The key to get better at chess

you should look at the games that you lost In that way, you can understand why did you lose and how did your opponent win you. So that you will never do that again Also you can ask for some chess book recommendations from the forums to help you improve Have a nice day ;)

Thanks NP173E18GM that's what I usually do with my coach.

How can you remember games to utilise the ideas used in them? The champions can remember thousands of games in their head.

Don't see anything about memorizing games in books like A Guide to Chess Improvement by Dan Heisman (2010)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708105628/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review781.pdf
and Studying Chess Made Easy by Andrew Soltis.
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708090448/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review750.pdf

Fragments from a discussion last year:
"... how many chess games can you replay (till the end) ..." - VimalKumarK
"I couldn't replay any although I could recognise quite a lot." - CM JamesColeman
"Good point. I could have replayed that one. Also Reti-Tartakower where White sacrifices his Q on d8 and then forces mate with a double check. So maybe 2. Both of those are rather short though." - CM JamesColeman
"Oh yeah, that one. Maybe 3 then ..." - CM JamesColeman
"There are many many must-know games for general ideas and themes but not sure of the practical value of having all of them memorised move by move all the way through to resignation?" - CM JamesColeman
"I don't think you have to have them memorized. Just playing them over, even fairly quickly will help put the patterns and ideas into your head." - Morphysrevenges
"Yes, agree with you entirely Morphysrevenges, but the OP was asking about memorised games that you can replay out at will. For me at least, that's not many." - CM JamesColeman
In case you are curious, here are some of the games that were mentioned in the January 7, 2017 discussion:
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1233404
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1250654
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1259009
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1224575
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1132699
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1132581
"... Memory is too valuable to be stocked with trifles. Of my fifty-seven years I have applied at least thirty to forgetting most of what I had learned or read, and since I succeeded in this I have acquired a certain ease and cheer which I should never again like to be without. If need be, I can increase my skill in Chess, if need be I can do that of which I have no idea at present. I have stored little in my memory, but I can apply that little, and it is of good use in many and varied emergencies. I keep it in order, but resist every attempt to increase its dead weight. ..." — Emanuel Lasker, Lasker’s Manual of Chess
Possibly of interest:
Simple Attacking Plans by Fred Wilson (2012)https://web.archive.org/web/20140708090402/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review874.pdf
http://dev.jeremysilman.com/shop/pc/Simple-Attacking-Plans-77p3731.htm
Logical Chess: Move by Move by Irving Chernev (1957)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708104437/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/logichess.pdf
The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played by Irving Chernev (1965)
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/most-instructive-games-of-chess-ever-played/
Winning Chess by Irving Chernev and Fred Reinfeld (1948)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708093415/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review919.pdf
Back to Basics: Tactics by Dan Heisman (2007)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708233537/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review585.pdf
https://www.chess.com/article/view/book-review-back-to-basics-tactics
Discovering Chess Openings by GM John Emms (2006)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627114655/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen91.pdf
Openings for Amateurs by Pete Tamburro (2014)
http://kenilworthian.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-of-pete-tamburros-openings-for.html
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/openings-for-amateurs/
https://www.mongoosepress.com/catalog/excerpts/openings_amateurs.pdf
Chess Endgames for Kids by Karsten Müller (2015)
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/chess-endgames-for-kids/
http://www.gambitbooks.com/pdfs/Chess_Endgames_for_Kids.pdf
A Guide to Chess Improvement by Dan Heisman (2010)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708105628/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review781.pdf
Studying Chess Made Easy by Andrew Soltis (2009)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708090448/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review750.pdf
Seirawan stuff:
http://seagaard.dk/review/eng/bo_beginner/ev_winning_chess.asp?KATID=BO&ID=BO-Beginner

http://www.nystar.com/tamarkin/review1.htm

https://web.archive.org/web/20140627132508/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen173.pdf

https://www.chess.com/article/view/book-review-winning-chess-endings

https://web.archive.org/web/20140708092617/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review560.pdf

Thanks a lot kindaspongey.

But then how do you remember patterns?

Just glancing at them and moving on to the next makes me forget them in no time.

I have trouble remembering stuff, too. I think it helps if one does not try to learn too much at one time and if one pays attention to the details of what is going on in what one is studying. It might be that you are trying to learn from material that is intended for more advanced players. For tactics, there are lots of available problems to use for practice.

I wish I could help you, but my key broke off in the lock.

As far as a player to be a guide; Carlsen is a great positional player. If you want to be a better attacking player, emulate Tal!

For tactics, if you don't want to use the Chess.com tactics, there are lots and lots of apps that are better and not so judgemental!

You may be beyond my understanding now, but for positional chess, I like three books for a strong theoretical understanding: Jeremy Silman's How to Reassess Your Chess, Aaron Nimzowitsch's My System, and Keres' and Kotov's The Art of the Middlegame - where Kotov's Ch. 2, "Strategy and Tactics of Attack on the King" represents the best 50 pages of chess instruction I ever read.

I'm not good at making long-term, strategic plans as the middlegame begins, but I'm getting a lot from Fred Wilson's, Simple Attacking Plans, where four principles including, "Point all your Pieces at your opponent's King," are illustrated in 36 games from various levels of play.

Additionally, Michael Song's and Razvan Preotu's, The Chess Attacker’s Handbook, requires more background than Wilson's book and includes fourteen principles demonstrated by games and with example problems, though I haven't gone through it yet.

Finally, Herman Grooten's two books, Chess Strategy for Club Players and Attacking Chess for Club Players have won awards.  I have them, but haven't had time to go through them in detail yet.

Funny you should mention "key" because, in Grooten's strategy book, he writes, "There are no two ways about this.  Making the right assessment and building up a reasoning which is founded on logic- this is the key to success,"

At age 67, I'll bet I'm worse!  But I keep referring to these three interacting pages of tactics and combination patterns and positions and it has helped:

https://www.chess.com/article/view/chess-tactics--definitions-and-examples

https://chesstempo.com/tactical-motifs.html

https://chesstempo.com/positional-motifs.html

I also try to do a few Tactics Trainer problems each day, here and at chesstempo.  After I finish each problem, I try to identify the tactics and patterns involved by name. I then look at the TAGs other solvers attached to the problem to see if I saw all the tactics.  I then ask myself why I didn't see the tactic or pattern sooner or why I did see it but wasn't quickly able to calculate that it would work.

Always when this question about improving is raised, someone is recommending reading books. But I'm not sure if it's so helpful reading books, if you want to a better player. Of course some theory is important, but I think it's more important to play lot of games, and afterwards looking at what mistakes you did. And longer time controls is better then short.

"... In order to maximize the benefits of [theory and practice], these two should be approached in a balanced manner. ... Play as many slow games (60 5 or preferably slower) as possible, ... The other side of improvement is theory. ... This can be reading books, taking lessons, watching videos, doing problems on software, etc. ..." - NM Dan Heisman (2002)

https://web.archive.org/web/20140627084053/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman19.pdf

Simple Attacking Plans by Fred Wilson (2012)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708090402/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review874.pdf

http://dev.jeremysilman.com/shop/pc/Simple-Attacking-Plans-77p3731.htm

Chess Strategy for Club Players by Herman Grooten
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708101926/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review696.pdf
Attacking Chess for Club Players by Herman Grooten
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9032.pdf
The Chess Attacker’s Handbook
http://www.gambitbooks.com/pdfs/The_Chess_Attacker's_Handbook.pdf
The Art of the Middlegame
http://dev.jeremysilman.com/shop/pc/Art-of-the-Middlegame-The-77p3554.htm

"How to Reassess Your Chess, 4th Edition was designed for players in the 1400 to 2100 range." - IM Jeremy Silman (2010)

https://web.archive.org/web/20140708095832/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review769.pdf

One can get some idea of the lasting scope of the respect for My System by looking at:
https://www.chess.com/article/view/the-best-chess-books-ever
Still, it might be noted that My System apparently did not occur to GM Yasser Seirawan as something to include in his list of personal favorites, and Aaron Nimzowitsch was not identified by the GM as a very worthy author.

https://www.chess.com/blog/RoaringPawn/an-open-letter-to-the-four-time-us-chess-champion-gm-yasser-seirawan

https://www.chess.com/blog/GMYAZ/open-letter-response-user-radovics-letter-to-me

My System has accumulated some direct negative commentary over the years.
"... I found [the books of Aaron Nimzowitsch to be] very difficult to read or understand. ... [Nimzowitsch: A Reappraisal by Raymond Keene explains his] thinking and influence on the modern game in a far more lucid and accessible way. ... The books that are most highly thought of are not necessarily the most useful. Go with those that you find to be readable; ..." - GM Nigel Davies (2010)
In 2016, IM pfren wrote:
"My System is an iconoclastic book. A lot of things in there is sheer provocation, and it does need an expereienced player to know what exactly must be taken at its face value.
I love 'My System', and I have read it cover to cover one dozen times, but suggesting it to a class player is an entirely different matter."
Also: "[Some things] ARE wrong, and it's not easy for a non-advanced player to discover those wrong claims.
Nigel Short has claimed that 'My System' should be banned. Stratos Grivas says that the book is very bad. I don't share their opinion, but I am pretty sure that there are more useful reads for class players out there."
Although he is a fan of My System, IM John Watson similarly acknowledged (2013) that:
"... Not everything in it has stood the test of time, ..."
http://theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/john-watson-book-review-108-of-eplus-books-part-2-nimzowitsch-classics
One last point to keep in mind is that, even if My System would eventually help a player, it might not necessarily be helpful to a player now.
"... Just because a book contains lots of information that you don’t know, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be extremely helpful in making you better at this point in your chess development. ..." - Dan Heisman (2001)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140626180930/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman06.pdf
A My System sample can be seen at:

https://www.qualitychess.co.uk/ebooks/MySystem-excerpt.pdf

A Chess Praxis sample can be seen at:

https://www.qualitychess.co.uk/ebooks/ChessPraxis-excerpt.pdf

Various samples:

https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9027.pdf

Thanks guys.

I have read My System, Alekhine's best games, Attacking Manuel 1, Chess structures and plans, winning chess manouvers, build up your Chess 1,2,3, tactics used by world champions, Best games of Tal, mastering chess strategy.

But I usually cannot recall what I read 

"... [Mastering Chess Strategy] is not a book that does everything for you, you really have to take the time to study the material to get the full benefit. ..."

"... I would of course hope that [the average club player] has read some of the basic material on strategy first (such as The Amateur's Mind by Silman or Winning Chess Strategies by Seirawan) ..."

https://web.archive.org/web/20140708101726/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review762.pdf

I suspect that something similar could be said about much of what has been listed by Kalki555.

Sure kindaspongey and jambyvedar will try it out right away.

"... Chess structures: A Grandmaster Guide is not a primer of positional play; for that, try Michael Stean's Simple Chess, Herman Grooten's Chess Strategy for Club Players, or Silman's ... How to Reassess Your Chess. Instead, you might think of Chess Structures as positional chess 'finishing school.' ..." - John Hartmann

https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/chess-structures-a-grandmaster-guide/