"How do I to train to be a better chess player?"
You can ask around and chess amateurs as well as experts would answer:
1. Study chess tactics 'round the clock.
2. Play through annotated games of your favorite Grandmaster.
3. Do it like Capablanca - sink your head in endgames.
And those are just to name a few.
True, such tips for chess improvement work eventually. BUT when you are working on endgames, tactics, strategy, and chess openings ONLY - you are missing one vital point.
Chess is a skills and thinking game!
When you are at the board, you won't have someone telling you "It's mate in 3"! If you don't have the skills to spot the opportunities available to you and your opponent, you won't see it. Period.
Many wood-pushers who want to be better chess players fail to realize that they need to piece their knowledge of chess openings, middlegame (tactics and strategy), and endgame together.
Sporadic learning brings sporadic results. You may win a chess game brilliantly in the first round of a tournament. BUT you may fall to a blistering attack and lose before move 20 in the next. Do you really want such irregular results?
I know I don't, and you shouldn't too.
Your chess thought process MUST be streamlined. It should be made of easy-to-remember rules and reminders that will allow you to use all of the skills and knowledge you've gathered through chess training. A good thought process should help you find the best move in all the time.
Do you know what the main idea of a chess game is?
Do you know what the 3 main tasks you should complete in the opening are?
How exactly do you compose an attacking plan?
What if the opponent has made aggressive gestures? What do you do?
If you don't know the answer to these questions, then your chess thought process could use some help. It's about time you set aside those chess tactics books and CDs, those reams of opening theory, etc. and work on your thought process that will bring these knowledge you have gained together.
Remember, when you get a better and more efficient chess thought process, you will be a better chess player.
