Greetings and I play chess occasionally, am in my 50’s and own CHESSMASTER 10TH EDITION and also FRITZ 11. Also I have the series of (seven?) chessbooks authored by Lev Alburt. Since I play seldomly my rating is around 700-800 but would, indeed, rise if I played regularly and diligently.
Both of the cd’s I mentioned have been on the market for around three years. My question is this, should I want to get into and learn more about the game, would these two cd’s along with the Lev Alburt series suffice given my playing level?
The best thing to do is just play in some OTB tournaments.
Tournaments are not a way of cashing in after your playing strength increases. Instead, they are an important part of any program to increase your playing strength.
IMHO, chess computers are like the Mirror of Erised, they confer neither wisdom nor truth.
They’re good for keeping in practice in between tournaments or honing certain skills, especially tactics, but they don’t significantly increase your knowledge of the game. They may tell you that move X is better than move Y, and even assign a numerical score to each move, but does that tell you WHY move X is better than move Y, or what to do with the improvement in your position it produces?
I think it would help if you unpack what you mean by, “getting into and learn[ing] more about the game.” I’ve found Lev Alburt to be a good read, and the two pieces of software you have both have their fans and are well regarded by many. But will they satisfy what you’re looking for in learning? Will they engage you? Those questions depend on you as much as the material.
I use Fritz 12 and appreciate it’s Friendly mode, where the engine strength/parameters are tweaked by your win/loss level against it. (Win and the engine ‘gets stronger,’ lose and the engine ‘gets weaker,’ and it keeps a running tally and rating foir you.) It means I win and lose games against it. But I also haven’t played that mode for a couple of years now - it doesn’t engage me the way it used to, and I didn’t notice that it made me stronger. (Then again, I didn’t go back and analyze my games against it as I should have.)
My major ways of enjoying my chess at this point are centered in being a part of my local OTB club, being a tournament director, being a part of my local scholastic chess organization, and trying to keep up with the daily Chess Today e-newsletter. And occasionally playing in tournaments outside our local area and participating here at the forums. But again, those are personal choices as to what keeps me involved.
Other recommendations - see if you can take classes and/or get a personal teacher or coach at a rate you can afford, and see if there is a local OTB club in your area to join. (The former has always produced the best improvement results for me, but my ability to do it has been intermittent over the years.)
Play in some tournaments. Ignore your rating and results. Play for the love of the game. Develop friendships with those who are learning just as you are. Appreciate the process of the development of your skills. If you are having fun, you are ahead of most players.