mschosting, please chose a variant:
a) Portuguese language has no propositions. Thus, there are no full stops. The communication consists of just a bunch of words put together from which people try to extract some meaning.
b) You are probably 4-5 years old and haven't attended yet a school.
Am I missing something?
mmm. Were is the variant to choose from? Anyway just tell me, what you did not understand there and Ill make a draw and post it just for you!
The Tactics trainer is very good for improvement but for the beginner and the casual player it may not be as attractive an activity as actually playing the game.
a) Portuguese language has no propositions. Thus, there are no full stops.
that's a pretty funny thing to say in a paragraph where you are making fun of someone else's grammar :)
not sure if you meant prepositions or punctuations, but either way very funny :)
:) Yes, I also got it wrong. In fact I wanted to say clauses, with a subject, a predicate and a period at the end. False friends ... in my native language, and in French, proposition means clause. English also has the word proposition, but now I saw that it is used mostly with the meaning of math statement.
Anyway, I found mschosting's comments extremely hard to read.
The tactics trainer is a poor method of improvement because the player is expected to calculate more deeply in real games than in tactics problems. In problems players only have to play out a combination, and do not have to know how to set them up properly.
Also, it is important to practice all aspects of chess; learning how to sacrifice pieces will hardly give you improvement as the opportunities of finding these in an actual game are very limited. Learning how to play solid positional moves on the other hand is practical for every single game you play. Remember, skill level does not depend on how amazing your games are; all that matters is if you win, lose or draw. Many people I know use simple positional principles to win or draw their games against higher rated opponents.
40+ hours is a significant amount of time for practicing chess, so it would be a good idea to reconsider your training regime if you have found no progress. In that time I was able to improve by nearly a hundred rating points in my regular practice routine - playing 3 0 or 5 0 games on FICS with stronger players and analyzing the games with a chess engine. (my rating jumped from the 1100's to over 1300 in a matter of weeks)
The Tactics trainer isn't my favorite mode of practice for Chess but I don't agree that it's a poor source for improvement. If Tactics trainer is the only avenue a player is using in becoming stronger they will come to find that the program will have its limit for them
The tactics trainer is a poor method of improvement because the player is expected to calculate more deeply in real games than in tactics problems. In problems players only have to play out a combination, and do not have to know how to set them up properly.
Also, it is important to practice all aspects of chess; learning how to sacrifice pieces will hardly give you improvement as the opportunities of finding these in an actual game are very limited. Learning how to play solid positional moves on the other hand is practical for every single game you play. Remember, skill level does not depend on how amazing your games are; all that matters is if you win, lose or draw. Many people I know use simple positional principles to win or draw their games against higher rated opponents.
40+ hours is a significant amount of time for practicing chess, so it would be a good idea to reconsider your training regime if you have found no progress. In that time I was able to improve by nearly a hundred rating points in my regular practice routine - playing 3 0 or 5 0 games on FICS with stronger players and analyzing the games with a chess engine. (my rating jumped from the 1100's to over 1300 in a matter of weeks)
Im not really complaining I love TT thats why I spent so many hours there. And I did get some improvement not sure if by training or natural body healing. Had a car wrek some years ago got a lil brain damage lol and got from 1900 into 1400 in playchess server. In the start was hanging pieces in classic time control OTB.
Anyway I just kept playing and now I'm about the same rating I was back there probably a little worse yet, because I'm not that fast for 3m games (getting old 
) TT is a great way to see how Iam playing before I actually go play If I want to avoid, blundering games away. If I'm below 2000 there just should keep away from real boards 
Who knows if I do that 40+ hours Ill be stronger then my old rating soon :)
I personally find it to be wonderful, and it's sad there is a 25 problem per day limit for gold members.
It really shows you tactical weaknesses and forces you to think quickly under time. When it reaches your own peak score, you'll be forced to go slow and consider the moves.
In order not to know whether it is complex or simple, you can take the time away in the options. That is what I do, this way I have no clue whether it is a 1 mover or a 8 mover :)
Yeah but then I don't get rated & I like geting rated. My goal is 2400.
Ha! A Rating Goal of 2400! Hahahahahahaha!
I think that one should not measure the progress after his or her rating in 3 0 or 5 0 blitz games. I agree, it might be funny and very relaxing to play such short games, but often they are far from real chess. I'd say that a chess game starts to become interesting from at least 15-20 minutes thinking time per side.
In order not to know whether it is complex or simple, you can take the time away in the options. That is what I do, this way I have no clue whether it is a 1 mover or a 8 mover :)
Yeah but then I don't get rated & I like geting rated. My goal is 2400.
Narz: go to TT settings and uncheck "Show Timer". In this way, the time bar will not be shown, but still you will solve the problems in rated mode.
Yeah but then I don't get rated & I like geting rated. My goal is 2400.
Ha! A Rating Goal of 2400! Hahahahahahaha!
My TT rating is already 2210 with a high of 2305. 
It's not that unrealistic.
Narz: go to TT settings and uncheck "Show Timer". In this way, the time bar will not be shown, but still you will solve the problems in rated mode.
Thank you costelus! 
By the way, tune in to our vote games!
Chess = 99% tactics + 1% (something else)
I don't think this is true. Chess = 50% tactics + 50% strategy