Help on trying to get a Title

Hi! I have just got some news that I would be able to start USCF Rated Club level OTB play next month! I wanted to know some tips to improve my chess as I am looking to become a NM in USCF which is my goal. What this thread is made for is that I want to know if there are any books for the Endgame or Middlegame that any player higher than me could let me know. Also I think advice from people lower is still useful cause sometimes they have more knowledge :). So I just wanted to know how to improve my chess and at what rating in USCF should I start playing some things out of Club Level Play (Some Tournaments that are Big). I just want help on improving and advice on when should I also play some big tournaments! Thank you so much and please help me :DDD.

EDIT: I want to hit NM in by the next 4 years.

Remember the rules
lichess.org/forum/general-chess-discussion/what-are-the-face-to-face-chess-rules

@gravija said in #2:
> Remember the rules
> lichess.org/forum/general-chess-discussion/what-are-the-face-to-face-chess-rules
LOL I remember the rules

Hey, I'd like to be a GM in the next 15 minutes! But I'm afraid those kinds of things aren't really up to us. It's good that you're giving yourself 4 years (instead of 6 months or 3 weeks or whatever deadline the poster in question happens to dream up). But I would advise against putting any sort of time limit on the whole business.

It took me 9 years to make master (from the time I started playing in USCF tourneys). And I was just glad to make it at all! (even if it did take a bit longer than expected). And considering that not very many do achieve it (percentage-wise), it seems a bit presumptuous to me to insist that you get it done in a time frame of your own device. ;)

@MrPushwood said in #4:
> Hey, I'd like to be a GM in the next 15 minutes! But I'm afraid those kinds of things aren't really up to us. It's good that you're giving yourself 4 years (instead of 6 months or 3 weeks or whatever deadline the poster in question happens to dream up). But I would advise against putting any sort of time limit on the whole business.
>
> It took me 9 years to make master (from the time I started playing in USCF tourneys). And I was just glad to make it at all! (even if it did take a bit longer than expected). And considering that not very many do achieve it (percentage-wise), it seems a bit presumptuous to me to insist that you get it done in a time frame of your own device. ;)

Wow! Very cool that a NM themselves responded to me! I was more of wondering like what people like you did to become a NM, like studying chess by books and stuff like that. Also I was wondering that when should I start playing "real tournaments" instead of the club level that I am playing? (For the future and rating in USCF). I was just wondering all of those things :). I gave myself a time limit because I wanted to grind towards it! And wow, you hit NM in 9 years!? That is so rare!

U will be one day ._.

#1
Focus on 'game' instead of 'time'!

I also believe you will get there. Train consistently but also be smart about it. If you overdo it, it can be mentally draining. Take necessary breaks. It would be pretty nice to get a GM coach to train with, but you can self teach yourself as well. NM Jerry (Chessnetwork) is a self taught national master and he knows many ideas more than myself. You could watch his videos because they are very instructive and I try to follow and apply ideas he mentions

You should start playing OTB as soon as possible.

The books that did me the most good:

Modern Chess Strategy - Pachman
Pawn Structure Chess - Soltis
100 Selected Games - Botvinnik

@MrPushwood said in #9:
> You should start playing OTB as soon as possible.
>
> The books that did me the most good:
>
> Modern Chess Strategy - Pachman
> Pawn Structure Chess - Soltis
> 100 Selected Games - Botvinnik

Wow thank you so much Master @MrPushwood