Tips for rapid improvement?

If you will come to my Event I will teach you how to improve your chess skills very much overnight.

Hi! Free Chess Set if you come to my Event! I can help! Just google this: "Learn how to become expert in a day tickets"

Most of the advice given previously is good.  So I won't repeat it.  Instead, perhaps think about and try to understand as many of the following tips/pointers as you can....it's a lot to think about, so if something doesn't yet make sense to you, move on to the next tip....

Pandolfini's 64 Commandments (of Chess)....

http://wcschess.co.za/sites/default/files/news/files/64%20Chess%20Commandments_0.pdf

And while there is not enough time for the following to be of use to you for your upcoming tournament, going forward you might want to consider studying a few instructive chess books...

Good Chess Books for Beginners and Beyond...

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/good-chess-books-for-beginners-and-beyond

In fact, included in the list is..

Pandolfini's Ultimate Guide to Chess  by Bruce Pandolfini...

https://www.amazon.com/Pandolfinis-Ultimate-Guide-Chess-Strategies/dp/0743226178/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1HP6VBTYLY67V&keywords=pandolfini%27s+ultimate+guide+to+chess&qid=1568340320&s=books&sprefix=pandolfini%2Cpopular%2C194&sr=1-1

the book is an excellent one to begin your chess studies; as you read it you will encounter discussion relating to items in his 64 Commandments.

Finally, browse this site; lots of good stuff there - you're likely to find something of interest.  In particular I recommend to spend some time understanding what is on the following page....it's about maximizing the usefulness of your moves - a concept which can be put to good use immediately....

https://www.mark-weeks.com/aboutcom/aa06b18.htm

Sounds exponentially off

As the resident unsolicited solicitor, and for today only representing @ratingchess,  please find the bunny's crystal clear explanations above in a pleasing legal orange hue.

What is a logarithm?

although he might have meant algorithm

I came to this forum with the hope of getting some decent tips. There have been two useful posts.

Unfortunately that is true and no different than the vast majority of threads on this site. 

Mostly jokers and trolls having fun between bullet games. Good luck.

What, so you're justifying your useless comments on every single one of my forums?

Mate, I've been grinding tactics, endgames, openings for hours each day. Just because all you see is the games I've played, that doesn't mean I haven't been studying other things. Why do you seem to enjoy crushing self confidence with your useless posts. 

I remember asking for specific lines for 2.Bc4 - and you responded with a copy pasted opening principles post. I then asked for beginner tactical openings. You responded with a dissection of my worst games.

Probably too late for your chess tournament, nevertheless perhaps helpful down the line...

Jim's Chess Channel on YouTube features good tutorials on some openings.....here the Bishop's Opening 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69en7ATGxnA&t=714s

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChSqcu-VJQSLfQes1vlGL5g

Here, pretty thorough coverage of Bishop's Opening...

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~goeller/urusov/bishops/index.html

https://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~goeller/urusov/bishops/unusual.html

Finally, you might want to browse some of the stuff here on openings...

Chess Openings Resources for Beginners and Beyond...

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/openings-resources-for-beginners-and-beyond

Thank you so much! Not too late - my tournament is in about 21 hours so still a little bit of time.

The info could be helpful in the future....but for the present, it might be like trying to drink from a fire hose!

Someday you may want to browse here.....my blog....stuff I've accumulated over the years (decades!) and decided to put it together for posterity on chess.com....the thought being that some may find something of interest....

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell

Hi!  I've also been playing chess for around a year, and ive hit 1500 otb, and almost 1700 on here  Honestly, the thing that helped me the most was building an effective opening repertoire, and study tactics. Here's a link to a slideshow i made on tactics, I recommend you check it out when you have the time https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1SwDaRdfPd0IZHCEdiqr4aKFB5XNpzgcMQ2K3hVmT1CI/edit?usp=sharing Hope this helps  

Why dont we play a game in Live Chess, and i'll analyze it and see if i can help out

This unfortunately is very bad advice. By far the best way to improve is to play lots of blitz.  You can play 10 times as many blitz games as rapid games so you will see ten times as many endgame and tactics and will improve 10 times as fast

Try to play mostly longer time controls, including "daily" chess, so you have time to think about what you should be doing - blitz and bullet chess may be fun, but at this stage of your development they will do little to promote your rapid improvement or your understanding of how to play correctly.

It makes sense that taking time to think about what you should be doing would promote improvement in your chess skills.

This is not to suggest that you play exclusively slow time controls or daily games, but they should be the greater percentage of your games, much more so than blitz and bullet which do almost nothing to promote an understanding of how to play the game well.  Rapid chess tends to be primarily an exercise in moving pieces around faster than your opponent while avoiding checkmate, in hopes that his/her clock runs out sooner than yours - this brings to mind the old TV game show "Beat The Clock"...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu0sZYGzWSs

Here's what IM Jeremy Silman has to say on the topic...

https://www.chess.com/article/view/longer-time-controls-are-more-instructive

And the experience of a FIDE Master...

https://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/how-blitz-and-bullet-rotted-my-brain-don-t-let-it-rot-yours

Hey, I would love to, but unfortunately my tournament is in a few hours and I'm honestly too nervous to play a game beforehand.