Around 1140 CTS and an inflated 1350 here. My success rate is 85%+. I solve lots of the problems only after several minutes of staring at them. I try not to make a move unless I understand the position and am sure of what I'm doing.
Am I not playing recklessly enough on CTS, or is it just a matter of getting more practice?
depends on your goal... IMHO, if you want to become stronger OTB or at CC, making your move only when you see the tactic is best. There is a good in quick pattern recognition, but moving reflexively (ie, check the king and hope) only occasionally works on CTS and I'd say much more rarely elsewhere. 😉 You lose points for being right and slow on CTS, but the more problems you solve, the faster you'll get.
Originally posted by HolyTgoing for accuracy makes a huge negative impact on your rating on CTS. around 100-150 points from 70% to 85%. however, your improvement over time will be faster.
Around 1140 CTS and an inflated 1350 here. My success rate is 85%+. I solve lots of the problems only after several minutes of staring at them. I try not to make a move unless I understand the position and am sure of what I'm doing.
Am I not playing recklessly enough on CTS, or is it just a matter of getting more practice?
it's a lot more exhausting also, which is why I think it also improves you faster. just keep keep doing it daily, and there will be steady progress.
Originally posted by HolyTJust look for the most forcing move, be it a check or capture, then imagine the position after the forced response.
Around 1140 CTS and an inflated 1350 here. My success rate is 85%+. I solve lots of the problems only after several minutes of staring at them. I try not to make a move unless I understand the position and am sure of what I'm doing.
Am I not playing recklessly enough on CTS, or is it just a matter of getting more practice?
How has the position changed to your advantage?
Is there a check/discovered attack/fork/skewer or pin now available?
9 out of 10 times that will be the key to sloving a tactics puzzle.
Originally posted by SquelchbelchThe best strategy is:
Just look for the most forcing move, be it a check or capture, then imagine the position after the forced response.
How has the position changed to your advantage?
Is there a check/discovered attack/fork/skewer or pin now available?
9 out of 10 times that will be the key to sloving a tactics puzzle.
for puzzles rated under 1700: just look for pieces to be grabbed, pinned, decoyed or skewered. When you find something (=anything), play it instantly. dont waste time calculating anything.
for puzzles over 1800: again look for simple tactics, but when you find one do not play it, but spend few seconds looking for something more subtle. if you dont find anything else that could possibly work, play the combo you found first. but if you find something that might be better, then ditch the first move you found and play the second one.
Now you might wonder whats the point with all this; well the point is that +1800 rated puzzles are very rarely easy ones, meaning that if you find a good-looking move quickly then others will probably find it quickly too. in that case the rating of the puzzle should be dramatically lower (because of the vast number of correct answers), but because the rating happens to be relatively high (+1800), the best looking move isn't the correct one.
"if you want to become stronger OTB or at CC, making your move only when you see the tactic is best. There is a good in quick pattern recognition, but moving reflexively (ie, check the king and hope) only occasionally works on CTS and I'd say much more rarely elsewhere. You lose points for being right and slow on CTS, but the more problems you solve, the faster you'll get."
That is bad and it doesn't seem like you understand what the point of CTS is.
The point is not to play 60 min chess games like you only have 5 seconds per move, it's to develop pattern recognition and intuition so when you are playing a game you can instinctively tactics, and after calculating figure out if they are correct.
so u cant take 5 minutes per problem
"The point is not to play 60 min chess games like you only have 5 seconds per move, it's to develop pattern recognition and intuition..."
Agreed, and not sure who you're arguing with. 🙂 My point is that one will learn to see these tactics by looking for them, not by making any promising move quickly because one is being timed. With practice comes increased speed.
Real world example: my 7 yr old likes to make a quick decision on CTS since he loses points if he takes too long. What advice would you give him to improve his tactical skill? Move before he gets it, or wait- even if it takes 5 minutes?