You're absolutely right. The evolution of online tactic puzzles and trainers featuring tens of thousands of problems has revolutionized the way chess is studies especially with younger kids. I've seen kids who as soon as they graduate from scholastic tournaments and start playing adult club players they pull off a string of upsets and their ratings soar like 400-600 points in a year while the old timers are getting pulled down to their rating floors.
1950ish to 2200 in three summers
You're absolutely right. The evolution of online tactic puzzles and trainers featuring tens of thousands of problems has revolutionized the way chess is studies especially with younger kids. I've seen kids who as soon as they graduate from scholastic tournaments and start playing adult club players they pull off a string of upsets and their ratings soar like 400-600 points in a year while the old timers are getting pulled down to their rating floors.
Nice to know misterbasic. 
Again, just to reiterate, if I were to get better I would have to focus on tactics. I started just doing so a week ago! Also reading this article is a nice booster to my confidence. This explains how vehement I may have come across as. 
In conclusion, I have had a pretty good positional grasp recently, though have neglected my tactics. Though some people might be neglecting their positional knowledge (like you).
In ultimate conclusion, chess is a mixture of TACTICS and Strategy. Balacing the two makes definite improvement!
Scott fox I just signed in chesstempo. Last question
: do you solve blitz tactics or standard tactics? Or both?
Scott fox I just signed in chesstempo. Last question : do you solve blitz tactics or standard tactics? Or both?
Only Standard. Blitz does not help you much. Btw, my chesstempo.com username is: positionalace.
Scott fox I just signed in chesstempo. Last question : do you solve blitz tactics or standard tactics? Or both?
Btw, my chesstempo.com username is: positionalace.
The irony.
Scott fox I just signed in chesstempo. Last question : do you solve blitz tactics or standard tactics? Or both?
Btw, my chesstempo.com username is: positionalace.
The irony.
Yeah lol. ![]()
I am going to beat you in a official tournament if you only train tactics. Even you are a USCF National Master. Trust me.
Guess he had already good knowledge of the game (he started at 1950)
This is another one of those..."I did it this way, so it must be good!" Only we didn't have a control group...so really we haven't learned much of anything.
Another one who did that "tactis is the thing" thing was Michael de la maza, he even wrote a book about it ("Rapid chess improvement") only to drive beginners crazy trying to improve following his method and not being able to
Just for the record, what age are you? I did not get it. I know someone on this forum who would be interested in your improvement. He worries excessively that his age is big for improvement. He is only 18.
Hi there. I just turned 21. I was 18 when I started doing this training method and was only 1900 (thus the three years it took me to get to 2200). Hopefully I can keep improving and maybe get to FM or IM in a couple years. Then I would like to become a Grandmaster after than (tough goal I know). So an 18 year old should not get worried about his age although maybe he is a little old if he wants to become like world champion or something.
9 years later, and now you should be almost 30 years old, yet you still are only a measly NM (not to downplay your still extraordinary achievement) chess improvement really is ridiculously tough at the 2200+ level...
congrats!
Thanks! Question: Since you are a titled player do you know how long this title id thing works? I sent mine in 3 days ago and haven't got a response yet.