Beginner looking for advice.

Hey!

I'm a beginner that recently started playing chess.

These are the books I have read:

Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess

Pandolfini's ultimate guide to chess

Chess Tactics for Champions by Susan Polgar

Winning Chess by Irving Chernev

I have an elo rating of 1520 on chesstempo standard tactics.

I'm wondering how I should progress? I barely know anything about the endgame, the middle game, and the opening. Which one should I study first? I haven't played any games? Should I play games or should I just keep practicing tactics on chesstempo. Should I play against a computer or online? Are there any books I should read? Please give me advice.

Thank you!

I think you should also play some games.

Play games, dont be afraid of losing, it is a learning process, 

Quote: "Play the Opening like a book, the middlegame like a magician, and the endgame like a machine"

Your avatar is funny

 @op.

that's a heck of a reading list for a beginner.

you're just immersed in good advice.  it will be interesting to see your rating once you start playing.

if you are reading all that, that you shouldn't need to worry about obsessing about a single topic.  slowly work on everything.

now onto you questions.  my answers will be in italics....

• Haven't played any games?   You must play chess games to get good at chess.
• continuing to practice chesstempo?  YES
• play against a computer or Online?  Online, though, better is to play against a person , In person or "Over the board". like at a chess club.   NOT just against a computer
• Books that you should read?  you've said that you've read the books in your list- if so THAT's a lot.  You need to play and NOT just study

Keep practicing tactics on ChessTempo, play some standard games (15|10 or 30|10) and then analyze your games!

Play against humans, not computers.

Reading 4 books without playing is much less effective than splitting your time between reading and playing.

You can learn about strategy or endgames next, doesn't really matter. You might want a reference book on the opening like MCO, but you wont need a book on a specific opening for a long time (like the Nimzo Indian Defense).

"Is rare" is the end of that sentence. Talented kids with full time coaches don't usually get that far in a year.

there is something crazy about reading "Winning Chess" by chernov and yet Not playing at all.

usually this is all very opposite, where the beginner is just playing like mad and not studying at all.--how is it even fun to do all this studying with no playing?!

Yeah, it's rare, but sometimes a beginner will solve chess puzzles for fun, for years, without playing a game... but I've never heard of reading a strategy book without playing at all haha

I think it was Anand that week by week solved the puzzles from a newspaper or something- wasn't it?

puzzles are understandable, and a book like Polgar's chess tactics for champions is a book I love myself- yes it is fun.

regarding the book "pandolfini's Guide to chess.  This author writes a lot of great advice about how to improve doesn't he?

I don't have the book- but I don't think I understand the OP's questions given that book in his library.

so my feeling is that these book were lightly read or not read at all.  and basically he is a guy with a good chesstempo history and an enthusiasm for chess mentor.

telling him to play Online and not computers is what he needs to hear. all his other questions can be easily answered by his library of books.

Dude just play some games. You've already read four more books than me lol.

Although, I did meet one guy at a tournament once... pretty funny, he walks into the hotel lobby with a 6 back of beer, sits down with us (we're analyzing a game) and says "so you guys play chess?"

Later we found out he was in the tournament too heh.

The only thing he'd done besides play, was to go over this book of games he had (200 some games) over and over. So on one hand he didn't know much (especially about endgames) but in positions he was familiar with he knew very good plans. I watched a few of his games, and he had winning positions against two different players rated over 2000... only to fall apart in the endgame (one loss from a totally winning position, and one draw).

I was actually paired with him later, and had the same result... outplayed in the opening/mid game, drew the endgame.

Read a book ,,Max Euwe strategy and tactics in chess,,in a short time you will have a progress :)

how can you make "progress" when your not playing games at all?

that doesn't make sense to me. just sayin'. 

If you're still a kid in school, you might even think of this as nerd.com

Hey guys, thanks for all the advice.

Re: thegreat_patzer

"How is it fun to study without playing?"

The tactical books were really fun because they had puzzles and allowed me to think. Bruce Pandolfini's book was very fun to read simply because it was so easy to read. His book read more like a novel rather than an instructional book. As to playing, I did play a few games against my computer on chess titans; but people online told me it was such a shitty program so I stopped playing on it. I could play against myself, but I don't think I'm at the level yet were that would benefit me. Also, it's not very fun playing against yourself. I have no friends that play chess, so that's not an option. And there are no chess clubs in my local area, so that's basically why I didn't play any games.

"Regarding Pandolfini's Guide to Chess, the author does write a lot of great advice on how to improve doesn't he?"

No, he doesn't. He explains the rules of the game and some general principles. The whole book is a conversation with a with a student who has never played chess before and Bruce walks him through a game and explains the basics.

"My feeling is this guy either lightly read the books or did not read them at all."

That's not true. I read all of the books on that list.

First book I read: Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess (January this year.)

Second book I read: Chess Fundamentals by Capablanca (February/Mars. Gave up after chapter three. The book was way too advanced.)

Third book I read: Bruce Pandolfini's Ultimate Guide to Chess (Mars I think. Easy to read. Good general info.)

Fourth book I read: Winning Chess by Irving Chernev (May/June. Good explaination of tactical motifs.)

Aroud june I became a member at Chesstempo.com

Fifth book I read: Chess Tactics for Champions by Susan Polgar (June. Read it on the train when going to the gym. Good exercises. I think I skipped the last two chapters though.)

Sixth book I read: The Soviet Chess Primer (July. Read three chapters. Realized it was too advanced for me.)

Seventh book I read: Winning Chess Strategy for Kids (August. Read about five chapters before I got bored and threw it out.)

Eight book I read: The Art of Checkmate (September. Read half the book; skimmed through the other half.)

(I didn't buy all of these books. Some of them I downloaded online.)

2016/September/07: I become a member of Chess.com

Does that answer all of your questions?

ok.  very thorough of you.  yes.

on the other hand, I state even more emphatic, play chess with people not computers.  playing chess is funner than studying it.

also you clearly are talented in tactics particularly so you should go far.

and to clarify if there are not chess clubs in your area and your unable to find a club that you can attend.  this is not uncommon.

I don't/can't play OTB chess either.  Absolutely play Online chess  (Called "Live Chess" in this website).  feel free to ask further questions.