What are you learning right now?

I am doing less tactics training, seeking balanced instruction. I am learning strategy from this book -

It's a fun book, in that it does not need to be read from cover to cover, just going where my curiosity leads - delight directed instruction. Silman says you can read it in any way you wish.

I opened up to the Minority Attack, hearing it often in videos, but not knowing what it was. Now I have that strategy to use when the position calls for it. Kinda nice.

What are you learning, or are you taking a break from learning? There are no wrong answers. Well, I suppose there is one, like memorizing all the lines in Modern Chess Openings for kicks and giggles. Heck, if that is fun for you, then go for it! At least you won't need to think for the first 15 moves, or more.

1001 Deadly Checkmates by John Nunn + Silman's Complete Endgame Course.

I also have that book.  It is a good starting point of reference.  I am working on different endgame patterns (King & Pawn v. King, King & Rook v. King, Rook, and Pawn, etc.).  I also try to do 30 min of tactics a day in the morning before my kids get up (That's "me" time!)

How to beat Magnus.

Starcraft 2.... yeah I need to get back to chess.  I play a game or 2 of chess a day against a friend, then I review said games.  I splash around on CTS for typicaly about 30 minutes a day.

I just noticed your diamond has morphed into a star!

I learn everything I need to know from the "Backyard Professor" on Yootube.  I have gone from 590 to 610 USCF rating in six months watching his stuff.

me, im learning about diagonals and  horizontals, where and when and how my pieces are best suited for in terms of deployment for counter attack and defense seeing all tactical  positions that may arise. every occupation of squares has its advantages and disadvantages as to horizontals and diagonals whether in the opening middlegame and ending.blitz familiarization is a big help as to interpret pssible moves.

He's America's answer to Magnus.

I'm mostly focusing on tactics right now, having failed to make a systematic study of them for the 1st 40 years of playing. I made flash cards out of Bain's Chess Tactics for Students, am working my way through the e-book Tactics Time, and I'm doing a lot of work on Tactics Trainer and mentor on this site and on Chess Tactics Server.

I think I'm going to focus almost exclusively on tactics for at least six months (in addition to playing, of course), and then I'll start adding in Silman's endgame course.

I felt that the Silman book was a good introduction and gave me some ideas, but he normally doesn't give any ideas as to when to use the material presented in the book.  Sure, minorty attacks, but when?  If I remember correctly, there are a lot of recommended readings listed throughout the book, so it's obviously meant to plant an idea in the student's head and to urge them to study the idea in more depth.

I thought the "minority attack" was supposed to be used when one's pawns on one side were fewer in number than enemy pawns on the same side.  Then you launch the minority attack, much as in the film Minority Report where Tom Cruise launched a minority attack against the "pre cogs" who could not foresee his moves.

The definition and one short example doesn't help the player learn when they're a good idea and when they're bad.

I think they are good in the endgame mostly.  Or as many chess enthusiasts proclaim "depends on the position."  Like how Tom Cruise was in that position thrashing around with the "precogs" in that swimming pool thing, remember?  Or really more so in the Last Samurai where Tom Cruise was the "minority of one," leading the Japanese fuedal warriors into their final battle against the modernist imperial forces.