as the need arises. This makes it a great resource to stay up to date with chess theory.

To sum up

Video lessons have now become more than just a supplementary tool to chess books. They are an effective and accessible method that you can use to improve. The great thing is that hundreds of Chess videos are being broadcast, streamed, and recorded each day. This gives you the freedom to choose your favorite platform and author to study chess.