The drill is the thing. It's a good idea to play thru top games at a fast pace, pondering deeply only occasionally on interesting positions.
After a hundred perused games one gets a feel for right moves pretty fast.
We are talking lower levels of skill, right? Prescriptions are different at different levels ...
-Izmet
How does one translate whatever is learned from study of games by the grandmsters to games at the lower level of skill?
As an example, I study the games and carefully read the comments. I make all the moves with a real chess board. Everything is clear and makes sense. However, I can't find a way to use the ideas observed in the classic game.
Of course I can try to apply the basic principles: develop pieces, control the center, etc. These principles I understand without ever going through a grandmaster game.
What am I missing in my study of the grandmaster games? How do those games relate to games I play at the lowest level?