Training Program...what's yours?

I have decided to start training for the US open chess tournament in August of 2015 (B class), with a particular training regimen in mind. Here's the breakdown:

Tactics :

*To attain a 2000+ rating on chess.com TT through daily training, and maintain that level of rating for at least one month continuously prior to the tournament.

*Do a careful otb study of "Encyclopedia of Chess Combinations" (3001 advanced thematic tactics puzzles).

Positional understanding/strategy:

*A thorough study of Silman's "Reassess Your Chess" 4th edition.

*periodical viewing of online videos.

Endgame:

*Study up through the expert section of "Silman's Complete Endgame Course", twice.

*study "Van Perlo's Endgame Tactics"

Other ideas:

Full board awareness as explained by Daniel Rench here on Chess.com.

Physical fitness.

Now, what are some of your ways of training? What have you found to be effective, or not effective?

P.S. My goal for the Us Open tournament is two-fold: I intend to not only take first place, but to take it with a score of 9-0. Moreover, this is all in tandem with an idea I have for a book, tentatively titled "Diary of a Chess Addict". The book would not only chronicle my training up to the tournament, and the experience of the tournament itself, but would also be something of a memoir of the everyday duplicity of a chess addict who is also a working class (in my case a sous chef of a very busy, trendy Manhattan restaurant) husband and father.

I study when i feel like it, got me to USCF A player.  Anything more, and the fun goes away.

@ Chefdad123 : How did you get to your current level though?

I am going through the Study Plan on this site. I'm still on the beginner level.

I play turn-based games. Once in a while I analyze a game I played or ask help from someone in doing so.

I use the chess.com TT ... try to do it daily for about 5-15 minutes per session.

I spend 10-15% of my chess time working on openings...trying to get a repertoire down...

I study chess books: tactics, strategy, etc. I plan to get the Silman book on endgames and slowly go through that.

I'm of the same school of thought...I am not too regimented...what do you study, exactly?

LOL...Im pretty much the polar opposite of what you would expect someone to say. 

Im an endgame nerd.  Love studying the endgame. 

Middlegame planning thrills me to no end!

Learning to enjoy studying tactics.

Openings?...Only when i need to learn/know something new

Currerently Im "re-learning" 2 books:

100 Endgames You Must Know - Jesus de la Villa

Techniques Of Positional Play: 45 Practical Methods to gain the Upper hand in Chess - Valeri Bronznik 

@ Chefdad123 : How did you get to your current level though?

Chicken Monster, I have been playing off and on for about 15 years, with a peak uscf rating of 1817 (now 1719). I got to the A class level (it dropped during a time of intense job AND personal stress when for about year I lost many, many games through an inability to focus; after which I took a break from which I have not yet returned, except in this online format), through sporadic tactics study, just playing a lot with friends and online, and some study of positional/strategical literature. I have a very limited openings repertoire, which, until I can convincingly break back into the uscf A class range, I don't really mind keeping that way. I think at my level a solid tactical vision, coupled with a solid positional and endgame understanding is more important.

For me chess was more enjoyable when I was a much weaker player ... because I had no expectations . 

"I think at my level a solid tactical vision, coupled with a solid positional and endgame understanding is more important."

Amen!

Sooo true!

Here's how I make my study plans:

1. Play in a USCF tournament.

2. Analyze the games and look for my weaknesses.

3. Figure out what type of study plan I should have to improve.

4. Follow my study plan... well... sometimes anyway.

This repeats every few weeks or months.

My study plan itself usually focuses on studying a chess book, since this is my favorite way to study, and also a few tactics daily, correspondence chess, and slow games.  I try to do some but not to do to much opening study.

Also, like the OP mentioned, stay in shape.

That's a good plan, especially the Encyclopedia of Chess Combinations. I have the electronic edition of its predecessor, Anthology of Chess Combinations (2703 problems), which I use in training as described here: http://chessskill.blogspot.com/2012/04/training-log-taxing-efforts.html.

My current training regimen is less ambitious and more fun. I do occasional tactics training and play far too much bullet and blitz, but mostly focu on studying batches of complete games.

I have been blogging commentary (without reference to engine analysis) on the first match btween Alexander McDonnell and Louis Charles de la Bourdonnais (one game to go). The next step will be to read through all the comments on these 25 games in Cary Utterberg's exceptional history of the matches, still without referencing engine analysis.

My coaching of several of the top youth players in my area has me working through all of Paul Morphy's games from the First American Chess Congress with three students. We make occasional reference to the comments in Sergeant's collection and to Valeri Beim, Paul Morphy: A Modern Perspective.

Interspersed with these games, I am working through all of the games in Chess Informant 113. I am going through the games in Chess Infomant Expert and jotting notes in the print edition. I am also keeping a list of my candidates for the best game. When I finish, I plan to go back through my best game candidates and rank my top choices. Then, and only then, I will consult CI 114 to see which games were selected by GMs as the best.

I may repeat this process with Chess Informant 122. My process requires that I purchase the package of book + CD.

I spend regular time attempting to master the blue diagrams in Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual, or at least those in the chapters on pawns and the beginning of the chapter on rooks. I created flash cards with the positions but not the answers. I carry these and the Kindle version of the book with me when I teach chess. Especially with my stronger students, we will often draw a card at random, work out our answer, and then consult Dvoretsky to see how we did.

My exercise regimen has dropped my obese body to its lowest weight since the 1990s. I had been walking 4-5 miles per day with my dogs until I fell on my butt and injured my hip. Since then, my walks have been less frequent and of shorter distance--3 miles 2-4 times per week. I hope to resume soon. The hip injury three weeks ago does not hurt much any more.

Currently:

I think my greatest fear in chess is that sometime soon, the fun and improvement will stop. I started playing tournaments again in Jan 2013 and have steadily improved since then. I really enjoy tournaments (there's a good tip, only study/play if you enjoy it!) and I contend for prizes at almost every event I play... but I know that can't last forever and I'm just trying to have a good time while the music's still playing.

I recently made it to Class A myself and I must say I'm surprised and impressed by the regimens of my fellow A players. My program is a little simpler: I do 25 tactics a day, six days a week here, and I take off a week from study after every tournament. I am almost halfway through Capablanca's Best Chess Endings by Chernev and Three Hundred Chess Games by Tarrasch; the former helps my endgames and the latter helps my middlegames through positional concepts and pattern recognition. Like I_Am_Second, I love endgames and planning, hence my 25 daily tactics to balance it out. Of course I study and annotate my games too. And I play tons of sports- distance running, triathlons, and basketball; I actually do feel fresher than my opponents after 4+ hours and this has brought many extra half-points.

After I get a little further with these books, I would like to learn to attack, because almost all my tactics are aimed at winning pawns or minor pieces and attacking play is the next step in my development. So next up is The Art of Attack by Vukovic if I can find some time.

Finally, a cautionary tale. A few months ago, I was playing in the B section next to a kid who was clearly having the time of his life. He constantly joked and played around during games, played all his moves in thirty seconds, grinned his way through win after win and even had fun during his only loss. I saw him again at my last tournament. He drew in the fourth round at the end of a long day. I was tired myself and I never get tired. His mom, who I will say fit certain stereotypes and leave it at that, strode up and said "Draw? Why draw? Why did you just make a draw?" The poor kid said several times that it was because he was tired. His mom dragged him away as he attempted to cheerfully analyze with his opponent. I had watched him throughout that game and he didn't smile once. In my opinion this is to be avoided at all costs- I basically watched a young player at least temporarily lose his enjoyment of chess and I felt very sorry for him. Long story short- make sure you enjoy it!

Well said.

That is what gets to me...parents that try to live vicariously through their kids.  This Nike mentality of win win win!!! is rediculous.  Let the kids have fun.  If they are having fun, they will want to learn. 

I think that was Carlsen's dad approach... nuff said.

Mondays and Wednesdays I train chest, biceps and legs. Tuesdays and Thursdays I train shoulders, triceps and calves. Fridays abs...and I rest on the week-ends.

@kclemens: 

 Of course I study and annotate my games too. And I play tons of sports- distance running, triathlons, and basketball; I actually do feel fresher than my opponents after 4+ hours and this has brought many extra half-points.

HOW? I did a triathlon once. The training is ridiculous. How do you do that, basketball, AND all the chess studying? Are you a pro-triathlete so you don't also have to work a "regular" job?

No cardio?

Can you elaborate on your opening repertoire both for Black and for White? Sounds like you found something relatively easy there.