Q:

How to use engines to improve my game (weak amateur, not a top player)

Once, I played a game against an amateur player, who played really well. When I asked him where he'd learnt to play that well, he merely said that he had used Stockfish to reach that level and had had no formal coaching.
So I got Stockfish and Komodo, the best chess engines, I believe, along with Arena as a GUI. While I clearly see that the engines are really, really good at chess(they beat me easily), in what ways can I use them to improve my game?
To make my question concrete: what are the ways in which a weak amateur chess player can use chess engines to improve his/her game? So, not an expert and not a top player.
My thoughts
I'm not sure of what the answer could be, but maybe it could include something like using engines to develop a sound knowledge of openings? That needn't be the answer, though, it's only my speculation.

A:

Endings
Far and away the best way to use engines to improve your play and possibly the easiest is to improve your endgame.
For instance: you are learning to mate with K+B+N v K. Set up the position on the board and play against the engine. You have 50 moves to deliver checkmate. The target is 33 for best play from the worst winning start position. Try several times with the engine display switched off. If you are struggling to do this then try once or twice with engine display switched on. This is a bit like cheating but this way the computer can help you correct your mistakes. Then go back to no engine display.
Similarly, you are trying to defend K+R v K+R+P. Repeat as attacker. Again occasionally switch on the engine display to get help.
Openings
This is a bit more tricky and requires a lot more work on your part. You need to be able to give the engine your own opening book.
First, build or get a pgn file with the opening lines you want to practice in the format your engine requires.
Second, set your opening book to be the opening book for the engine.
Third, play against the computer as both black and white so you get to know your opening both from your point of view and that of your opponent so you think also about his ideas. When you are following your "book" you should know because the computer should reply instantly. When you go out of "book" it will start thinking.
In your opening you might have opponent's moves that you are frightened of. Play them against the computer and see how it reacts so you can get good ideas how to play against them and not be afraid.

