Will Playing Tactically When my Style is Positional Improve my Chess Skill?

"is it a good idea to play in something I feel uncomfortable in for the sake of improving that aspect of the game, or is it better to work on it outside of games."

None of us really know he answer to that, but my best guess is that you have to do both. But you really have to play. It's in real games that the knowledge we've acquired  really becomes our own

Well, I tend to look at blitz ratings because they're pretty close to OTB.

So if the 4 year old is 1200 and you're only 1100 maybe you could ask him for lessons

(and I very much doubt any 4 year old has ever been 1200)

I'm 1500 and bad at blitz... This is what chess.com has become, people only look at blitz ratings to try to determine level.

1400 OTB because I've only played 2 tournaments.

Plenty of 4-year-olds I would assume are 1200 and even higher. Otherwise, I don't understand how we have 13-year-olds competing at the elite level.

Yeah, I didn't say it was the best thing to look at, I just said that's what I tend to look at.

I don't know anyone online who plays both blitz and rapid regularly, so I don't know how rapid compares to OTB.

I only play rapid because chess.com doesn't have classical time formats and when you put in 2 hours per side it doesn't match you up with anybody.

Sure, the best players in the world, when they were young, got to somewhere around 2000 FIDE in about 2 years.

This is not average, these are the best players with the best conditions.

I might get there within 2 years in which case you are calling me one of the best players with the best conditions, which we both know is not true.

Well if you got to 2000 in just 2 years and you're as young as you say, I'd be really impressed, and I bet you could be a grandmaster if you continued to work on chess

But again, I'm talking about OTB ratings. I don't know how rapid compares... but in any case your improvement is very good I think.

That's my dream

But I really do not think that I have made such a crazy improvement.

I mean, at the end of the day, I came here to ask about how I can improve, not to have an argument about what the normal improvement rate is and whether or not 1500's can have a style.

Yeah, so my answer many pages ago was that I think it's very important to step outside of your comfort zone if you want to improve.

But the act of being uncomfortable all by itself doesn't = rating points. My recommendation would be to do some prep, like start to make some sharp gambit line part of your opening repertoire. Then soon after start playing it. So you'll be playing + studying these positions for a while. 

And lets say you do that for a few months. After that even if you never play it again some of the things you learn will be helpful in all your future games.

Thanks, I will use this advice. There are so many pages that I think I must have not seen this comment.

No problem

Yes, I know that.   This is all just my personal opinion, but my cutoffs are:  0-800 rated is beginner, 800-1400 is novice, 1400-1800 is intermediate, 1800-2200 is advanced, 2200-2600 is Master and 2600-3000 is Grandmaster.   Amateur just means that a player doesn't make a living off of chess, whereas a professional does.   

Not.  Kids advance in rating much faster than adults.   If a kid gets good coaching, he could possibly advance 400 ratings points in a year, but it takes about 10-20 years for an adult to advance 400 ratings points.   Kids absorb things faster.   You'll see, when you get old like us.   lol

Ok lol, better study before I hit that.