Improvement

Hey guys, I am on summer break and I am wondering if you guys can help me gather up a study plan. My goal is to play in an OTB tournament this year and hopefully increase my rating on this site to the 1800`s by the end of this year. So to fulfil those goals and most importantly improve my chess what steps must I take,what kind of books should I purchase or pirate of the Internet?

1. Premium membership to maximize tactical exercises here

2. Play as much as you can- long games preferred

3. How to Reasses Your Chess by Silman

4. Amateur's Mind by Silman

5. Don't be a pirate.

Hope this helps.

Remember when someone says they're weak in a certain aspect of the game they mean relative to their rating.  An expert who is weak at endgames is as strong in endgames as a 1700 who is good at them.  What's strong for one is weak for another as the standards are higher in higher rating categories. 

It's like Superman fighting Harry Potter.  Despite the fact that Harry Potter is a wizard and Superman is weak against magic Superman would still win because Harry can't make a homing fireball fast enough to catch up to him, and even if it did it'd be as if it hit a normal person anyway, which isn't guaranteed to be lethal.  So despite his weakness to magic Superman has too many advantages, and facing a weaker or stronger player is the same way.