Just joined ICS

Hi everyone.

I recently joined ICS and found this forum by accident. I'm not very good (my computer says I'm around 1100) but I'll be doing all 3 years and I have high expectations of improving.

BTW, I'm not sure if the staff of ICS are aware of this site but would be an idea to ask them if they could add a link to it somewhere?

Welcome aboard David65.

I'm six months into the 3rd year and have enjoyed every lesson.

The course assumes players with a bit more experience than you may have. It doesn't cover basics in tactics or endgames, so I'd suggest you set aside some time to become familiar with tactical motifs and basic endgames as you work your way through the first year.

Hi David65. That is good advice from PawnCustodian. There are quite a few parts of the course which you may find really challenging (the bits on the centre in Month 2 for example). But that is no reason to give up (please!) Just take from it what you can and go back through the material again when you are more experienced.
For tactics, I found Winning Chess Tactics by Sierewan to be fantastic. I re-read it myself about once a year and my results always improve.
For endgames, Silman's new book (called Silman's endgame course, or something similar) is pretty good, and you only study material appropriate to your level, so it is manageable! Be wary of the big encyclopedic endgame tomes with e.g. every possible R+P vs R position....they are really for reference and are intended for players with ratings 2000 and above.
And keep away from books on the opening until you are playing at at least 1500+
Most of all, try to join a club so you can play over the board, learn from others, and you will get an official rating. There is nothing like it, and chess players are a great bunch of folk. I have made more genuine friends through chess in my life than through any other way.
VG