How to invest your time?

Originally posted by Ian Coetzee
How should one invest his time?

Which is the best way for a 1400 rated player to improve his game?

Should he spend more, or less time studying tactics than playing chess?

I'm recently studying allot of tactcs and openings rather than playing. Too much openings probably, but I like to know what to expect and face.

I just dont know if I should play more.

Quite honestly, at 1400 I'd suggest looking at old games you've lost and really figure out where you went wrong, then apply what you've gleaned to your next games. Also some general advice to 1400s~

If you are getting trapped in openings or directly out of openings, use a database to make sure you don't make those mistakes. When your opponent leaves book early, figure out why the move xe has chosen is inferior (it most always is) and find the correct response. Pick openings you are comfortable with playing, but I'd advise not specializing too early because your level of understanding is too shallow with the various positions these openings reach.

Tactics puzzles are great, but nothing is better than deep analysis of various lines in the games you are playing, and the great thing about correspondence chess is the almost indefinite time you can spend on a single position and all its variations. If you are dropping pieces still (and at 1400 something this is still pretty common) make sure that before you make your move you look at every possible capture your opponent can make on xys next turn (however trivial!). This is an extremely easy way to almost never blunder.

Endgames I feel just work themselves out if you are comfortable with analyzing deeply, so I wouldn't worry about them too much now since most games are decided in the opening and middlegame. If you go into an endgame down a rook with no compensation, no amount of endgame theory is going to save you.

Originally posted by Ramiri15
Quite honestly, at 1400 I'd suggest looking at old games you've lost and really figure out where you went wrong, then apply what you've gleaned to your next games. Also some general advice to 1400s~

If you are getting trapped in openings or directly out of openings, use a database to make sure you don't make those mistakes. When your opponent le ...[text shortened]... ndgame down a rook with no compensation, no amount of endgame theory is going to save you.

I looked at some tournament games last night which I played a few weeks ago when I was a 1180 player and I really could see all the blunders made by myself and my opponent, at that time the match seemed so complicated, now its just a mess.

Thanks allot for your reply.