How can I improve my openings

Tactics, are we talking about tactics. I have won many games by not using tactics. I find when i take them away as an option for my opponent i can grind out my way to king and end the game. Have to ask what do you do in between tactics as your opponent it not just playing with his thumbs at the time?

WOW!! Hey, guys (and gals, if reading these posts) Keep it up. This is great.I look back on how I've progressed in chess. I've read so many chess books, it's insane. One of the hardest things to learn, for me, is to actually have a plan. Sounds logical, but very difficult for me. Some of you mentioned the need for tactics....I agree. you need to understnad the pin, fork, discovered attack, etc and them begin to look for them in your games and actually use them in your games. Someone said just play a lot. That helped me immensely. Keep playing, have fun, don't give up and use what ever method of learning works for you. Ches.com has so many videos and other helps. Just google such topics as "Openings", "Traps", etc

Modern technology has made learning chess so much easier. Use it.

Thanks to all of you for submitting your ideas. You can see by my rating that I'm not a great chess player but you should have seen me 20 yrs ago!!

Your link did not work.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_11?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=basic+chess+openings&sprefix=basic+chess%2Caps%2C849

Thanks for the feedback, it's very appreciated!

I'd like to know what it means when they say to study the mainlines in the openings as a template for understanding development? What do they mean by mainlines? Are there a specific set of openings that people study to start getting an understanding of how to develop into middlegame plans?

PS - When I'm losing games it's mostly because I can't get my pieces out. When I win games it's because I find some lucky tactic to turn around a lost game.

Yeah, I know those ones, but it doesn't seem to help. Thanks though. It's why I started this thread, because I want to know how to study development and openings on a deeper level.

Hey Mandy711 are those books different or just a weak attempt to make more money?

when you're studying an opening, study common middlegame and endgame plans for both sides that arise from that opening. looking at master games with that opening should do the trick

Yeah that sounds great! But untile you keep playing that opening over a long period of time.... notice i did not say games for a good reason. You will notice what you are doing correctly and wrong. As you will not have that good to help you out even if your playing online. After you lose your going to have to go over the game and find out where you went wrong and the correct move to avoid the bad situation.

It is was easy as above we would have a GM that has won over 50 consecutive games or over 80% games by GM's ending in a draw as they know it so well.

What does it mean to study the "mainlines"? How would I know what the mainlines are among so many variations in an opening?

Thanks that's actually quite helpful. I was looking through zip files downloaded from "pgn mentor" and trying to find the mainlines within each opening.

Well if your not sure Ctrl the Ctr or pawn in ctr. And which piece that advances on which wing.

I think AiChessCoach.net is a great resource for players aiming to strengthen their chess openings. It's a free tool that can analyze your most recent 200, 500, or even 1000 games from sites like Lichess and Chess.com. It offers personalized opening recommendations and highlights recurring mistakes, helping you focus on areas where you can improve. Definitely worth a look if you want insights tailored to your own games.

why does it take so long

if you chose to include 1000 games in your feedback report it can take 10-15 min the first time, but I find it worth the wait.