I am under 1200 and need ???? from my DHLC Chess Improvement group...

Many of the matches prepared on chess.com and of course here in our DHLC group, have in the criterion an "open" rating.  This means any rating is allowed to participate.  The good news is that more people can join and they fill up faster.  The bad news is that your opponent may be several hundred rating points above you or at least far enough away to take the sport out of the match.  Sure, some enjoy playing those players much higher rated, but that is not widely  common.  A downside of player someone much higher rated is the risk of not even getting out of the opening phase of the game before the game is lost or your position is dire.  Hence, you will often face very little middlegame activity and almost no endgame skills are practiced.  Personally, in the beginning  (ha! you say cuz I am old...but I only started serious chess about 10 years ago) I enjoyed playing those players closely rated to my level and felt almost embarrassed when having to face someone so highly rated.  I am sure I do not speak for you, but that is the purpose of this forum.  What say you?

We believe setting matches for certain rating ranges can be beneficial and fun.  We had hoped that a "Learn by Doing" series could be advantageous.  Additional, we had hoped to identify specific opening lines or "themes" for opening skills not to mention the opportunity to get to middlegame and endgame play.   So, your turn!  What would you like to see?  What openings are you interested in?  How would you like DHLC Chess Improvement to continue, that is, what activities may be helpful to you?  What things may help your participation? Goals, Aspirations, Dreams, Plans, Ideas, even Gripes!  Lay it down!

When I can, I sit with a friend and we play a famous game, say, for example, one of the Fischer - Spassky WC match games from move 20 or so, on... Wherever we feel like picking up the game. I am sure that someone more knowlegeable than I am would be able to define the point where the game began to lose equilibrium and  set an interesting starting point. I would really enjoy this, if anyone would be able to propose famous historic matches for us to pick up from some point in the middle of the game and maybe try for a different outcome. This would allow us  to study strategical and tactical ideas of the great masters and eventually get a grip on some very interesting middle game situations. What say you about this?

I sure did not mean to ignore you or your request.  I regret it has been a week! 

I am doing this with Skype and some close friends on Saturday mornings.  We are currently looking at games from the Zurich 1953 Candidate's Match.  It is very constructive and as you say, identify "our" thoughts and ideas first, then we spend the next Saturday looking at the "real" annotations from authors.  And yes, incredible instructive.

This could also be accomplished in a forum.  A game could be posted and discussed.   A forum, for example, "Famous Games Explored" could be launched with the idea of analyzing and comments. 

Good thought Pedro!

No ofense taken... Everybody has bad weeks and I wasn't even noticing that you hadn't answered yet. As for the method you propose, that is generally what I had in mind with the exception that I think we can roleplay the games from some point on, taking the places of actual contenders. Believe me when I say that amazingly different outcomes are achieved and sometimes we get immense intelectual pleasure out of building a strategy based on a game that someone else has already started... It's a completely different challenge and really makes you think about what both black and white have been doing so far, so that you can proceed with a correct logical approach and a sound strategic and tactical fit of your ideas on to a game that is already underway and has most imbalaces already in place. Do you think we should have a vote on what games to explore or, alternatively, we should create a proper form for members to fill in and allow anyone to create a sub topic in the forum for any game one wishes to see discussed and analised?  Meaning... Should we discuss one game at a time or a whole bundle of them?

You seem to have a pretty well established idea formulating and you can begin trying out in a forum.  See what you can materialize? 

I believe that some kind of rules or method would have to be established, and I would love to have some more people giving their input before moving into wasting time on something that will have no one else involved in. I will think about this and I will come up with a proper proposal in the next few days... That is... Unless you already have a well formulated work plan by then. This will also give some time to others to say something about this. I'll get back to this sometime during this week. Cheers.

Has anything materialized out of this? This is something which I would be interested in being a participant of.

I think there is a lot of benefit to pedrochora's idea, but it did not materialize.  I did begin "Vote Chess" which I may encourage you to participate!  Check it out!  Read the "how to" in the vote chess forum ---> https://www.chess.com/clubs/forum/view/vote-chess-4

Then, join the active games------>  https://www.chess.com/club/votechess/dhlc-chess-improvement

It is an excellent way to learn how to analyze and how to develop a "chess Conscience"!

I have Dan's book, "The World's Most Instructive Amateur GameBook"  which may be a great book for Your interest?  Hmmm....

I am not big on Vote Chess, perhaps other groups I have been in did them wrong. I will give it a try here. I have just always felt lost in what to play/moves to suggest.

I have that book of Dan's, will probably get to it Q4 of 2016. Currently reading "Is Your Move Safe?" and going to start going over (again, I have never gotten to far into it) Chernev's "Logical Chess".

Move by move is Excellent!  One of Dan's most recommended!