I just got month 1 .......

So I just signed up for ics. At first glance, it looks like there's really little to learn. Does it get harder and give you more material to read because all the pdf files combined make like 60 pages and about half of them are just puzzles?

I'm only on month 2, but I think that 60 pages a month is plenty.

Maybe, but I was just wondering if I was getting the most out of my money. $34 could buy a book and half which is maybe about 300 pages so I was just curious at whether it was wise to spend $34 on this.

I have lots of chess books. I don't bother reading most of them because I don't know what I need to study on and trying to fill the holes I have in my game would mean I would need to basically read every book which is a lifetime of reading. This course covers a lot and only takes a year!

Yes, you'd get more pages of content by spending your money on books, but would that content be true content or would there be lots of "filler" and would those books be as structured a study as this course is? I guess that would highly depend on which books you read!

For myself, I learned quite a lot from month one, which apparently just scratches the surface, so I am happy with it so far... I think it is a wise investment so far. Things like the material equivalence table and the evaluation of a position were eye openers to me and the method of thinking content was a challenge... never had I thought of doing a "to do list" for a position.

I just wish there was a neural interface for learning that was compatible with my neural transceiver! It's going to take me a long time to adapt to the content I'm learning.

kwkingdom123 wrote:Maybe, but I was just wondering if I was getting the most out of my money. $34 could buy a book and half which is maybe about 300 pages so I was just curious at whether it was wise to spend $34 on this.

I'm even more of a novice than BorgQueen and still working through the first month's material.

I agree that the main course material is kind of sparse, mostly introductory. The openings material much more challenging at the moment.

The only books that I am aware of that seem to compare with the objectives and to some extent the content of this course are the two volume set by GM A.O'Kelly deGalway, Improve Your Chess Fast and Assess Your Chess Fast published in 1976, and probably long out of print. These two books are outstanding, although geared for lower rated players. The two books are a publication of a correspondence course that was intended to be completed over a period of about 18 month. Years ago I worked my way through just over the first year's work and saw about a 300 point rating increase as I played and studied, (and then "retired" from chess until recently). Needless to say, I'm sold on the progressive instruction paradigm.

In terms of current value here's what I see on the opening modules. I made the commitment to myself to do implement the 1.d4 repertoire recommended by the authors and I am presently agressively trying to master the White repertoire which is presented over three months. Being a book junkie and committed to learning as possible about 1.d4, I just purchased the two volume set by GM Avrukh on Amazon for $42.84 as a compainion to the course. This two volume set covers only the white side of 1.d4 so compares to what is being sold by ICS during months 1-3. Now the breath of coverage during the three months appears somewhat less, as does the depth, than that in the book, however, ICS also provides a 1.e4 repertorie as well. I think that ICS might have an edge with regard in dollars for value.

From what I've been seeing on this forum there doesn't seem to be any complaints about the content in the main course, so I have high expectations.

For me the advantage to doing the monthly schedule is it provides an urgency to get though the material on what is an ambitious schedule which for me is necessary for success. In theory my book expenses go down, although that's not likely

The course is great. Whether it is worth it depends on the individual (e.g., the closer you are to 1900 or so in rating, the more useful the course will be in practice).