does anyone know how i can improve my game? ive been playing for years and i suck. ive tried various ways, books, videos etc and they are all so complicated or just mind numbingly dull that i just cant stick with them. am i destined to a liketime of mediocrity or can you guys help me to become a grandmaster.

yours piecelessly, tony!

We would have to look at your games to see what the problem is.   Over 90% of the time, it is the opening.  You are falling into traps or not developing or attacking before defending.  You have to feel comfortable at an opening you can survive.  Look at the short games and miniature games (under 20 moves) to get a feel for tactics, combinations, and how an opening flows.  You need to know them as White and as Black to know what to avoid or what to look forward to.  Find the shorr games that are fun and practical.  Studythe games that you have similar openings or styles, then look at the other games.  When I pick up a chess book, I always find the shortest games and study them first.  If I don't have a strong player to go over my games to find alternative moves, or better moves, I can play the same moves with a chess database and see what opening moves were played and who got out of "book" first.  If it as a chess playing program, but the same moves in and see if a strong program makes the same moves or not, or finds better moves.  Whatever it is, don't make it dull.  You are not destined to mediocrity unless you want to be.  Everyone improves with more practice and seeing more chess positions and combinations.  You may not be used to seeing the unexpected moves or not looking for better moves than you are playing.  You have to look beyond that and find moves that are unexpected, such as sacrifices, or moves that don't make sense now, but would later on.  Go over your own games and figure out where or why you lost.  There are always critical positions that you did not see all the candidate moves, either your moves or the unexpected moves by your opponent.  Some of us just can't get any better (including me) at certain parts of the game or seeing deeper into a position.  Those are at the higher levels when you need to understand endgames dozens of moves deep.  But for now, unless you are playing masters, you can always improve by playing and practicing more, cutting down your weaker moves until you are surviving or winning.

I would advise just sticking to 2 or 3 openings until you are thouroughly familiar with them. Games are often lost in the openings.

thank you both for taking the time to help me. im  gonna look at some of the games i have lost recently and see if i can pinpoint a move that lead to my demise. i will also study some openings, (something i have never done before) and see if that helps. maybe im stupid but i always thought that a successful opening will only work if my opponent plays along with it. any suggestions as to which ones i should learn please?

As White, try 1.e4 or 1.d4, and less common but safe is 1.c4 and 1.Nf3, or more hypermodern with 1.b3 or 1.g3.  Find a style you like, but if you play something too common and don't know the opening as well as your opponent, you may not survive it.  As Black, to answer 1.e4, try 1...e6 or 1...c6 (1...e5 and 1...c5 may be too complicated and so much to know).  Less common and safe is 1...g6 or 1...d6.  If you study it a bit. 1...Nf6 is OK.  To answer 1.d4, try 1...Nf6 or 1...f5, but more positional and more to know is 1...d5.  Any other openings, jsut try to control the center and get your pieces out.