AlisonHart wrote:
So what's your best advice on converting exchanges, extra pawns, the bishop pair, space, and time from technical advantages to actual victories?
When you get your pawn to the seventh rank, don't just leave it there. Go ahead and push it to the promotion square. I have actually had problems with this myself. Sometimes I forget about the pawn and I never get to put my queen back on the board.
Yes, chess improvement gets exponentially more difficult as you move up, at least rating wise. Just enjoy the learning process above all; improvement will follow naturally.