I've been playing chess for a year now and am wondering how I'm doing. My online rating is about 1800. My live rating is lower, but should be higher. I only really use this when I'm too tired to think about my online chess, or to try new things out. Should I be higher? At this level what is important to learn or work on. I do some tactics training and a few of the mentor lessons. Should I be studying openings. I learn the basics from explorer but have never bought an opening book or anything.

Thanks in advance

Aidan,

What's your real objective with chess? Do you consider yourself serious about improving or do you really just want to play for fun? If you are serious, I think I have some good advice for you.

Hi Robert,

Well I would like to take it more seriously. One thing that I don't have a great amount of is time. I can usually spend a few hours with chess on my two days off. When I work I get the odd half an hour or maybe an hour here or there. My aim this year was to reach a steady 1900 in Online chess. I don't know if I consider myself serious. I enter tournaments with specific openings to try and learn them. I do some tactic training. Watch some videos, and when I get time I have a couple of books I study. 

Well, I used to be an English language instructor and there is one thisng that I can tell you without a doubt. The people who do better at learning ANYTHING practice or study on a daily basis. If you can find a way to do 10 tactics problems everyday, spend a few hours on your days off studying and find a few minutes some where in the week to review the main ideas of your studies, you will be doing well. As far as progress goes do not focus too much on the fluctuations in your rating, as long as it is generally headed up, that is fine. And it seems like that is the case. I also highly suggest reading this article for any person trying to improve.

http://www.chesscafe.com/text/real.txt

I try to re-read it at least once a month to remind me of what I need to be doing.

About your studies and tactics problems, think out of the box. If you have a smart phone or PDA you can use Pocket CT-Art or some other program. I leave home 10 minutes early so that I can arrive early and do a few problems in the morning before work. After work I sit for a few minutes in the parking lot and do a few more. I have an old pocket PC that I use for these. This is 20 minutes I dedicate to tactics daily and no body will ever stop me or interrupt me or probably even know unless they read this... ;-)

"Why are you leaving early/getting home a few minutes late?"

 "Traffic has changed and is getting thicker. I don't want to be late."

Thanks for your help Robert. I will have a look at that link you sent me and just keep doing what I am doing then. 

that just brightened my day

You might work through "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess" to pull the whole thing together. It's available on Amazon.com at various prices depending on what kind of a copy you want.