Plans are usually based around pawn structures: Static features of the position. Which open files can you occupy with your rooks, can your knights be placed on advanced squares. I don't know anything more than very basic strategy yet, but it normally depends on which opening you play.
It's not very easy to put on simple terms but this may help as a general summary: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pawn_structure
This is a good website for tactics and mating motifs. http://www.chesstactics.org/
Scottrf, thank you. I'm at a library on campus at the moment and about to leave, but I'll check both of those links out when I get home and have more time. I appreciate the help.
The single greatest improvement mechanism is tactics. Think of tactics like basic training. If you were to compete in any sport at a high level you would have built up years of muscle memory, strength, speed, and endurance. In chess the only way I've ever found to do that is with tactics, with a gradually increasing difficulty, covering a wide range of beginnner anticipated situations (basic mates, pins, skews, etc). Think of Tactical training as your basic conditioning, you need to get your mind wired for chess, only way to do that is to go through basic training.
just play, you'll get better by just playing,
and do tactics. That should be enough untill you get to a level where neither you or your opponent will make downright blunders too much.
Do tactics puzzles! My game has certainly improved after using chess.com's Tactics Trainer and they do say that chess is 99% tactics! Try solving 10-20 puzzles on Tactics Trainer and it should help improve your game. Another good website to check out is: http://chesstempo.com/
Hope this helps!
study positional play.study games of capablanca,smyslov or botvinnik.
and of course with commentary to explain why they have made such moves.
you can find good books which has collected their games.or in you tube find their games with commentary.
I notice you're not a premium member--yet. If you can afford it, buy a membership and beat the h*** out of the tactics trainer. If you can REALLY afford it, go for the top tier and watch a lot of videos of famous games, annotated by some brilliant IMs and GMs.
However, if you can't afford it--and Lord knows that many can't today--look up Chess Tactics Server and sign up for a free membership. You can do thousands of puzzles, and it will track your progress. Also, go on YouTube and start exploring their chess offerings. You will find an incredible number of openings, annotated games, etc. for free. And they're entertaining.
I especially am fond of Mato Jelic. His annotated games are usually about 5 minutes long, but they're incredibly instructive. By contrast, the annotated games on chess.com run to about 25-40 minutes. They're certainly more in depth, but you can view 5 of Mato's in the same time.
Good luck, and have fun! You've a lifetime's worth of enjoyment here!
I first played chess when I was 8 (I'm 25 now). Only played once in a while at that time. Then I played again on a semi-regular basis in high school, as a diversion from paying attention in study hall.
More recently, I started playing online with a friend, and found that I absolutely love the game. I looked through a few games and was usually able to see why certain moves were made, but seldom able to see the best move before it was made.
I've started doing puzzles, and I've improved a bit, but aside from opening/development and trying to get checkmate when the board has cleared out a bit, I still find myself making somewhat arbitrary moves, never really having a larger goal in mind.
I have no idea how to actively work towards a situation where the opportunity to checkmate becomes more likely, aside from "take away pieces and make it hard for the opponent to move around," which seems kind of basic and vague.
Can someone give me advice on how to plan on a big larger scale/longer term than just pins and forks and such?
I feel like I understand (to a degree) how to use the "weapons," so to speak, but not where to aim them.
Hopefully I'm making sense and don't sound like an idiot.