Idea chess tactics
If the puzzle is not a study, you should try to grinding and if you can't solve it in 'reasonable time', save it for later.
#Idea chess tactics series#
The same is true for other series such as Yusupov's. For example, in winning chess series, Seirawan recommends time to be spent on puzzle and so on. course-like structured series), authors will typically mention the level of the puzzles.
The use of the clock and the points system is important to help you measure progress. This is important when you do the repetitions. Smith gives a couple of scoring systems.Ĥ) Calculate the variations through to the end. You are not allowed to go back.ģ) Award yourself points. If your flag falls and you haven't written down at least a move for each problem you were supposed to solve then you "lose".Ģ) Even if you can't solve the problem you must choose a move, as you would have to do in a real game, and like in a real game you solve them in order. These are -ġ) You do them against the clock, either something like 15 minutes per problem or 45 minutes for a set of 3. Second, the way you solve them is disciplined and has some rules. When you have done this you repeat with mixed motifs, so you don't automatically know what type of thing you are looking for and maybe include problems with no solution. You do this 4 or 5 times in a similar way to spaced repetition but without the same longer spacing between repetitions. When you have completed them you have a short break (a day or two) and then work through them again.
#Idea chess tactics professional#
There are a number of important principles in the method.įirst you solve large numbers (larger numbers (1000s) for professional players, smaller numbers (100s) for amateurs) of tactical problems sorted by motif. This is named after Hans Tikkanen (Tikkanen is Finnish for woodpecker) who first used the method to obtain 3 GM norms in 7 weeks.
In his award winning book, Pump up you Rating, Axel Smith advocates something he calls the "Woodpecker Method". In other words there's definitely grinding involved :)Ģ: Just to name a few sources worth considering: chess24, and all offer a wide range of tactics trainers, with small differences between them. Most puzzles often have only one solution (or one accepted one), so you have to think optimally in each step of the way. So just find a rhythm for doing as many of them as possible, whenever you feel fresh.ġ: Most importantly, don't try the first idea you see, once you spot a potential solution, check further to see if you cannot find a better one. This will improve both your speed and precision of calculation.įinally, in terms of organization, almost all sources of chess tactics nowadays, be they books or websites 2 offer categorized puzzles, in terms of checkmates, pins, double attacks, endgames, and so on, or options to do them all mixed in. So it is strongly recommended to patiently 1 solve puzzles without an analysis board, instead solve them entirely in your head, even if it requires a depth of 4-5 moves, and sometimes a bit more. Doing these on a regular basis fills up your bag of ideas as they often push you to think outside the box, but be patient, it takes time for them to residue and to lurk into your play in a natural way.Īnother important aspect of puzzle solving is the fact that it is also by definition a calculation exercise, either before or after you've spotted the key idea. Each puzzle contains at least a key idea that you can take away, mainly in terms of the structure and the weakness in it to be exploited in the tactic. Almost everything you say are in general good recommendations.Īt least from my personal experience, most important is to find a routine for solving puzzles on a regular basis.
Well this is the sort of thing that changes from one person to another: there's no unique/best way of going about it.