I played this for many years and yes it helped me. The way it works is it matches you with players of similar rating so you can practice on your level. When you first register, it gives you a default rating of 1200 and goes from there. When you lose, your rating goes down, when you win it goes up. So if you keep losing, your rating goes down, and you are being matched with less skilled players that makes it easier for you to win. Or if you are winning, your rating goes up and you are matched with more skilled players making it harder for you to win. Eventually you reach equilibrium where you are at the rating where you lose and win equally often. But, as you keep playing you get some practice, your skill improve, and then you win more so the system has to shift you to slightly higher rating, and then again you lose and win equally often until your skill improve further so you can shift even higher. You get shifted after every game. So if you won just by sheer luck, you will be, wrongly, matched with higher skilled players which would make you lose and get your rating back to where it was. Or similarly if you lose by bad luck, don't despair: you get matched with worst players which would help you win and get your rating right back up.
At first my rating sank all the way down to 600-s which is very low but then with practice it slowly increased, and now I am proud to say that it fluctuates between 1100-s and 1300-s, which is considered average. It took many years to get that far though. I remember how I felt accomplished getting to 700 and then even more accomplished getting to 800-s. Although both of those ratings are below average, I was comparing myself to myself. The other good thing about it is that it is anonymous so you don't have to feel emberassed when you lose. I didn't like losing as a kid so I avoided playing in person and thats why I didn't have much practice. But when I came here with anonymous setting, then I was able to practice all I want from the safety of my own screen.
The only negative thing that I can tell about this game -- and yes it is a big negative -- is that it is addictive. For me anyway. Back when I was playing it, I literally spent hours playing game after game after game when I should have been studying. I finally weeded off that addiction and haven't played for years. Now that you reminded me of it, I went there and played two games. I am happy to tell I won twice. I forced myself not to play a third one in order not to get addicted again. Especially since I have a thesis I need to write. But anyway different people are different so if you don't get addicted then I recommend it.
My username there is causalset by the way. So you can add me and then we can play.
