How do you improve your rating by 100 points quickly?

Hi, I've been stuck at 1700 USCF rating for a while, and I would like to push it to 1800. Does anyone know an efficient way to improve? (without tactics training?) Preferably 1800+ USCF responses!

Thanks!

A 1600-1700 rating is almost strong enough to start studying Pawn structure and the effect that it has on your choice of a strategic plan. I would still suggest that you give top priority to Model Mates, basic tactical elements, and combinations.

I am not 1700+ by a long shot, but play against stronger opponents. I am 1074 and my average opponent's rating is 1300 something and my rating has gone up after i started playing people better than me (yes, 1074 is improved from my former rating.)

Beginners have different needs from intermediates.  You need to learn not to hang pieces and calculate all checks, captures, threats, and ask yourself who stands better, by how much, and why.  You may ask, "but how do I evaluate if I don't know what to look for!"  That's where positional study comes into play.  Just study basics such as weak squares and pawns, strengths and weaknesses of pieces (e.g., bishops being stronger generally than knights, being even stronger in an endgame as they can control both flanks, bishop without a counterpart, play where your bishops point to, rooks needing open lines, a knight on the sixth especially on a central outpost like e6 is usually worth sacrificing a rook for, bishops being defenders of weak squares, etc), and of course tactics. 

As for the intermediate here's what Heisman recommends:

-B-players have the rudiments of better play but jump around too much and don't consider all key possibilities in a reasonable order.

-B-players play a winning idea as soon as they think they see it!  GM Lev Alburt says, "If you see a critical move you think wins you should think long and hard on it".  In other words slow down and take your time.

-B-players analyze various candidates then return to their final move without making sure it's good, and sometimes even at least safe.  Remember: your opponent is going to try defeating your move!

While the next advice is from the expert section B-players can benefit too:

-Study annotated master games, as the noted difference between experts and masters regarding planning and judgment is high.  Also, like Builderboss said above, Heisman recommends hanging with stronger players, play chess with them, and analyze games with them. 

Go up 100 points. Oh yeah, and like AlyssaaS said, win some games. That usually does the trick.

So true !

Seriously analyse your games, preferably with the help of a stronger player, to find your weaknesses. Then work very hard to improve the weak part of your play.

a good suggestion!

Play serious games, against strong opposition (~200 points above you is best). Lots. Always try to play your best. Getting used to the higher level is half the battle.

After that, it depends on the reason why you aren't 1700 yet. What's going wrong? Besides tactics, I think the main problem with 1700s is that they don't play ambitiously enough. They play "solid" moves when there is no threat. They don't realize the danger they're in when, say, the opponent has a big pawn center but lags behind in development a tiny bit (undermine it __now__). And they think pawn structure is the most sacred thing of all, never taking on a doubled or isolated pawn even when that's the perfectly normal thing to do. Forget about pawn structure, relearn it when you're 1900...

Piece activity compensates bad pawn structure, good advice. 

I think that you have to find in which part of the game you aren't so good,(eg endgame, tactics etc) and why you lose games. Then try to emphasise on these parts and you will see your rating growing up. Also play against better oponnents !! Hope I helped you

Good luck!!

This position still confuses me:

Since we can't say tactics, I'd go with endgames. that's cheating a bit, but I think brutal calculation skills are still the most useful.

Analysing your own games is a great one as well, especially look at situations where you felt unconfortable and positions which you misevaluated.

Not that I follow my own advice lol, I still feel completely uncomfortable at move 1, 2 or 3 in a lot of games. like '1.c4, well I hope he transposes into the KI, and it'd better not be that saemisch'

I didn't get it, can you please explain it ? Is endgame study cheating ?

Study some good books and cut back drastically on posting.  Very Simple.

But you already know this, obviously.  So why the dumb question?

Ah no, don't mean it in that way :)

My first advice would have been tactics, because I think getting better at calculations and recognising patterns is the easies way to improve.

Since OP mentioned 'no tactics' I kind off cheated and put endgames there, because it's mostly about calculating and pattern recognition as well

In the second position, black wants to attack white's pawn on e4, but the immediate ...Bf8 is answered with Bf3. By playing ...c5 first, white's knight has to go there so that there isn't such a good way to defend e4, or to b3 where it's a bit misplaced.

Whereas at move 4, there's no real point and white can still decide what his favourite setup against ...c5 is going to be.

I think. I've never played these positions...

I think saying no tactics is like saying no punching in boxing.

Ok ! I would have also suggest tactics, but for the same reason I haven't !!

This might not a popular answer, but If you want to go up in USCF rating without studying, move to the sticks.  Ratings are inflated in small communities.  An 1800 in Wyoming and an 1800 in San Francisco are two entirely different animals.