01 Jun 09
Is the best way to study tactics to solve many simple problems over and over again and gradually work up to more difficult problems?
Or is it better to solve mainly difficult problems to train calculation?
Also, in order to reinforce the motifs, is it necessary to 'see' the combination played out over a board and actually move the pieces, or is it sufficient to play it through in one's head?
01 Jun 09
1 edit
Originally posted by skimsStart simple and gradually increase the difficulty.The more patterns,and the more often you see the same patterns,the better.
Is the best way to study tactics to solve many simple problems over and over again and gradually work up to more difficult problems?
Or is it better to solve mainly difficult problems to train calculation?
Also, in order to reinforce the motifs, is it necessary to 'see' the combination played out over a board and actually move the pieces, or is it sufficient to play it through in one's head?
I believe it helps to actually see it played out over a real board though I guess this is open to discussion.Personally I don't do that anymore,to save time I work from the diagrams.
It's also important to do tactics every day.Better 5 every day than 35 on Monday and none the rest of the week.
01 Jun 09
Can anyone recommend a good, decent-sized all-purpose tactics book for the 1600 player?
I'm looking for the sort of book that contains just puzzles (no explanation of motifs), with complete solutions, and is large enough to keep me occupied for a while. (Ideally the tactics increse in difficulty, but avoid long variations, since to follow those I'll have to get my board out 😛)
Surely such a book exists somewhere?
01 Jun 09
1 edit
Originally posted by skimsLaszlo Polgar's (father and trainer of Judit and her sisters) 'Chess Middlegames' might suit you. 4158 positions and 77 motifs from actual games.
Can anyone recommend a good, decent-sized all-purpose tactics book for the 1600 player?
I'm looking for the sort of book that contains just puzzles (no explanation of motifs), with complete solutions, and is large enough to keep me occupied for a while. (Ideally the tactics increse in difficulty, but avoid long variations, since to follow those I'll have to get my board out 😛)
Surely such a book exists somewhere?
01 Jun 09
Originally posted by BlackampI already have this book 🙂
Laszlo Polgar's (father and trainer of Judit and her sisters) 'Chess Middlegames' might suit you. 4158 positions and 77 motifs from actual games.
It's simply the best book I've seen for mating patterns.
As for general tactics training, it doesn't really suit my needs because the number of tactics problems is quite small and, if I remember correctly, the solutions are situated directly below the puzzle (I could be wrong about this).
01 Jun 09
Originally posted by skimsare you sure you have the same book? mine has motifs like 'minority attack', 'double rook sac', hanging pawns', 'positional piece sac', 'intermediate move' etc. etc. - much more than just mating patterns - and the solutions are all at the back. Polgar produced more than one big book like this, so maybe you have one of the other ones.
I already have this book 🙂
It's simply the best book I've seen for mating patterns.
As for general tactics training, it doesn't really suit my needs because the number of tactics problems is quite small and, if I remember correctly, the solutions are situated directly below the puzzle (I could be wrong about this).
01 Jun 09
Originally posted by skimsI think the two are different things, and help with different aspects of your game.
Is the best way to study tactics to solve many simple problems over and over again and gradually work up to more difficult problems?
Or is it better to solve mainly difficult problems to train calculation?
Also, in order to reinforce the motifs, is it necessary to 'see' the combination played out over a board and actually move the pieces, or is it sufficient to play it through in one's head?
I believe the first (drilling through a lot of simple problems) helps you realize the tactical opportunities in a given position, like a bulb flashing, makes you say things like "hmm, that looks a little awkward doesn't it" or "would that work?", and the latter helps you accurately analyze the necessary lines with reasonable depth, which is pretty much the real thing.
for the first, I would recommend chess tactics server, and for calculation training, definitely chesstempo.com standard.
01 Jun 09
Originally posted by philidor positionthat chesstempo.com looks pretty good. have you tried the endgame trainer?
I think the two are different things, and help with different aspects of your game.
I believe the first (drilling through a lot of simple problems) helps you realize the tactical opportunities in a given position, like a bulb flashing, makes you say things like "hmm, that looks a little awkward doesn't it" or "would that work?", and the latter ...[text shortened]... end chess tactics server, and for calculation training, definitely chesstempo.com standard.
02 Jun 09
1 edit
I'd recommend: "The Complete Chess Workout" by Richard Palliser (has 1200 puzzles many from tournament games in 2007 just before it was published)
Also: "The Ultimate Chess Puzzle Book" by John Emms
You might also like John Nunn's Chess Puzzle Book. Not precisely what you're asking for as it has some text and the choice of seeing a hint prior to the solution and it has tests. Some of the solutions are quite a few moves deep too. It's also small in size so fits neatly in your handbag!
02 Jun 09
OK thanks for the suggestions!
I need to draw up a study plan for myself (~ 1 hour per day), sinc I'm just returning to the game after an absence of about 18 months, so need to first get back up to my previous level 🙂
Any suggestions for a good study plan?
What methods do people use on here to improve in tactics/middlegame play?
02 Jun 09
3 edits
Originally posted by skimsI have, at least for the summer, a consistent 3-5 hour study plan. It DOES require a fee, as do most lessons in other arenas.
OK thanks for the suggestions!
I need to draw up a study plan for myself (~ 1 hour per day), sinc I'm just returning to the game after an absence of about 18 months, so need to first get back up to my previous level 🙂
Any suggestions for a good study plan?
What methods do people use on here to improve in tactics/middlegame play?
1. Sharpen Your Tactics! I do 15 problems, in order. This is an excellent tactics book, seems that it would fit you perfectly if you don't already have it. It only has about 1100 problems, but there it provides at least 500 hours of study-time. This takes me 30 minutes / day. You can find the book probably for 5$ on amazon.com.
2. Because I am focusing on tactics, as you are, I spend 1 hour on the Tactics Trainer found on chess.com. Unlike Sharpen your tactics, this server does not present a theme of combinations; rather it provides random combinations that are based on how well you perform. You get a Tactics Rating, and all of the problems there are rated, similar to the chess tactics server. However, you are NOT rushed on this server!. It is possibly THE BEST Tactics Server online. You must be a paying member of the site. Keep reading my post though, I assure you it is worth paying to join that site. If you wish only to use the chess.com tactics server for 1 hour / day, I recommend a 25$ annual membership there.
For you, this above is a very solid 1 hour study-plan. But you gotta do it everyday to notice improvement soon!
3. I do 1 lesson out of Silman's Complete Endgame Course. (15 minutes).
4. I watch 1-2 online chess videos. Again, if you subscribe as a full member on chess.com, you will find videos by FMs, GMs, IMs, etc. They are 20-30 minutes long and go over all sorts of topics, from Rook Endgames, to analyzing games from the GM perspective. One of the best way to improve your game. The internet chess club (www.chessclub.com) also has videos analyzing GM games. To be eligible for this feature (and many, many more) it costs 95$ / year on chess.com, 60$ / year on internet chess club. (30 - 60 minutes).
5. Next, I complete 10 lessons from 1 course in the program CHESS MENTOR. You can either find this online (type it into google) and purchase it, or, even better, become a premium member on chess.com because they have the biggest version of chess mentor. Basically, it is a program written by chess grandmasters and IMs like Jeremy Silman. There are hundreds of courses that cover everything you can imagine. Visit this link to find out more: http://www.chess.com/chessmentor/courses.html. (30-60 minutes).
6. I also make use of cludi's chess blog. He used to be a user here - he has moved to chess.com. Lots of good stuff there - the best of which is the Test Yourself Videos. He sets you up with a GM game and you try to pick the next move, then he shows you the move that the GM made and you're evaluated. This takes a solid 90 minutes.
7. I will soon be moving on to reading "The Art of Attack" in chess. This is a book that teaches attacking themes and a few defensive strategies. I plan to get through it by the end of the summer.
8. Also will be going through "Pawn Structure Chess" by Andrew Soltis. This is a pretty advanced book going over how to reach 15 types of pawn structures and how they have been played by GM's. I also hope to finish this one by the end of the summer.
MAXIMUM TOTAL TIME: 6.25 hours / day.
TOTAL INVESTMENT: 100$ for the summer and ~500 hours of the summer
Finally, typically on weekends, I'll play a few games on the internet chess club.
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If you wish to find out more about a chess.com membership, or more specifics about my study plan, PM me. My OTB Standard Rating has moved from 1500 to 1700 and I have used this study-plan for just 2-3 months. My goal is 1800 by the end of the summer.
By no means is this an easy plan! I also work a part-time job so I admit that it is about impossible to stick to it every single day. In reality I only get an average of 3 hours / day. In the fall I will have to concentrate more on my studies...but I am considering going the distance in chess rather than going for a super-degree.
Sorry for the loooong post hopefully you can adapt some of the ideas though. My endgame and tactics have already made significant improvement.
02 Jun 09
I am not sure studying tactics is so useful... Can it even be studied? I never did so... don't you just get it with practicing? as mentioned above, even most tactics "training" is actually only practice. Wouldn't positional stuff be more useful to learn? As said in a another thread, what stronger players see is not so much tactical things, but first of all obvious positional mistakes...