Homework Suggestions

Hello, I am looking for some homework, study plan or general pointers for how to improve. I'm 34, never grew up playing chess but I've always known (mostly) how everything moves. I joined chess.com about a year ago, but forgot about it for some unknown reason. Around the time I joined, I played 2 games against my brother in law; he won one and we had a draw. It was exciting and I felt good about my skills (since he played his brother a lot growing up). So I'm back at chess.com now in hopes to improve from where I left off. I've done the lessons up to the advanced level, watched a few videos, played a few games against the computer (chess pro with coach on iPad), and have done a lot of tactics. It appears to me that I am probably a 900 level player. 

Since practicing for the last 2 weeks, my blunders have gone down big time, but I still miss a lot of the best moves. I once missed check mate, on my tenth move, against the computer at 1000, and went on to loose the game.... I feel like sometimes my mind isn't looking at the forest and I forget about the rest of the board sometimes. 

I've stopped watching videos and doing the lessons, I think they are both getting too advanced for me at the moment, and I started to focus on tactics and playing games against the chess pro app. Is this the best choice? If I want to improve, what is the minimum I should study? I know thats a difficult question to answer, nor do I just want to do the minimum, but I would assume doing one game a month would not help me improve... maybe something once a week, a short thing once a day, or maybe it needs to be 2 hours a day (I think you get my point). 

At minimum, I would like to get to 1200 quickly, and then hopefully make my way up to 1700ish, enough to have a lot of fun at local tournaments. 

Thanks for your input.

Thanks Bobby!

Here are the videos if anyone else is interested:

Chess Fundamentals - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLl9uuRYQ-6MBwqkmwT42l1fI7Z0bYuwwO

Climbing the Ratings Ladder - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLl9uuRYQ-6MCBnhtCk_bTZsD8GxeWP6BV

Thanks Aleks, I will be sure to buy The Soviet Chess Primer. There are a few clubs around me, one that is USCF required. That one sound the most interesting play in, but I want to practice more first. 

Practice, dedication, hard work. That's it. And maybe through in a few chess books 

bb_gum, thanks for this. A lot of this is covered in the lessons on chess.com, but I was kind of getting lost in it all. As in what to focus on now, what do I need to look up more of. Your explanation is very informative and will give me a lot to work with. Thanks again. 

four books

the art of checkmate

weapons of chess

1001 winning chess combinations for beginners

batsford chess openings.

1. I am using this strategy now of studying. Study theories and large concepts, rest with tactics and small chunks of information such as weapons of chess in bite size sections. You don't have to read some books through and through because they are topical. This lets your. Brain rest. Then play for fun and seed how you do. Thilen

then keep studying. Bits and pieces at a time. You will figure out what is too much by if you can review the material and recall it in a later study or if you forget it in gameplay.

You want to google "opening principles," not "principals." Otherwise great post.

Homework?Then you ought to go to a school. you dont need suggestions for that just switch on your phone and just quick search google maps. In chess it's called a study plan

.

Re-play the games of 1400 to 1500 players both in daily and 10 mnt blitz games,from your team or

others if possible.Join a good vote chess team and actively participate in VC games about 2o

to 25 games at a time.From an about 1500 rated player rose to 2000 plus now.If  there are at  

least 10 players preferably higher rated /they analyse the moves discuss the   continuations of variations counter moves ..and you learn..I improved my rating/standard purely by this method

only.not by engines or learning openings etc.

Possibly of interest:
Simple Attacking Plans by Fred Wilson (2012)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708090402/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review874.pdf
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 (1949)
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
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/excerpts/OpeningsForAmateurs%20sample.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
Seirawan stuff
http://seagaard.dk/review/eng/bo_beginner/ev_winning_chess.asp?KATID=BO&ID=BO-Beginner
https://www.chess.com/article/view/book-review-winning-chess-endings
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627132508/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen173.pdf
http://www.nystar.com/tamarkin/review1.htm

Are there any lessons on Chess. com geared towards the 1000-1200 range?

Most of the ones I"ve checked out have been quite a bit advanced for me, but I'm really interested in learning positional play, and gravitate towards the Reti/Nimzo (not that I play them very well at all).

I do my tactics every day, but I'm not sure what to start with as far as chess.com resources are concerned! 

I doubt they have any; you can play their computer at a lower level to help you spar. Opening theory, knowing how the opening can be played (first 4-6 moves), and practice are the most important factors. Figuring out how your opponent beat you and how you won are helpful. Last piece of advice, every move from both sides of the board has or should have a purpose. Check out this opening principles website. Keep the questions coming. Best of luck.http://exeterchessclub.org.uk/content/ten-rules-opening

I've learned a couple of openings so far; the reti, kings indian, nimzo indian, siciliian, ruy, and working on the french next. 

I feel pretty comfortable with a few of those, and i'm trying to keep working on tactics which seems to be the thing everyone recommends. But I rarely have games where I spot tactics, or play in a way that facilitates positions wherein those are possible. I might go premium just so i can do more...

something just seems wrong with my work towards improvement..

 Thanks kindaspongey for all the recommendations. This will be good to keep coming back to. 

Bdwg83,

I'm super down to play some games with you. It looks like we both want to improve/study, so it might be a fruitful chess friendship!

Dealing with homework is always better as if you doing it not alone. Just roll with https://homework-lab.com/examples/nursery-rhymes-nonsense-and-fantasy-3909/ and just finish it and forget about it.

Well doing tactics and playing games have improved my playing skills a lot.....