Been Stuck At 700 For A Decade - Tips To Improve?

https://www.google.com/search?q=chess+books+for+beginners&oq=chess+books+for+beginners&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i60.14909j0j4&client=ms-android-huawei-rev1&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#scso=_t-aDXqaBGpSs0QTZ4qDgCw86:49.66666793823242

Separating the wheat from the chaff....

Good Chess Books for Beginners and Beyond...

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/good-chess-books-for-beginners-and-beyond

This sort of advice turns up regularly at chess.com, but it seems to me (an ~1500 player) to be a serious mistake. I realize that, at the very beginning, this advice may help one to win some games, but I don't think that one can progress very far in chess without coming up against the necessity of allowing unprotected pieces in order to accomplish much. Just take almost any serious chess game. Here is an example, taken from the writings of one of the early great chess teachers:

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1270339

Notice how White's f1 bishop is not protected on c4 from move 3 to move 9, and is again not protected on e6 for moves 17 and 18. For White's first ten moves, the a1 rook is left unprotected and then taken by Black. The c1 bishop is left unprotected on g5 for moves 13 through 17. The g1 knight is left unprotected by White on e5 for moves 14 through 16, at which point, Black takes it.

At a fairly early stage in one's development as a chess player, one has to get used to the idea of using pieces while they go unprotected. Without that idea, one will, with increasing frewquency, fall victim to players who are working on acquiring it.

And to a larger extent, you have to become comfortable with allowing counterplay. If you try to control the whole position all the time you'll only be able to win games where you were overwhelmingly ahead.

But again, that's running before you can walk. You don't teach the exceptions first. You teach the rules first... and first you should have the ability to not lose material to oversights.

After that you can work on the exceptions.

Not sure what you have in mind for beginners, but, to make sure that there is no misunderstanding, my opinion (as an ~1500 player) is that one should work on acquiring this ability by practicing the habit of keeping track of what might happen to unprotected pieces. One's game will be going very much in the wrong direction if one instead practices the unwise effort to keep everything protected.

Well, I've never seen the advice to keep everything protected all the time, but you said it turns up regularly, so I thought you meant something else.

I agree with you that trying to keep everything defended in every position isn't practical (but keeping almost everything defended in almost all positions can't be bad).

I hope that I do not seem like too much of a nervous nelly, but this also could turn into a bad habit, especially if you are not working on the acquisition of superior endgame skills. Some exchanges are helpful and some aren't.

As you can see, above, wheelsofconfusion referred to an attitude towards "all" wheelsofconfusion's "pieces". IM Jeremy Silman did not use that language when he wrote (in 2018),

"... Train yourself (and it’s not easy) to make sure your pieces are protected, …"

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

but it seems to me that his words could be seen as encouraging the sort of thinking referred to by wheelsofconfusion. I have written to IM Silman about this, but, so far, he does not seem to have been persuaded by my words, so, it appears that we are left to discourage the "all my pieces" idea on an individual basis.

Depends, I suppose, on what one means by "almost". It seems to me that, at nearly all levels, appropriate behavior is more aptly described as allowing pieces to go unprotected "a lot".

During a tactic or something, sure, but during normal maneuvers usually pieces stay in contact with each other. At least that's how I imagine it. I dunno, I never really paid much attention.

At the very least there's the old adage "loose pieces fall off"

Well, I can only suggest that you do pay attention, and see what language seems appropriate to you. In any event, neither wheelsofchance nor IM Silman wrote "almost".

Indeed there is, but I have always seen it as an admonishment to be alert to what might happen to unprotected pieces.

Meh, I don't think it's very important otherwise I would have looked at some games. OP already has too much advice as it is.

By the way, I already told him (post #77) that he doesn't have to defend every piece on every move.

That's an interesting way of looking at it.

I assume if we pulled up random GM games, only a few pieces for each side would be undefended in any position.

Like... usually 3 or less for each player.

Again, neither wheelsofchance nor IM Silman wrote "almost", so, for the moment, it is somewhat academic as to whether or not advice would work well for beginners with the word "almost" included. My guess is that many beginners would think of three unprotected pieces, at a time, as a "lot".

I think it was sometime last year that someone posted a game that went something like this: 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 b3 Nf6 4 Bc4. You can see how, for a beginner, the protection philosophy can go seriously awry.

Protecting pieces isn't advice that's meant to make you play well as much as it's advice to help you avoid poor moves. You have to start somewhere.

seems like you're a bit obsessed

The most prevalent "error" seen by players at 700 is they fail to observe the entire board having become too focused on a singular idea. Along with making most of their focus on their moves and not carefully regarding their opponents.  It's not necessarily that they are less able to analyze correctly compared to the next class of players, but rather they simply do not "see" or are unawares of possibility. Most chess moves are positional in nature - not tactical. 

As I've stated, it's learning motifs and being aware of possibility (the inherent power of each piece for every move which is ever changing.)  Often there are quite a few choices for good moves and sometimes only one move holds an entire position together. 

It's called tunnel vision. Sometimes all that's needed is more time for reflection, but if an element is being neglected and not known why - no amount of "tactics" practice will help. They become good puzzle solvers and bad players.

As I read it, you described it as "useful" to attempt to "defend every piece at every moment". That seems to me to have the potential to lead many beginners astray.