How long did it take you to get "good"

You must know how to improve a whole lot better then I do, becuase I've played chess in tournaments for almost 5 years, with periods where I would try to study, and 'm just over 1400 USCF. Some people say they reach that in a year. Perhaps I'm just really dumb.

that's really bad. i went from wood pusher lower than 1000 to 1800 ish strength in 3 years. (6th to 8th grade). and i had no coach or special training regimen or anything. just chessmaster lessons and lots of tournaments/online games. i didnt even do post-mortems on my games (except tournament ones).

Would it be rude of me to ask your current age? Also how many tournaments did you do per year.

sadly i mostly didnt play in high school, almost no tournaments, and just enough play online to sort of keep my strength. when i was in college i played somewhat seriously (although by no means serious either) to go from 1800-2000. then about 2 years later 2200. this last year i didnt play much due to ph.d duties.

im 25 now (too old   )and i blame uneven chess progress and educational distractions for being so weak (and ironically, it wasnt worth it, top of my class at university, but i have better financial prospects coaching chess then pursuing a career with it lol). i should be at least a strong FM if i would have used all that time for chess instead. i dont regret my education but man, looking back im not sure i would do it again.

So what would you say is the best way to get from 1400 to 1800 USCF?

i honestly dont know. but you must be doing something wrong that is keeping you stuck. how well do you know your opening?   how about your endgame? opening advice is so individual i wont suggest anything, but engines with their access to modern repertoires and master databases(like chesstempos database) are your friends. get a good book if you need more hands on explanation. for endgame, silman's endgame guide is more than enough for you.

do lots of chesstempo puzzles.(At least an hour a day, and never guess, be sure you checked EVERYTHING in your head before doing the first move) that's how i quickly reached 2000 and beyond. they are tactics from real usually master games, that can be quite subtle, and not "mate in x" crap you see everywhere. also analyze everything you play with an engine, but be a critical learner. dont just imput your game into stockfish, play with sidelines, let the engine punish your ideas, or moves you thought your opponent could have made etc. Good use of an engine is equal or better than an overpriced coach.

i never used books to learn. in fact, my very first book  i finished was silman's endgame guide when i was already 2050-2100ish. How deep you need to know your opening and which ones you pick will determine how much you need a book for them. of everything i said, chesstempo and analyzing your own games is the most important. those two are like chess steroids. 

well that explains almost everything. you shoudnt be touching anything below g/15

woah, how quickly did u reach 2000? im still hanging around 1800 after i jumped there from 1600

            Wow thanks for sharing that with us with that kind of background i think i will check out your blog, should be intresting to follow as you approuch Grandmaster Status !

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well i have been a perpetual student so maybe you are unto something here. life is overrated though, chess is where its at!

but you dont need THAT much time either. 1 hour of chess tempo and 1 more hour of playing or studying, and the weekends to when you do play. the routine i suggested doesnt take 4 hours a day.

 Ok so this might be a dumb question, but I'm confused on what the titles mean. I know CM<NM<IM<GM but where does FM fit into the equation. Also, what do you have to do to get those titles (is it just rating, or do you have to beat a certain number of other masters) Lastly, do you have to use FIDE to get titles or does USCF have them too?

CM < FM < IM < GM.  these are fide titles.  CM requires FIDE rating of 2200 FM 2300,   IM requires 2400 AND norms GM requires 2500 AND norms. for the last two, they only need to be rated that much or higher only once .

NM is a title given by a national federation, for example in the US its the USCF. for NM a rating of 2200 in the USCF (about 2100 FIDE strength). the USCF also has a candidate master title which is a norm title which is about the same as expert strength (1900-2000 FIDE). then there is senior master which is 2400 uscf (to add to the confusion, they are two senior master titles, one just for 2400 uscf and one that also requires to mantain your rating within 300 rated games).

So just to clarify, do you become a NM automatically when you hit 2200 USCF? The reason I ask is because I played a player just over 2200 at a tournament recently and he said he wasn't titled.

if he was ever officially rated over 2200, said person is an NM. IF you tecnically pass 2200 during an event (say during round 3,) but by last round you lost the rating required, it doesnt count. there may be situations involving a delay of having a tournament rated ,where due to having another event rated first, it may have ruined your chance but i figure this is extremely rare.

but NM is no biggie, it makes you one of the strongest players in your state usually ( i was in the top 20 the brief time i lived in maryland, and am consistently in the top 50 in florida at around the 30's) but NM isnt even enough for FIDE CM.

standard, forget the time, i have taken 40+ minutes doing solving one puzzle many times in chesstempo.

Gee, I guess no one listens to you unless you have a title.

Thanks for having my back buddy.

My hero.