Trying to improve

I really want to improve my game but chess is very difficult for me. I study openings, tactics, lessons, and nothing really helps me. I feel ridiculous about posting anything because I know I'm terrible. I just don't have the knack I guess. The way I'm training now is after each game I use the CC engine to analyze the game. Then I'll go through the entire game and when I come to a move that I made that wasn't correct I try to figure out right the correct move actually was. I use the engine for this. I don't just blindly pick moves until I get the move right. I try analyzing each position. Does anyone have an opinion on this method?

Don't use the engine to analyze your games

This should help

Linlaoda, your comment obviously doesn't help at all, so I'll speak on behalf of romancito, thanks for nothing.  Now for a helpful comment:

Using the engine is great as long as you gain an understand why each move is made.  Best thing to do is use the engine for one move (say for white) then flip the board and make a logical move for black, then go back and use the engine to see whether or not it made the same move.  If so, you know that your plan was sound, if not, you can identify the pitfalls by continuing using the engine to see where it will leave you.  You would probably have to do this several moves out to better your understanding but it does help to see how your choice develops when both sides play as best as possible from the point you made your non-engine move.

I'll break this up into two parts, because I think each is important for honesty when giving advice. First, what I think is best. Then second, what I actually did. The first part of the advice is a mixture of what I did in later years and advice I've heard from stronger players in my own area and online.

I think a big problem with chess learning is information overload. We have to turn it waaaay down. You can't master _____ in a month... which is a little depressing. But what's exciting is you can improve your play even if you focus on doing small things right.

For example tactics. Don't solve 100 puzzles in a day. Solve something like 10. Then, the next day, solve them again. Go over the solutions again. Especially the ones you got wrong. Save any puzzles you get wrong or find especially difficult and revisit it once a week until the solution is really easy.

This is not nearly as glamorous as doing 100 puzzles a day... but no one can remember 100 new patterns. Work on perfecting something small. This goes for openings too. You can't master 1.e4 e5 in a month. Pick a small line and try to learn it well before moving on to the next. (Although at your stage you don't need much opening prep. IMO you should try to know the first 5 moves of the major openings you play and other than that work very hard to follow opening principals.)
 

Importantly I recommend a good book that has a lot of basics. An annotated game collection is good for this IMO. Here's one to consider:
http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Chessboard-21st-Century-Edition/dp/1936490218

Importantly, you must work with any book you purchase. Get out a board, and play out every move in the book on the board. Read every page of the book also haha :)

IMO you have to try to engage yourself with the material as well. Stop and look at the position from time to time. A few times per session, pick an interesting position and put down the book. Think of what moves you'd play if it were your game. Then continue with the book. If you're too tired to do this a few times per session then take a break with the training and try again tomorrow.

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What I did in my first few years.

I had these books:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Chess-Player-Fred-Reinfeld/dp/0671768956

http://www.amazon.com/1001-Winning-Chess-Sacrifices-Combinations/dp/0879801115

And the chessmaster program. I played online every day and reviewed every game with chessmaster to find big mistakes. I sporadically read out of the books, and never read the entire book. I progressed very slowly, but I did get better over the years. Which is my final advice: you can be better than you think! Even with great training you will hit plateaus and your rating will stall for a while. Keep at it and eventually you'll see better results.

I hope that is helpful

An engine is better than nothing. It can be extremely frustrating to be going over a variation in a book as a beginner, and be screaming to yourself "why can't White just take the pawn!" (for example).

Yes, you should try to work it out yourself, but sometimes this is simply far beyond the scope of our ability.

Also with your own game analysis. If you have had no guidance, it's total guess work. And again an engine is better than nothing.

But they aren't ideal. My advise is to only use them for big mistakes. Like tactics. You see the eval swing from 0.30 to 5.21 you should pay attention to the moves it shows you. As for ideas in non tactical situations try to get ideas from the books you read that cover strategy and ideas (like the Reti book I linked for you). Other than that consider posting games in the analysis forum and asking for human help (where you'll get actual explanations and ideas you can use in future games).

This method of using the computer analysis doesn't seem to be working for you, so even if it works for someone else, you're not wrong to ask for some feedback.

Why don't you try reviewing your games without the computer for a while, just to see if you have a different experience? While you're playing the game, make a note of when you experience an unpleasant surprise. Then after the game (with your opponent's help or by yourself), look at the few moves immediately before the surprise.

Try out a few ideas to see if you can make that moment work out differently.

Don't be shocked if looking over your game with a chess engine DOESN'T help.  It didn't help me. and I think for many people, computers aren't all that helpful.

what you want is to understand WHY moves need made.  a PC isn't going to tell you that you've awkwardly developed you bishops- or that the undefended e5 square could become an important strategic advantage for your opponent.

Agree whole-heartedly with mr binary- that too MUCH is bad.  chess tactics until your weary isn't going to dramatically improve your game.   on the other hand, a few careful deep tactical exercises, studied carefully- Golden!

remember when looking at any book, position, or puzzle- work out what YOU see; next compare it with the answer.  Don't dive into the answer- until you've looked hard at it.   

develop some really good opening strategy's (from within the web site) and use games to perfect these and worry about the middle and end games as your score in winning improves with confidence.

also; try and complete your tactics puzzles a little quicker (you have a great completion percentage ratio) and watch your score improve.

I find Chess is very much a confidence game-rember practise small steps until you can see the moves pay off for you!

Possibly helpful:

Simple Attacking Plans by Fred Wilson (2012)

https://web.archive.org/web/20140708090402/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review874.pdf

Logical Chess: Move by Move by Irving Chernev (1957)

https://web.archive.org/web/20140708104437/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/logichess.pdf

The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played by Irving Chernev

https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/most-instructive-games-of-chess-ever-played/

Winning Chess by Irving Chernev and Fred Reinfeld (1949)

https://web.archive.org/web/20140708093415/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review919.pdf

Discovering Chess Openings by GM Johm Emms (2006)

https://web.archive.org/web/20140627114655/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen91.pdf

Openings for Amateurs by Pete Tamburro (2014)

http://kenilworthian.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-of-pete-tamburros-openings-for.html

Chess Endgames for Kids by Karsten Müller (2015)

https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/chess-endgames-for-kids/

A Guide to Chess Improvement by Dan Heisman (2010)

https://web.archive.org/web/20140708105628/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review781.pdf

Everyone to some degree learns best using a general to specific approach. Some learn best by playing and analyzing their games. I've met a strong player who mostly learned that way. Others harness books on various chess topics, many learn that way. I'd like you to Google an online test that tells you how you learn best. Dozens of free tests to do that out there. Then come back here and tell us what you found. See if we can then find a way to study that suits your preferred method of learning. You can become a better chess player here. Lets find a way!

Getting better at chess requires work, as we all know.  But what kind of work should be engaged in?

For we amateurs the best way to get better at chess is to work on improving our understanding of chess fundamental principles.  Principles relevant to the opening, middle and endgame, all of which involve tactics and positional concepts.

Chess engines do not teach you fundamental principles.  Showing you that you should have put your piece "here" rather than "there" is not explaining the fundamental principles behind why one move is advisable and another is not.  You must deduce this for yourself when using an engine.  As one respondent stated earlier, using a chess engine is better than nothing.  That's true - it is only better than nothing.  Using a chess engine in hopes of improving your chess is like trying to reinvent the wheel.  Why not simply make use of wheels that have already been invented, and which are already available?    

These wheels take the form of books, articles, videos, the Chess Mentor here on chess.com - all of these would help you to improve much more rapidly and efficiently than using a chess engine.  Or perhaps employing a chess coach, which is the most expensive, but possibly the most efficient option.

If chess books are of interest, the following list contains many books that are focused on, and will help you WORK on, your understanding of fundamental chess principles.  

http://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-equipment/good-chess-books-for-beginners-and-beyond

Get good chess book and avoid bullet. These bullet matches  will teach you bad habits and not will help your game.

Masters of the Chessboard by Richard Reti

http://www.thechessmind.net/blog/2012/4/1/book-notice-richard-retis-masters-of-the-chessboard.html