Methods of Improvement.
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i strongly suggest playing against higher rated players. You should ignore the rating firures! Take your time, concentrate, and you should be able to challenge even the highest rated players. Remember that you dictate the time required to make a move, so use it well.
I think everyone has certain barriers they have a hard time getting past. For example, i seem to have a psychological barrier at 1800 USCF rating. I have been right on the brink several times and every time i get there i have a really bad tourn. and fall back down. I know i can play above 1800 as i have drawn and beaten my share of experts over the years including a draw with a player rated 2215 last weekend so here i am making another run at 1800 and have a tourn in 2 weeks so we'll see how it goes.
How do players improve? I seem to have been playing Chess for a long while but my skill level always seems to be constant, does each individual have their own chess plateau? Or can anyone develop to be a top player? Do you think that the correct method of improvement is to play more games or to study more material?
Of course, I don't mind being an average Chess player, but am interested in the nature of learning.