Is this thinking correct?

If your rating is 860 you need to study tactics, then study tactics, then study tactics, then pick up and endgame book for basic mates and some very basic endgame ideas, and then study tactics some more.

At the level you are at, and for quite some time to come, your games are going to swing on tactics.  The winner is the one who makes the fewest tactical mistakes, and who gets ahead in material.  It will rarely if ever be more subtle than that.  Later, yes, there are a huge range of factors to consider, but untill you see all the possible checks and caputures from both side, can calculate a few ply deep, and can spot tactical motifs like pins, forks, skewers, etc, you will get your brains beat out by someone who can.  Step one is to be able to keep your peices safe and get a few of the other guy's pieces along the way.

Trying to do deep opening study at your level (or my level for that matter, and im about 500 points ahead of you) is a waste of time.  If you are playing turn based chess you can consult opening materials (books, databases, etc) and if you are playing OTB or live online you will find that in your range (a) the other guy doesn't know any theory either, and (b) you will be fine if you play by good opening principles and watch for tactical traps.  So, play to control the center, develop your pieces quickly, get the king to safety, etc.  But don't spend a bunch of time trying to learn master lines to a deep level.  The small advantages that masters are fighting for in the opening are just that, small, and the position will likely be turned on its head the first time someone makes a tactical blunder.  Your mission at this point is to make sure you are not that somemone, at least as often as possible. 

Also, it's quite impossible to understand why one opening line yields a += and another just = if you don't know many "deep" middlegame concepts to begin with.  It's impossible to begin by picking up an advanced opening book, nothing will make sense.  This is mostly why opening study (beyond traps or known bad lines) isn't very useful even up to 1800 USCF IMO and possibly as high as 2000.

A game may hinge on a single tactic, but most moves in a game are not tactical moves, and to reach a position where the tactics are favoring you, you have to know other things.  Tactics are very important, but other knowledge is essential as well.

 I think this is wise, but when I am recommending tactics, my assumptions is that someone 860 is hanging pieces and giving up material for nothing.  I don't think that knowing to put the rook on the open file helps if you don't check to see if the square is attacked first.  Basic positional ideas should certainly be learned early, but they will simply not help until one can keep their pieces safe and not fall victim to basic forks, skewers, etc.  I am not suggesting that the op, or anyone for that matter, just do puzzles and find combinations untill they get to 1800.  In fact, those combinations often come about because one has built up postional strength in an area of the board, that the tactics are the fruit of the strategy.

But for some 860, I think the first step is to stop giving up the wood for nothing. 

Could someone give me the link to IM Dan Rensch's advice on training tactics?  I could not find it.  Thanks.

Tactics for beginners isn't really tactics. I remember my first games, tactics was to grab a pice my opponent left with no defence, mate in one and so on, if that's too much for a beginner, why try to learn chess at all?

Basic tactics is important!

"Then I tell them the importance of not giving away their pieces and have them practice not giving things away so easily."

That *is* tactics. En prise is the most basic tactic :)

I think everyone's pretty much right at the same time.

For someone who is starting from complete scratch, starting with tactics is probably not the best way to go.

But many players learn the basics and then start trying to learn more complicated ideas and get frustrated why they don't seem to get those ideas to work. The answer then is tactics, tactics, tactics.

Absolutely correct. I too teach beginners and would not start them off on combinations,for the reason mentioned above. A few weeks ago I started to teach them knight planning along with backup pieces and they found that difficult, not to mention confusing. I rest my case.

"by the way, GM Karpov lost to 1. a3! once) Just start with very general stuff, and practice not leaving pieces hanging." Is that true? I'd love to see that game.

Sorry to be off topic. Thanks for the post, it has been helpful for me as well.

Yes.

I would agree that is is a waste of time to try to memorize opening variations, but it is certainly of value to learn something about a few openings. The usual advice is to learn opening "principles." What better way to do that than to see a few examples of openings in action which adhere to principles in a logical manner, with attention to piece co-operation as well as soundness of the opening position? I feel it is also helpful to work from familiar positions when trying to decide what works and what doesn't.

Including a little of this, along with studying tactics, strategies, and endgames is a perfectly reasonable method of learning. Learning just one element, to the exclusion of the others, just wouldn't make sense.

I would suggest completely avoiding blitz and bullet at this time. Play G/30 if you want a short, fun game, but even 30 minutes can be too short for a serious game. Try for 60 to 90 minute games. Don't worry, all games won't go anywhere near the maximum time. Play your best. Think through positions, and most importantly, spend some time going over your games afterwards. Look for mistakes and ways to fix them, as well as general improvements.

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This is an excellent post!  Worthy of publication.  Alot of advice that u're (theetexan) getting is from higher rated players; that will go a long way.  I would say, as many of them do, that it is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT, 2 know the ENDGAME.  Realize it or not, many players, @ the beggining/ middle of games, have position & piece advantages, but cannot close out; sometimes even have the tables turned in them.  Maybe this is due 2 a lack of concentration, or relaxing when u have an advantage.  It is important 2 learn how to close games!  Develop your endgame.  Much respect 2 every1 who's commented on this post; except trysts. :)

SZ.