What to study for what rating range?

For a while now, I've been trying to improve my chess game. I do this by watching youtube movies (for example John Bartholomew, Yasser Seirawan), reading "random" articles on the internet I come across, playing daily chess games on chess.com (preferably against players who are rated a bit higher than me), analysing my games, and also occassionaly using the tactics trainer.

Also, I've bought the following books (of which I've read somewhere online that they're good study material) which I haven't devoted a lot of time to yet:

- Antonio Gude - A complete chess course

- Jesus de la Villa - 100 endgames you must know

- Aron Nimzovich - My System

- John Emms - The ultimate chess puzzle book

- Jeremy Silman - The Amateur's Mind

- Jeremy Silman - How to reassess your chess

The problem I come across, though, is that in many of the movies, articles and book sequences I study, I have the feeling that either I already know what is being told, or that it is aimed at people who already understand a lot of things that I don't.

Of course, I learn some things from studying, but for me it would be quite helpful to get some advice that is specifically aimed at my current level of play and the mistakes I make during my games.

Could anyone help me?

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I will be analyzing your games.  And, connecting to what you are currently learning.

For now just know that your main goal for studying chess is to build a visualization pattern memory bank in your brain.  If you don't know  what that is don't worry I will explain.  I will post again when I am done analyzing your games.

After a quick look at a few of your games, first of all you make too many sloppy mistakes such as leaving hanging pieces and even a checkmate in one. I've done a few myself recently, it's just rushing moves with me, it's easy to concentrate on what you're doing and neglect what your opponent is up to, make sure all your pieces are protected or you'll lose them sooner or later. In the longer term, you need to concentrate on your position and pawn structure, (you just seem to be "going for it" at the moment and don't seem to have a plan) create past pawns, make weaknesses in your opponents position then target them, establish knights on outpost etc. don't move a pawn without thinking does it leave a weakness in my position? restict your opponents pieces bit by bit, I would start looking along these lines and you'll definitely improve.

Krudsparov is pretty accurate in assessment of your games.  I see you played a lot of games in the standard time control  or longer.  That is a good thing.  What you need now is not the same old advice that you have gotten in the past  and just  got from krudsparov.

I will start by telling you that your main goal in studying chess is to build  a memory bank in your brain of visualization patterns.

Let's start with tactics.  By using the  method that I will detail  for you  at the end  of  one month when you look at a chess position, if there is a tactic in the position it will jump up off the board and smack you on the forehead in a flash.

Get a book of tactics.  Do not use the internet tactics sites. Start with the first diagram in the book.  Use a timer to give yourself 3  minutes to examine the diagram.  At the end of the 3 minutes, go to the back of the book and see if you got the solution  right.  If you got it right mark the diagram with a check, if  you got it wrong mark the diagram with an X.  Do not linger.  Move on to the next diagram and repeat the process.  Do 20 diagrams which will take you about an hour.  Do this everyday.  When working on your tactics DO NOT use a  chessboard  and pieces.  Use  only the book and  the diagram and do all the calculations in your head.  Please do this exactly as I described it for one month.  I promise you at the end of the month whenever you look at a position and it has a tactic(s) in it.  It will jump up off the board and smack you on the forehead in a flash!  I promise you it will!!!

In the meantime with another post shortly I will begin explaining about something called  Siege Warfare.  And, also about the opening, middlegame, and endgame visualization pattern memory banks that you have to build in  to your brain.  A step by step  how to explanation.  I will post again soon.

The green indicator on your icon tells me that you are online.  However, you may have stepped away from your computer.  Until I receive an acknowledgement  post from you I will not be posting again.

"When working on your tactics DO NOT use a  chessboard  and pieces.  Use  only the book and  the diagram and do all the calculations in your head."

Hi Fields of Force,

I was just curious about your counsel.  I have read or heard somewhere that it's better to set up the pieces and the board physically than to look at diagrams.

Being a lazy and/or impatient guy, I would rather just look at diagrams.  But the reasoning that was provided was that when you see the pieces and position in 3D, it gets engraved in your brain better.  And that seems like a reasonable point.

So when I read your counsel, it's diametrically the opposite.  Can you elaborate on why you think it's far better to work from diagrams when solving tactics problems?

Much Thanks in Advance. 

You are splitting hairs.  The brain that has a full visualization pattern memory bank will perceive the tactic(s) jumping off of a 3d board or a 2d diagram  and smacking it on the forehead in a flash! the same way.  I know I don't notice any difference and I was taught by GM Ron Henley, NM Gary Sanders and several other IMs.

In case you don't know who GM Ron Henley is, he was chosen by WCC Anatoly Karpov to be his second for his WCC match in New York, 1990 against Garry Kasparov.

Thanks for the reply, Fields of Force.  I was just trying to reconcile the counsel I read before with yours.

I vastly appreciate your post in comment #4.

Thanks.  The other reason for not using a physical  board and pieces  is  that in a real game you cannot touch or move the pieces.  Also it is  very easy to get distracted  with  some  particularly interesting tactical position moving the pieces around.  That is  not good for strengthening your mental calculation skills.  In order to be a strong player you should be able  to read  a chess book without the aid of a physical chess board and pieces.

And the  reason for internet tactics site is because many of them have hint buttons that are too tempting to click for the correct answer before you have used  the entire 3 minutes to find the answer for yourself.

And my old coach told me to use a real board, and pieces if i couldnt solve the tactic in 2-3 minutes.

Well I guess your old coach considers himself a stronger player than GM Ron Henley.  Or  maybe that is  just how he was taught.  Solving the tactic after 3 minute time limit is a waste of time.  You are trying to build visualization pattern memory banks into your brain.  If you got it wrong and marked the diagram with an X when you come back to that diagram in the second  go round of  that section you will remember  the tactic visualization pattern from having looked at the solution from the first go round of the section in the book.

Arie -

Here's a recommendation not based on "pattern visualization" mumbo-jumbo...

Study good chess books appropriate for your current understanding and skill level...you are between beginner and intermediate level player....

You should be studying chess fundamentals - opening principles, tactics, endgame fundamentals, instructive annotated chess games, and are now at a point where you can begin study of positional chess concepts.....

 Regarding positional chess concepts. I recommend to start with...

"Weapons of Chess" by Bruce Pandolfini.....

It is an introduction to the basic elements of positional chess concepts and techniques...

https://www.amazon.com/Weapons-Chess-Omnibus-Strategies-Fireside/dp/0671659723/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1491001954&sr=8-1&keywords=weapons+of+chess

Follow "Weapons...." with...

"Simple Chess" by Michael Stean......

This builds on the lessons presented in "Weapons...." by presenting practical examples of positional chess concepts as employed in Grandmaster games...

https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Chess-New-Algebraic-Dover/dp/0486424200/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1491002016&sr=1-1&keywords=simple+chess

The following list contains many very instructive books dealing with chess fundamentals, appropriate for your level....

Good Chess Books for Beginners and Beyond....

https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-equipment/good-chess-books-for-beginners-and-beyond?page=1#comment

Solving tactics using physical board, interactive tactics chess apps or website, does slows down the intermediate player to progress to advanced player. I beat players with high tactics trainer ratings. I no longrr use tactics trainer or chess tempo.

Possibly of interest:
Simple Attacking Plans by Fred Wilson (2012)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708090402/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review874.pdf
https://www.newinchess.com/Shop/Images/Pdfs/7192.pdf
Logical Chess: Move by Move by Irving Chernev (1957)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708104437/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/logichess.pdf
The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played by Irving Chernev (1965)
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/most-instructive-games-of-chess-ever-played/
Winning Chess by Irving Chernev and Fred Reinfeld (1949)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708093415/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review919.pdf
Back to Basics: Tactics by Dan Heisman (2007)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708233537/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review585.pdf
Discovering Chess Openings by GM John Emms (2006)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627114655/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen91.pdf
Openings for Amateurs by Pete Tamburro (2014)
http://kenilworthian.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-of-pete-tamburros-openings-for.html
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/openings-for-amateurs/
https://www.mongoosepress.com/excerpts/OpeningsForAmateurs%20sample.pdf

Chess Endgames for Kids by Karsten Müller (2015)

https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/chess-endgames-for-kids/
http://www.gambitbooks.com/pdfs/Chess_Endgames_for_Kids.pdf
A Guide to Chess Improvement by Dan Heisman (2010)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708105628/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review781.pdf

Seirawan stuff

http://seagaard.dk/review/eng/bo_beginner/ev_winning_chess.asp?KATID=BO&ID=BO-Beginner
https://www.chess.com/article/view/book-review-winning-chess-endings
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627132508/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen173.pdf
http://www.nystar.com/tamarkin/review1.htm

@fieldsofforce - What is your experience which makes you more of an expert than others on this site? I know many people that are rated 1800+ (in real life, both USCF and FIDE including a 2000+ FIDE) that do not agree with you on some of your points. What is your official rating (with a way for us to verify) - either USCF or FIDE - and how long have you been coaching?
I notice you have no activity here except 2 lesson completed mid-2016.
Just wondering what kind of experience you have so that we can judge how effective your method is over some others that are strong players.

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Let me begin by telling you this much:

So, you have no way for us to verify the validity of your "system". 

You are deflecting. You can repeat all the stuff you want but until you can offer proof that it works, it is just a bunch of hot air.

Again, what is your official rating and a way for us to verify it (member id for either USCF or FIDE)? 

Where did you live in Orlando? What is the address and when did you live there? 

The system is not mine.  It is My System, by Aaron Nimzowitsch.

I lived in Orlando from 1972 to 1982.

You can ask almost any GM if the system works.

My anonymity is part of my teaching stick.  Just like you are intrigued that a  player rated  1200 with no games played can have the knowledge of at least a strong expert maybe a master, many others on  this site are intrigued  also.

I am Batman.  I just  want to help  chess  players with their  questions.  I like to give insight shortcuts to their problems with the game.  Ex. Do you know when the opening ends and the middle game begins.

The answer is when White or Black makes the first move  of the middle game plan of attack.  It is usually a pawn break move at a strategic point(s) in the pawn structure, that is a liberating move or an attack into the opponent's position.  A pawn break is when 2 opposing pawns stand in mutual capture  positions.  that means that the  white  pawn can capture the black pawn and vice versa.

That is how you know that the opening is over and the middle game has begun, 

Still deflecting. Where did you live in Orlando? I lived in Orlando from 1970 to 1986, perhaps we were neighbors during that time. If you lived there for that long you surely rememebr the address, and nearby landmarks. Was it Henleys house in Orlando? 

What is your name and rating? 

Anyone can pull info off the internet about GMs. Until you post real facts about yourself you are a fraud and any advice you give to people is suspect ar best. 

Your anonymity is part if your schtick that is for sure. 

(BTW, if you do not want to post your credentials, PM them to me. I will not post them here, just a retraction if they prove out correct - although not sure why posting where you lived in Orlando 30-40 years ago is so hard.)

Ok, what is the address that you lived at in Orlando from 1970 -1986?

Gm Ron Henley was  extremely strong.  He  had already  completed his norms for the IM title, and completed 1 Gm Norm out of 3 required to get the GM title.

I owned the house and Ron was a prodigy friend staying as a guest in my home.