As above if you always end your logic with opponents best move, it's pretty hard to get stalemate! It's having the discipline to always do it that's hard.
Stuck at 950-1000 rating

One good tip. Do NOT stalemate Queen + King vs King endings or other completely won situations.
I myself apparently have not completely learnt this lesson yet. And I have had multiple players also stalemate their won endings so I am not the only one making these amazingly stupid mistakes.
Stalemating with K & Q is easy to do if you are just moving piece without considering your opponent's response.
But all you have to do is be extremely strict with yourself and always ask -- before every move: does my opponent have a legal move after this?
(After all, for any move in any situation, one needs to ask "what's are my opponent's responses?" -- it would seem that asking "does he even have a move?" would be even easier. If you remember to do it!)
You may be at your maximum playing abillity. Sometimes, the truth hurts. Just keep playing for enjoyment and maybe, just maybe, you might improve albeit very slowly.

I have been playing chess daily for more than 4 months now. But no matter how hard I try I am still stuck around 950-1000 rating. Sometimes I do manage to go over 1000 but I can't keep up my rating. I play mostly 10minutes rapid games and use Ruy Lopez (exchange variation) and Caro Kann as my openings. I used to practice tactics daily but lately because of rating I feel less and less motivated to play any tactics. Any tips on overcoming this? I just turned 30, so could this be the end of the road?
you might be overplaying.
Quit playing for 3-weeks/1-month, I think that could help.

You may be at your maximum playing abillity. Sometimes, the truth hurts. Just keep playing for enjoyment and maybe, just maybe, you might improve albeit very slowly.
Well that's certainly pessimistic! I think pretty much everybody who can reduce blunders and tactical mistakes can easily get to 1100 or 1200

One good tip. Do NOT stalemate Queen + King vs King endings or other completely won situations.
I myself apparently have not completely learnt this lesson yet. And I have had multiple players also stalemate their won endings so I am not the only one making these amazingly stupid mistakes.
Stalemates that happen when I have a huge advantage are the second most frustrating thing about chess, in my opinion. The most frustrating thing is when I have a huge advantage and I fall for some checkmate all of a sudden or that sort of thing.

I have been playing chess daily for more than 4 months now. But no matter how hard I try I am still stuck around 950-1000 rating. Sometimes I do manage to go over 1000 but I can't keep up my rating. I play mostly 10minutes rapid games and use Ruy Lopez (exchange variation) and Caro Kann as my openings. I used to practice tactics daily but lately because of rating I feel less and less motivated to play any tactics. Any tips on overcoming this? I just turned 30, so could this be the end of the road?
Yes, end of the road take up solitaire or collecting stamps

I have been playing chess daily for more than 4 months now. But no matter how hard I try I am still stuck around 950-1000 rating. Sometimes I do manage to go over 1000 but I can't keep up my rating. I play mostly 10minutes rapid games and use Ruy Lopez (exchange variation) and Caro Kann as my openings. I used to practice tactics daily but lately because of rating I feel less and less motivated to play any tactics. Any tips on overcoming this? I just turned 30, so could this be the end of the road?
you might be overplaying.
Quit playing for 3-weeks/1-month, I think that could help.
that is true sometimes, we saturate our brains especially when we try to hard

I have been playing chess daily for more than 4 months now. But no matter how hard I try I am still stuck around 950-1000 rating. Sometimes I do manage to go over 1000 but I can't keep up my rating. I play mostly 10minutes rapid games and use Ruy Lopez (exchange variation) and Caro Kann as my openings. I used to practice tactics daily but lately because of rating I feel less and less motivated to play any tactics. Any tips on overcoming this? I just turned 30, so could this be the end of the road?
Yes, end of the road take up solitaire or collecting stamps
That may not be the case... But if you quit playing, then you're definitely not going to get better!

One good tip. Do NOT stalemate Queen + King vs King endings or other completely won situations.
I myself apparently have not completely learnt this lesson yet. And I have had multiple players also stalemate their won endings so I am not the only one making these amazingly stupid mistakes.
Omg LOL
Remember: Always move your queen at knight distance, copying all the moves, until the king is left with 2 squares to move to.
Move your king gradually up the board, then prepare for checkmate!
I know how to do it, but still sometimes manage to make a mistake. I have done it multiple times and practiced it and all, but I get excited about winning and BOOM, i make a mistake.
Same thing seems to happen to many people also rated 1000-1300 so it's not only me.
It's just a real lesson to be learnt to always make ABSOLUTELY sure you do not stalemate.
One easy way to do it is the way you do the king/rook checkmate. Easy to learn and it works with both the rook and queen. (obviously since they move the same)
One good tip. Do NOT stalemate Queen + King vs King endings or other completely won situations.
I myself apparently have not completely learnt this lesson yet. And I have had multiple players also stalemate their won endings so I am not the only one making these amazingly stupid mistakes.
Omg LOL
Remember: Always move your queen at knight distance, copying all the moves, until the king is left with 2 squares to move to.
Move your king gradually up the board, then prepare for checkmate!
I know how to do it, but still sometimes manage to make a mistake. I have done it multiple times and practiced it and all, but I get excited about winning and BOOM, i make a mistake.
Same thing seems to happen to many people also rated 1000-1300 so it's not only me.
It's just a real lesson to be learnt to always make ABSOLUTELY sure you do not stalemate.
One easy way to do it is the way you do the king/rook checkmate. Easy to learn and it works with both the rook and queen. (obviously since they move the same)
This would be the easy way to stalemate with Q+K.
If you put your Q (protected by your King on E6) on F7 and the opponent's King moves from G8 to H8. You have to move your Q to E7 to allow the king a legal move back to G8. Or it will be stalemate.
With Rook and King the Rook can stay at F7 because the King is able to move back and forth between H8 and G8. Your Rook does not take away the G8 square when on F7, but your Queen does.
These two pieces do not move the same. The Queen moves also diagonally.
My new rule is Queen stays on D or E file and 2nd or 7th rank and Rook stays on C or F file and 2nd or 7th rank until the King (or both Kings) is where it needs to be and it's time for the final checkmate move.

One good tip. Do NOT stalemate Queen + King vs King endings or other completely won situations.
I myself apparently have not completely learnt this lesson yet. And I have had multiple players also stalemate their won endings so I am not the only one making these amazingly stupid mistakes.
Omg LOL
Remember: Always move your queen at knight distance, copying all the moves, until the king is left with 2 squares to move to.
Move your king gradually up the board, then prepare for checkmate!
I know how to do it, but still sometimes manage to make a mistake. I have done it multiple times and practiced it and all, but I get excited about winning and BOOM, i make a mistake.
Same thing seems to happen to many people also rated 1000-1300 so it's not only me.
It's just a real lesson to be learnt to always make ABSOLUTELY sure you do not stalemate.
One easy way to do it is the way you do the king/rook checkmate. Easy to learn and it works with both the rook and queen. (obviously since they move the same)
This would be the easy way to stalemate with Q+K.
If you put your Q (protected by your King on E6) on F7 and the opponent's King moves from G8 to H8. You have to move your Q to E7 to allow the king a legal move back to G8. Or it will be stalemate.
With Rook and King the Rook can stay at F7 because the King is able to move back and forth between H8 and G8. Your Rook does not take away the G8 square when on F7, but your Queen does.
These two pieces do not move the same. The Queen moves also diagonally.
My new rule is Queen stays on D or E file and 2nd or 7th rank and Rook stays on C or F file and 2nd or 7th rank until the King (or both Kings) is where it needs to be and it's time for the final checkmate move.
it wont stalemate if you do it right... and jesus christ everyone here knows they don't move exactly the same, what I meant (quite obviously) was that they both move forward backward/side to side, so it works with both. You are just trying to find any way you could possibly contradict me. Although I don't really know why. I'm rated 1200, which isn't huge or anything but I know how the pieces move.

https://www.chess.com/game/live/35770057083
I do the rook/king checkmate with a king/queen in this game, pretty much a guaranteed win if you do it right and have enough time. I almost didn't in this game, though before someone points it out I know I didn't actually do well in this game, I'm just using the checkmate as an example.
https://www.chess.com/game/live/35770057083
I do the rook/king checkmate with a king/queen in this game, pretty much a guaranteed win if you do it right and have enough time. I almost didn't in this game, though before someone points it out I know I didn't actually do well in this game, I'm just using the checkmate as an example.
No need to get offended, I was just pointing out that it can not be done the exact same way or it may stalemate. And I pointed out the difference in the way the pieces move, because that is the very reason it will stalemate with the queen in the situation I described and not with the rook.
I am also able to do it, have done it in multiple games with both rook and queen, but it is still possible to get excited and make a mistake. That it is why I now do the drill with both rook and queen at least once a day. So I will never mess it up a again.
i would also like to point out that everyone also probably knows how to not hang pieces, yet they still hang pieces. Pretty much everyone knows how to checkmate when there is a mate in one, yet sometimes miss it. And so on and so on.
Just that you know how to do something does not always mean that you successfully do it in a game.
One good tip. Do NOT stalemate Queen + King vs King endings or other completely won situations.
I myself apparently have not completely learnt this lesson yet. And I have had multiple players also stalemate their won endings so I am not the only one making these amazingly stupid mistakes.
Omg LOL
Remember: Always move your queen at knight distance, copying all the moves, until the king is left with 2 squares to move to.
Move your king gradually up the board, then prepare for checkmate!
I know how to do it, but still sometimes manage to make a mistake. I have done it multiple times and practiced it and all, but I get excited about winning and BOOM, i make a mistake.
Same thing seems to happen to many people also rated 1000-1300 so it's not only me.
It's just a real lesson to be learnt to always make ABSOLUTELY sure you do not stalemate.
One easy way to do it is the way you do the king/rook checkmate. Easy to learn and it works with both the rook and queen. (obviously since they move the same)
This would be the easy way to stalemate with Q+K.
If you put your Q (protected by your King on E6) on F7 and the opponent's King moves from G8 to H8. You have to move your Q to E7 to allow the king a legal move back to G8. Or it will be stalemate.
With Rook and King the Rook can stay at F7 because the King is able to move back and forth between H8 and G8. Your Rook does not take away the G8 square when on F7, but your Queen does.
These two pieces do not move the same. The Queen moves also diagonally.
My new rule is Queen stays on D or E file and 2nd or 7th rank and Rook stays on C or F file and 2nd or 7th rank until the King (or both Kings) is where it needs to be and it's time for the final checkmate move.
it wont stalemate if you do it right... and jesus christ everyone here knows they don't move exactly the same, what I meant (quite obviously) was that they both move forward backward/side to side, so it works with both. You are just trying to find any way you could possibly contradict me. Although I don't really know why. I'm rated 1200, which isn't huge or anything but I know how the pieces move.
Of course it will not stalemate if you do it right. Just like you will never lose a game if you always play the best move and never make any mistakes.

One good tip. Do NOT stalemate Queen + King vs King endings or other completely won situations.
I myself apparently have not completely learnt this lesson yet. And I have had multiple players also stalemate their won endings so I am not the only one making these amazingly stupid mistakes.
Omg LOL
Remember: Always move your queen at knight distance, copying all the moves, until the king is left with 2 squares to move to.
Move your king gradually up the board, then prepare for checkmate!
I know how to do it, but still sometimes manage to make a mistake. I have done it multiple times and practiced it and all, but I get excited about winning and BOOM, i make a mistake.
Same thing seems to happen to many people also rated 1000-1300 so it's not only me.
It's just a real lesson to be learnt to always make ABSOLUTELY sure you do not stalemate.
One easy way to do it is the way you do the king/rook checkmate. Easy to learn and it works with both the rook and queen. (obviously since they move the same)
This would be the easy way to stalemate with Q+K.
If you put your Q (protected by your King on E6) on F7 and the opponent's King moves from G8 to H8. You have to move your Q to E7 to allow the king a legal move back to G8. Or it will be stalemate.
With Rook and King the Rook can stay at F7 because the King is able to move back and forth between H8 and G8. Your Rook does not take away the G8 square when on F7, but your Queen does.
These two pieces do not move the same. The Queen moves also diagonally.
My new rule is Queen stays on D or E file and 2nd or 7th rank and Rook stays on C or F file and 2nd or 7th rank until the King (or both Kings) is where it needs to be and it's time for the final checkmate move.
it wont stalemate if you do it right... and jesus christ everyone here knows they don't move exactly the same, what I meant (quite obviously) was that they both move forward backward/side to side, so it works with both. You are just trying to find any way you could possibly contradict me. Although I don't really know why. I'm rated 1200, which isn't huge or anything but I know how the pieces move.
Of course it will not stalemate if you do it right. Just like you will never lose a game if you always play the best move and never make any mistakes.
There's NO WAY to avoid the Checkmate if you do it right, so why are you arguing? It's not hard, in fact it's extremely easy! It's just a system of moves, Chess as a game, is not just a system, that's what makes it great to play. It's not a fair comparison to show a single system after you've been given an advantage to the entire game.
One good tip. Do NOT stalemate Queen + King vs King endings or other completely won situations.
I myself apparently have not completely learnt this lesson yet. And I have had multiple players also stalemate their won endings so I am not the only one making these amazingly stupid mistakes.
Omg LOL
Remember: Always move your queen at knight distance, copying all the moves, until the king is left with 2 squares to move to.
Move your king gradually up the board, then prepare for checkmate!
I know how to do it, but still sometimes manage to make a mistake. I have done it multiple times and practiced it and all, but I get excited about winning and BOOM, i make a mistake.
Same thing seems to happen to many people also rated 1000-1300 so it's not only me.
It's just a real lesson to be learnt to always make ABSOLUTELY sure you do not stalemate.