How To Learn Chess

"Nothing is more disturbing than the upsetting of a preconceived idea."

How much study time is required? Edmar Mednis suggests 50% on openings, 25% on middlegames and 25% on endings. Lasker suggests, rules and exercises 5 hours, elementary endings 5 hours, some openings 10 hours, combinations, tactics 20 hours, positional play 40 hours, practical play with analysis 120 hours. If you spend the 200 hours on the above, even if you possess no special talent for chess, you are likely to be among the two or three thousand chess players who play on par with the masters. Of course there are those who spend in excess of 200 hours on chess without making any progress.

A player may have memorized a few opening lines and a few variations and know some basic principles of the opening, but his simple development may be lacking. Also a rote method of memorizing important variations never works. Such a rote method never works because as the memorized line ends, the player is at a loss regarding what to do next. What is important is to first obtain an understanding of what an opening is all about. Your strongest weapon against the superior player is ideas, a purpose or plan, imagined in your mind. It's the ideas that can be used as effective weapons in all areas of chess. A mastery of a little theory which conveys the real understanding of the game is infinitely more valuable than a carefully memorized compilation of endless moves. Paradoxically, a thorough grasp of the ideas behind the openings, which are relatively few in number, is a royal road of knowledge which eliminates much of the drudgery associated with remembering a long series of variation. The better way is to have studied the theory and be able to adapt to changes in different circumstances, that is what will give you the edge in the openings. There are several sources of this knowledge for free on the Internet. 

In the middlegames the opponent may know some basic tactics but has problems with more complex tactics in unfamiliar settings. The better player can see through to the counterplay and set traps. His moves have a point and use coordination of all his pieces. Your opponent's attacks may lack the necessary planning and development of all his pieces. He may lack in a style of play, be inflexible and lack the coordination initiative of all his active pieces to carry out the strategy of a successful attack. If your sound defense holds, his position may crumble leaving you with a superior advantage in your position in the middle game. Only 20 to 25 hours spent in studying tactics can make a profound improvement in your game.

In the endgame your opponent may be weak in endgame theory and be hesitant to use his king. He may defend rather than attack. The better player can limit counterplay and set up problems and obstacles to limit his opponents play and enhance his own position. You can play hundreds of games and still lack improvement if you don't study your losses. You must look at what needs to be improved.