Chess Training for OTB play

I don't know how much I have improved, even if I have improved at all. I feel I still lack the discipline, focus required to play well. I see most of the threats in a game, but, just like in the exercises, somehow miss something quite obvious. I don't feel that I calculate better -- I am more careful, miss less answers, but I feel somehow without landmarks at times, and, at other times, I am just unable to evaluate, even see the resulting position.

Where I have improved? Openings -- I know some openings much better. That's for sure. Some middlegames.

I agree. Problems serve to improve your game, not to get an Elo rating. And like I wrote, the Elo in Convekta software is a fake one. It is also uneven: way easier to improve in some programs than in others.

Playing against Maia has also his drawbacks -- Maia is simply positionally too good, and tactically too bad. It's... uneven. Whatever the authors intended, it does not feel completely human. I played a game against Maia 1500 since my last post, and it blundered a mate in one in a relatively simple position, after playing a very good, complicated middlegame. I went last Friday to the cafehouse where the members of the club play, played a few off-hand  games, and I simply destroyed them positionally. Against Maia 1900, I simply can't touch her strategically. I wait for a blunder (from her or from me, unfortunately, but hopefully, I blunder less and less), and then, I have to fight like a devil to win a won position. It simply is not human, and I feel stressed whatever plan I choose. OK, it's good for learning, and since Maia calculates from 0-4 moves deep, her moves are really easy to understand at times, but it's completely different from real OTB play (the stress excepted).

Not yet, but I will. There are also DOS programs that I could try, and under LucasChess, there are several weak engines one could play with.

I read an article on ChessOK that with a combination of work/analysis and tournaments, a jump from 2200 to 2400 was possible in two years. I had a look at the timetable: four hours a day, four days a week of analysis/learning + tournaments. Of course, this work is with a coach and adequate software.

I don't have a coach, and there are no tournaments around. The lack of coach was obvious when I chose my repertoire. I lost several months before making the adequate choices, finding lines that I understand, can remember, and like to play.

For the rest, I can only rely on books about chess training I read: Miguel de la Maza's  "Rapid chess improvement", where he emphasizes the need to training tactics to achieve the rank of good amateur; there is also a book from Jonathan Hawkins, where he wrote about his own experience of improving his understanding of endings to achieve a master level. I have the required software to do this.

But, obviously, I have to play. Three, four games a week, and some rapid and blitz too. I'll try with everything I have -- Maia, weak engines, engines with levels. We'll see what's the most realistic and works the best.

The last question is: how will I know I have improved? Until some point, I will know. But I need to play, obviously.

Anyway, good result! The important is that you know what was wrong and that you can change it. Then, seven round in a day is a bit too much, it's almost seven hours of play, especially tiring is the nerve wrecking zeitnot at the end of the games (even with Fischer clock).

I also think about improving my physical condition overall, to do some cardio and lose even more weight (since I stop being the secretary of the redaction of the faculty journal I lost 23 kg; I gained a lot of weight in the seven years I did this awful job. I look good now, almost no belly, but a few kg less would do no harm.)

OTOH, I plan to play more. I tried today an engine with UCI_limit_strength and it looked good. I was massacred in several blitz games at 1800 Elo, but I checked the "autoskill" option and I was able to play a good rapid game. I will try it tomorrow at a normal time control. A combination of playing and cardio-exercises should definitely help, especially in a crucial part you mentioned above: "willing to concentrate". I still have to put lot of efforts to remain focused through a whole game. It is important to develop this habit.