How have you learned chess strategy? books? annotated games?

Please tell me how you have learned chess strategy. Was it though strategy books? Or going through annotated games like Chernev, Macdonald, or Euwe with their comments on every move?

I seem to be stuck. I have tactics coming out of my ears - books, puzzles, tactics trainer, etc.

But how have you learned chess strategy. I want to know in a game where I am going! KIngside attack? I just have no idea and try to keep safe with tactics and catch my opponant on a hanging piece.

This is no way to really play. It is like being in the middle of a tangle of Christmas light wires. I want to know where I am going.

I am rated a little over 1300. But I really feel more like 1100. (Part of the rating is because in tourneys people don't show up and I win on time.)

I know Silman's books are on my shelf waiting for me. But I don't think I am ready for them.

Any advice would be welcomed.

stwils

I can not remember how I learned it but here is what I am doing with my daughter--I give her lessons--basic tactics that are one or two moves hidden --I am using a book by Coakley but I also use examples from my files--since she knows the basics (forks, skewers, pins, etc) we look for a pattern --like if this knight wasn't could pin the Queen to the King--how do we get rid of the Knight.

We then go over some basic opening and ending ideas --developing pieces, center, if ahead in material how to exchange pieces--also we have gone over the basic K and P vs K

The we play through a game (right now we are using Chernev) and look at the game and the hidden tactics, the potential pins and other stuff and see how we can exploit them--thus through understanding basic tactics she is learning the how to develop a simple plan to use these tools and thus is learning some strategy--stuff like unprotected pieces, or pieces with no escape squares

Not sure if this helps but that is how she is developing--she will play in another USCF event next weekend but she seems to be holding her own against 700 players (and her rating her is around 1400 but that is a little too high)

She is a lucky daughter to have such a good teacher and father!

stwils

Silman books are a fantastic start, even if you know nothing about strategy. The amateur's mind in particular, is a great start and shows problems with the amateur's thinking when they try to plan especially. You say you're not ready but I think anyone can become good at planning with a hard study of how to reasses your chess and amateur's mind, but I admit it will take hard work if you're new to it. You could also try to learn the ideas behind basic queen pawn openings, which seems strange but there's alot of positional concepts to learn from studying strategies of them, and tht goes for all openings.

If you hate the french for example it may mean you don't like closed games but if you learn the strategies of the french you will learn alot about closed centers, pawn chains, the center, etc. Finding the ideas behind openings were gold for my learning of chess strategy and I loved to do it before and still love to now. It's what made me enjoy chess, understand why or why not you could attack and on what side. Silman's books teach you that well. He shows that you have to make plans based on your advantages and try to nurse them. I'll tell you right now it's not a good idea to assume you should attack on the kingside.

There are some other good strategy books, but I think silman's ideas help the amateur think better as well.