My goal for 2011 (I know it's still 2010 :)) is to get from 1800 to 2000. I've been 1800 for about two years now; for about 9 months, I hadn't studied chess or actively gone to tournaments. But since about 6 months ago, I've been very motivated and I need to improve. I am very focused and determined to reach this goal and improve at chess. I know I need to study hard and I am willing to study hard. However, I don't have a chess teacher and I cannot afford one. 

So that is basically why I am on here asking for advice. What do I need to improve on to reach 2000 from 1800? A little bit of everything (can you please list them?) or one particular thing (like positional chess for example)? Thank you so much! 

A diamond membership to chess dot com for Christmas? That might do the trick. But then you have to use it a couple of hours a day. 

When you analyze your losses, where are you making most of your mistakes?  That would probably be a good place to start.

The 1800s of today are the 1850s of the future

I agree with rigamagician - start by looking at your own games carefully.  Most players find themselves making the same sort of mistake in game after game, and so if they can eliminate or reduce that type of error, their rating just naturally goes up!

I suspect you already well beyond the simplest mistakes, like falling for obvious Knight forks.  What does cause you to lose?  For instance, if you lose by losing material and getting squeezed, you need to work on simple tactics so you don't lose the pawns or piece in the first place.  If you have good games but always lose in the endgame, obviously you need to work on your endings, etc.

Try to find a system that suits your personality and style. For example if you prefer a tactical game as opposed to a positional one, then play open games (Italian complex and most king pawn openings) and systems that meet your preference. If you prefer positional chess then look to play more closed games (Queen pawn and hypermodern). Lastly look over masters games of the styles you like to play. The time you spend looking over even 10 games a week will surely pay off in the long run.

If you're sure about not making simple blunders go for perfecting your openings most people make inaccuracies there

Well , some times its very difficult to advance further once you come to a certain rating. But keep on working hard and you will advance in the long run.

For my part I try to minimize my mistakes!

2 things come to mind:

1. Play a game with me so I can perhaps help you out, I have played chess for 50 years.

2. Reason for no1 above is you have joined this site 18 months ago and do not have a single game on record, so I can I analyze your style of play and openings you are playing.

The only suggestion I can give you at this point in time is limit your openings to 3 whites and 3 responses for blacks so not to get scattered too much in the openings and never know where you sit and what to play as you have then have too many rabbits to chase and will loose quite a few.

Sound advice. But, Noodlex, are you 1200 turn-based or 1800? I am puzzled.

 I agree with you

The question is rather strange. I can only assume that you have an USCF rating of 1800 since on here you have no games, meaning you must be in a chess club and active in tournaments. Ask the strong players from your club what they think are your weak points, then work on that (Or take up Pauls offer). Asking here with no games to show is probably not going to help much.

Thanks for all the responses. Sorry if I confused anyone; my rating is 1800 USCF. I go to OTB tournaments but I don't play on chess.com.

My biggest weakness right now is 1) I'm too passive 2) openings 3) Planning

I'm working on overcoming my passivity and taking initiative. I've decided on which openings to play and I'm learning those right now. I'm not sure if that will help, but I sure hope it will.

I'd say get a coach, if you have the money for it. Much easier to just have an expert tell you what you have to work on. And if there's none in your area, there's aplenty around the internet.

Be patient. A USCF rating of 1800 is strong for someone your age. When Jeremy Silman was your age, he played through massive numbers of Grandmaster games. Maybe that would help.

I don't know TC, I've been years and years at it and still haven't made 2000. I think that your performance in chess is very highly dictated by how early you learn and the resources available to you then. However this goes for everything else as well... so don't end up being a damn good chess player... and mediocre at everything else.

I have no doubt you'll reach 2000, when you reach that you'll wonder how to reach 2100, or 2200. If only you could reach 2200, then you'd be an excellent player and you'd be happy....  It's a bit like a carrot at the end of a stick.

One thing I learned not long ago, is that it pays to always think of what the other guy's moves are, even at the expense of your own moves. Try to forget about your own moves entirely in a blitz game or two and focus entirely on your opponent's next move. Then you shut off all his attacks and suddenly, the move/attack you should make becomes so clear that you can see it automatically, that's my plan sometimes anyway.  I think it works for me sometimes because otherwise I often fall into the trap of just thinking about my own moves, my own attacks, a sort of selfish thing, it's a bad trap to fall into. It takes a huge load off your mind when you are only focusing on his possible moves.... I don't know if it will work or be useful for you, it just works for me sometimes... you sort of eventually fall into finding your own good moves anyway, just not looking for them all the time. You might also notice him make a strange defensive move, sometimes weakening his position, when you had no intention of attacking like that while doing this... that's because he's still assuming you have ideas of attacking him. If you think about it you always need to give a certain amount of time to your moves and to his moves... that is my piece of advice for experimenting with anyway. 

good advice spaghettio thats the way petrosian used to play but he had an eye out for his own plans and tactics

(i think it's called prophylaxis when u prevent ur opponent from playing good moves (if u do that he has no choice but to play normal or bad moves))

but for that u need mega patience and practice basic and slightly complex endgames for this as it will usually transit into endgames if ur opponent plays correctly

My advice is: study your own games fisrt !! Try to find out where you are bad.
I studied famous Nimzowitsch My System and I can tell by chess get better.

If you think your opening is the thing you should practice, then select gradmasters games (let´s say 2500+) and go trough them. Try to understand every move in the opening, try figure out what was the plan and then aply it in your games. You should allwas have a plan! Not only in your games but also in your study.

For example:

Monday: 1 hour of opening
             0,5 hour of tactics
             0,5 hour of endgames

and so on ...

I had almost exact plan like that and I went from 1820 F to 2000F in about a year

Thanks for all of your responses! They are very helpful. I need to just study more.