Why you are stuck at 700
At beginner ratings almost every decisive game is decided by a single blunder — a hung piece, a missed capture, or walking into a fork. You do not need more opening theory. You need to stop giving material away. Fixing that one habit is worth several hundred rating points.
The one-question checklist
Before every move, ask: "Is anything I have — or the piece I am about to move — hanging?" Look at all of your opponent's checks, captures, and threats first. This single pause eliminates the majority of 700-level blunders.
Review every game with an engine
After each game, run it through a free game analysis. Find your first big evaluation drop, understand the move you should have played, and note the pattern. Most players blunder the same three or four ways over and over — knight forks, back-rank mates, undefended pieces.
Turn your mistakes into puzzles
Generic tactics are useful, but training on your own blunders is faster: you drill the exact positions your brain got wrong. Ten minutes a day on positions from your real games will move your rating more than an hour of random puzzles.
A weekly routine
- Play slow games (10+ minutes) so you have time for the checklist.
- Analyze every loss and every close win.
- Drill the blunders you actually made.
- Learn just the first few moves of one opening for each colour — no more.
Do this consistently for a month and 700 will be behind you.