We would have to look at your games to see what the problem is. Over 90% of the time, it is the opening. You are falling into traps or not developing or attacking before defending. You have to feel comfortable at an opening you can survive. Look at the short games and miniature games (under 20 moves) to get a feel for tactics, combinations, and how an opening flows. You need to know them as White and as Black to know what to avoid or what to look forward to. Find the short games that are fun and practical. Study the games that you have similar openings or styles, then look at the other games. When I pick up a chess book, I always find the shortest games and study them first. If I don't have a strong player to go over my games to find alternative moves, or better moves, I can play the same moves with a chess database and see what opening moves were played and who got out of "book" first. If it as a chess playing program, but the same moves in and see if a strong program makes the same moves or not, or finds better moves. Whatever it is, don't make it dull. You are not destined to mediocrity unless you want to be. Everyone improves with more practice and seeing more chess positions and combinations. You may not be used to seeing the unexpected moves or not looking for better moves than you are playing. You have to look beyond that and find moves that are unexpected, such as sacrifices, or moves that don't make sense now, but would later on. Go over your own games and figure out where or why you lost. There are always critical positions that you did not see all the candidate moves, either your moves or the unexpected moves by your opponent. Some of us just can't get any better (including me) at certain parts of the game or seeing deeper into a position. Those are at the higher levels when you need to understand endgames dozens of moves deep. But for now, unless you are playing masters, you can always improve by playing and practicing more, cutting down your weaker moves until you are surviving or winning.
Nice advise. But one thing many players forget is to find the best time to play--some are morning persons, some are afternoon guys and some are night owls. When you play be the best that you can be...
Someone ask How to Improve his game in chess.
Master Bill Wall said:
We would have to look at your games to see what the problem is. Over 90% of the time, it is the opening. You are falling into traps or not developing or attacking before defending. You have to feel comfortable at an opening you can survive. Look at the short games and miniature games (under 20 moves) to get a feel for tactics, combinations, and how an opening flows. You need to know them as White and as Black to know what to avoid or what to look forward to. Find the short games that are fun and practical. Study the games that you have similar openings or styles, then look at the other games. When I pick up a chess book, I always find the shortest games and study them first. If I don't have a strong player to go over my games to find alternative moves, or better moves, I can play the same moves with a chess database and see what opening moves were played and who got out of "book" first. If it as a chess playing program, but the same moves in and see if a strong program makes the same moves or not, or finds better moves. Whatever it is, don't make it dull. You are not destined to mediocrity unless you want to be. Everyone improves with more practice and seeing more chess positions and combinations. You may not be used to seeing the unexpected moves or not looking for better moves than you are playing. You have to look beyond that and find moves that are unexpected, such as sacrifices, or moves that don't make sense now, but would later on. Go over your own games and figure out where or why you lost. There are always critical positions that you did not see all the candidate moves, either your moves or the unexpected moves by your opponent. Some of us just can't get any better (including me) at certain parts of the game or seeing deeper into a position. Those are at the higher levels when you need to understand endgames dozens of moves deep. But for now, unless you are playing masters, you can always improve by playing and practicing more, cutting down your weaker moves until you are surviving or winning.