What is the most important thing you did to improve in chess?

We are weak because we don't play in a club, and we don't play in a club because we are weak.

Maathheus, what about analyzing some of our games? I started to do this with a girl, and this is really useful and fun. We go through one of the games you and I played (doesn't has to be necessarily a game we lost) and try to find out the best continuation in which position. Of course without using an engine, just the brain. 

We could do this also in Portuguese, as I am also from Brazil (but living since 1988 in Switzerland). 

I've started playing regularly at a club from May last year.

It's not even so much that I can prove that my game has improved since, but I find I enjoy the game much more.

Winning over the board is much more satisfying than winning online and losing ... well, you learn much more from losing over the board than losing online.

And I'm sure there will be players of your level at the club you join, whatever your level is.

Go for it!

thanks

I recently started playing chess again after many years absence.

I'd say the most important thing that improved my game, is to focus on studying chess and it's fundamentals rather than focus on my rating.  That and playing lots of games (without worrying about rating), getting more experience and exposure to positions/tactics and patterns - relearning what I'd forgotten and more.

Oh, and having fun

This about not worrying about rating seems to be a good advice for me, but not that easy to follow. It is like to play a tournament in tennis and just play for fun, not matter if you would lose or win. But if you lose you are out, the same with a lot of tournaments here. 

But I think I got the point, it is about playing the position and trying to do the best, and if things get wrong - well, learn from the mistakes.

for daily: 1) read a lot 2) tried to apply whatever I read in every position -> it worked perfectly

for blitz, wasn't that easy, since you can't consider all the theory in such a short time. Actually, it will be detrimental if you do. Therefore, I did many other things (mainly related to time management), which increased my rating nearly 500 points (from 716 to 1200). Some of the most important things that I did are the opposite of what is usually suggested (to name 2: a) I played a lot of blitz and b) tried to be patient and avoid rushing attacks).

I also have a strong discrepancy between my Daily and blitz rating. For you this discrepancy is even bigger. Actually I avoid playing blitz, as I perceive it as rather addictive and I tend not to analyze my games. But I should keep trying from time to time.

I can't "not worry" about my rating, although it seems ridiculous.  What I do is play against an engine to practice, then play a rated game online which I always take seriously.  I actually get nervous and stressed when I am playing! 

I think it is important to have games where you are very focused and trying your best, and other games where you can play just for fun.  Other things I have considered is to have a time control where you take your rating seriously and another where you don't, (for me for example 15/10 is my main time control, and 5/5 I really don't care that much), or to play online elsewhere where you don't care about rating, and save your main account for playing seriously. 

I have something similar. For me Daily is really serious stuff, but most other time controls are less important. I think I will begin to have a similar "serious" attitude towards rapid. I would like to have a similar rating there as in Daily. And if this works well, I could do the same with blitz, like 5/5.