New but blunder way too much

Dear all,

I am 35, played chess all my life and now decided that i really wanted to improve my chess. So i figured out some openings i like, just so that i dont get crushed in the opening like the Zukertort, London System, Ruy Lopez and English for white and Sicilian, Ruy Lopez and Slav defense for  black. 

I train tactics every day on a website we all know (no not CT), but the puzzles are sometimes soo bad that you drop ELO points 200 on a day or given whim, making a psychological dent , causing you to tilt bad (i dropped from 1800 to 950 on one day after doing 3000 tactic puzzles, not really normal imo).

I play 5 minute games, bought some books to help me out with tactics (stappenmethode, chess tutor etc) but i keep on blundering on a whim, even in rocksolid openings like the Zukertort or sicilian, i fall for every trap in the book and keep on losing on a daily basis so i really felt the need to focus on stop blundering so much, without any avail (look at my 5 min rating and games for example, horrendous).

What can i do for a really focused study that really improves my chess? I am now planning to start all over with step 1 and practising this for one full year until i make zero mistakes and dont even have to think of it, but i think i am better than 700 ELO or something. Would coaching help me stop blundering and make stupid mistakes?

I keep on practising tactics on a daily basis , but in a real game i hardly see them. I dont get crushed in the opening unless i make a blunder (which i make), but it would really help to eeh... improve instead of being on a standstill or something  Any tips are very helpful

Would coaching help?

You managed to do 3000 tactics puzzles in a day???

5 minutes is often not sufficient time for players to think out the moves deep enough. You can consider trying out longer time controls like 60 minutes per side with 30 seconds increment since games with 5 minutes per side sounds too intensive for you. If this is too long, perhaps 15 minutes per side with 10 seconds increment can be considered. You will see a lowering of your blundering rates with longer time controls.

As for puzzles, you can also take some time to consider possible moves, as though you are playing an actual game. Imagine what your "opponent" would do, and from there you can then plan out a series of moves.

Dear,

Sorry, i didnt mean in one day , but i mean the ELO ratings can be as high or low as that in one day. I can go from 1700 to 1200 and back to 1600 drop down to 750 and go back to 1500 because all of a sudden i see everything, the next day i cant even see a mate in two or a hanging piece or something. There is like no consistency with me i think  

"... Overall, I would advise most players to stick to a fairly limited range of openings, and not to worry about learning too much by heart. ..." - FM Steve Giddins (2008)

"... thinking correctly in most positions takes time. Playing almost exclusively fast games obviously precludes practicing correctly, and so you will never get very good! Sure, fast games are fine for practicing openings (not the most important part of the game for most players) and possibly developing decent board vision and tactical 'shots', but the kind of thinking it takes to plan, evaluate, play long endgames, and find deep combinations is just not possible in quick chess. … for serious improvement ... consistently play many slow games to practice good thinking habits. ..." - NM Dan Heisman (2002)

https://web.archive.org/web/20140627052239/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman16.pdf

https://www.chess.com/article/view/how-to-start-out-in-chess

Thanks for the tips !!!  i will do 20 tactics a day, play some correspondence games to really think things trough and check if i blunder less this way.

Just think and think and make sure you play GOOD moves

Sure I have good days but I never have days where i blunder my queen 3 times.

And on tactics I remember dropping 300 points, from 2200 to 1900. I just thought fast and lost fast

Try the Woodpecker Method book by GM Axel Smith. The tactics will teach you certain things, help you recognize patterns etc. And every puzzle is chosen carefully, they aren't just random positions from games. On top of that, the point is to do the same puzzles again, but to do them faster, thus training yourself to recognize opportunities and improve your play.

https://www.qualitychess.co.uk/ebooks/WoodpeckerMethod-excerpt.pdf

Have you tried this study method, solving a set of tactic puzzles several times, faster and faster? Was it more effective than solving different puzzles every time?

i am working from start to finish now with step method and 5334 chess problems. I am taking my merry time, not going to a higher step until i make zero mistakes. Its just back to basics for me now, i need to really ingrain the very basic tactical patterns and i wont stop until i fully mastered step 1 until i move on, even if i am doing this for half a year

I didn't do it faster and faster, but I think solving different puzzles every time is much less effective than reviewing puzzles.

Back in the day when you did puzzles from books, I'd mark every puzzle I missed (and also any puzzle I found interesting). Then a few days later I'd try the missed puzzles again. This actually teaches you the patterns you're unfamiliar with.

For tactics training I also recommend giving up on a puzzle after 5-10 minutes.
For calculating training don't give up on a puzzle for 30 or more minutes

The step method... is that the series of workbooks in Dutch?

Plus the Polgar book?

That's not at all a bad way for an adult to begin IMO.

Unfortunately the beginning of chess, IMO, involves some rather tedious building of habits. If you love solving puzzles, then great! But if you're getting bored with it, be sure to mix in some stuff you enjoy, even if it's just silly blitz games.

Yes, thats the dutch series of workbooks, i have the selfstudy small versions of them, called Lekker Schaken and chess tutor 1,2,3 (which are the workbooks but as a computer program )  I am starting with step 1 and will be doing that, even if its half a year of solving mate in 1, taking unguarded pieces and defending exercises, just to get my brains really wired for more complicated stuff

From what I've seen I think that series is excellent

It is highly regarded, although chess tutor 4,5 are not available nor will they be  So im still looking for TASC program which has step 1 till 5 and someone who can sell it to me  

https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/2014/11/16/the-chess-steps/