I would like to make a thread that involves chess tips.  Now, I know there is no magic bullet in chess, but perhaps a good tip will pull one out of a slump, which I seem to find myself in from time to time on the chessboard.  I'm not talking about the basic 10 tips that everybody on this site probably already know, rather a personal strategy that you take into battle with you in each game.

Play lots of blitz and play against higher rated opponents. The better your opponent is the more you can learn from him.

Dont move too fast! I have that problem that if I would of only looked a little longer I would've seen my error.

Find openings you like and stick with them. Best not to experiment against higher rated opponents

Dont play drunk! Wine is fine, but liquor your rating drops quicker!

Base you ideas on the position, not what you feel like doing.

Always try to figure out first, after reviewing the position of the game on the board, what your oppponent is trying to do and simply counter attack with a move that will defeat his move or better if you can a move that will put her/him in jeopardy in 2, 3 or 4 moves down the line.

Never forget that you play against an opponent and your primary goal is to win!

Not play what you think is nice to do, but always make a move that is a response to your opponent

don't let your opponent's pawns get too far ahead on the board... they'll be a pain midgame &, if the game gets that far, endgame promoting will be easier.

Play with a plan. A bad plan is better than no plan.

Remember: It's just a game! People tend to forget this and get too overworked on positions. Sometimes you just have to go with your gut instinct and go with the flow. Have fun!

Tip #1 : If you wanna get better avoid listening to overall chess tips or advice that don't reference specific position. Chess isn't golf, it's more of an art. Try telling Picasso to paint more geometrically XD.

Edit: xMenace's plan suggestion aside, that's always a good idea in chess. Ryan makes a good point too, sometimes it's just about playing what seems to be right and trusting your ability to recognize familiar patterns.

P.S. Just an aside to circlesquared, why lots of blitz chess? You don't get good at normal time controls by playing at fast ones, its the other way around.

Try to control space, meaning having your pieces and pawns occupy more of the space on the board than your opponent, this is called: having a quality advantage when playing a game, but even if you do not have a master's skill to exploit such an advantage, it is still better to have it as it is like having an additional tool in your arsenal.

Try to get in your opponent's territory, either the 7th or 8th row.

Real trouble here. You can possibly make a combination that leads to a mate.

If you have a knight in the 6th row it also can be very threatening with a queen giving the final blow.

burp burp

Blitz chess is how you get good. CC with 2 days a move is helpful but you dont feel the game the same way. A ten minute game is a ten minute chess lesson

always play with a higher oppoenent (rating)

I wouldn't recommend ALWAYS playing better people, I would say have a healthy balance of people that are better, similar and less, that way you don't forget how to control situations or defend against the odds.

Agreed with #11 and #12.

Blitz makes you think fast.  Fast thinking is good -- if you have more time, you will still think fast, but have more time to think deeper than before... and more time to spot errors.

If your best chance of salvaging a game you really should lose is your opponent having a heart attack, resign. You shouldn't waste too much time on idiot positions. This is a serious and valuable tip and I promise it will improve your play.

i dont understand those tips i just love to move my piece without thinking and then i win!! dont no why i play 4 fun ;)

I like to play what I call soldier chess. For each move I make, I try and have two reasons for making it. I like to think of my pieces as soldiers, and when they die in the field of battle, I imagine trying to explain their death. When I do that, the pat answer 'Well, it was my turn', just doesn't seem to cut it as an answer for justifying my moves anymore. Something like 'with little Pete the Pawns valiant service, we were able to penetrate the enemy stronghold and bring in the heavy calvalry' sounds like a much better reason for a move to be chosen. The short version of this tip is : Hold yourself accountable for your moves.

Tip 2: Your physiology is just as important as your psychology. Put good stuff in your body, and you will get good output. Consider how your current diet/beverage choices make your body feel. I'm sure the blended juice and frozen fruit smoothie will do much better for mental clarity than the caffeinated buzz of coffee. Proper nutrition can do much more for the quality of chess and overall mental health than most people realize.

http://blog.chess.com/view/links-to-wise-things-said-about-chess

They usually come daily.

Always know what you oponents next moves are.

Try to predict your oponent 2 or 3 moves ahead.

you should know his best move before even he knows it.