Can anyone suggest some kind of structured workout program using Ct-Art?
I see training tactics the same way as going to the gym. You might see some results if you go to the gym once in awhile, do this, do that, break a sweat. However, results will be dramatically better if the training is done in a structured, progressively harder way.
I'd especially appreciate getting more than one suggestion!
I guess the suggestion doesn't need to be specific to Ct-Art. I could use your ideas and adapt it to make my own program.
Thanks!
Originally posted by Maxime Ferlattehi, do you mean a schedule? then it depends on your time and your commitment. as for the program itself, you can do it thematically or through difficulty. i found that it was better to go through levels of difficulty as far as i could stand it!
Can anyone suggest some kind of structured workout program using Ct-Art?
I see training tactics the same way as going to the gym. You might see some results if you go to the gym once in awhile, do this, do that, break a sweat. However, results will be dramatically better if the training is done in a structured, progressively harder way.
I'd es ...[text shortened]... be specific to Ct-Art. I could use your ideas and adapt it to make my own program.
Thanks!
Originally posted by Maxime FerlatteYour translation is good either way- they don't mean exactly the same thing, but they are very close, and no English speaker would even notice the distinction until you pointed it out. If English is your second language, your written English is superb.
Yes, a training schedule. I thought maybe that ''un programme d'entrainement'' , translated to training program, but I guess it would be a training schedule! The commitment is not an issue. I spend too much time on chess.
Paul
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Originally posted by Maxime Ferlattewell, the more you do the better. it depends on how much torture you can stand indefinitely. if you burn out, you'll stop for months, even for good.
Yes, a training schedule. I thought maybe that ''un programme d'entrainement'' , translated to training program, but I guess it would be a training schedule! The commitment is not an issue. I spend too much time on chess.
the most important thing is to stay on a steady diet of doing tactics. preferably a little every day. 15min, 30min, 60min or more, whatever you can handle.
with the type of problems like in ct-art, I'd recommend trying to work a problem up to 10minutes each, until you're sure you got the right solution. don't guess, work it until you're sure. -that'll be extremely hard, and even 30min a day should exhaust you, possibly give headache and make you feel sick. that's all a sign of you doing it right, and getting the most improvement. if you don't get exhausted, you should focus harder.
start from level 10, and do them in order of increasing difficulty. the first ones will be very easy, but already the level 30 will be quite hard mostly.
when/if you get through all of them, start again from the beginning. rinse & repeat.
I`ve noticed wormwood has mentioned get the correct answer lately often in the forums instead of the fast answer and I think that is good advice.
You will accidentally be able to calculate quickly via getting the slow correct answer i think since you will actually be Calculating slowly instead of just guessing quickly.
Informants anthology of chess middlegames or Informants encyclopedia of chess middlegames is divideed into 2 sections easier and hard so it might be one option for increasing difficulty level.The easy half is arguably even tough though that is relative.
Originally posted by National Master DaleI played through Lazlo (sp) Polgar's mate-in-one problems in his book, and I was shocked that I actually had to think and verify to see some of the mates. I think it was worthwhile to expose myself to all the various mating positions.
I`ve noticed wormwood has mentioned get the correct answer lately often in the forums instead of the fast answer and I think that is good advice.
You will accidentally be able to calculate quickly via getting the slow correct answer i think since you will actually be Calculating slowly instead of just guessing quickly.
Informants anthology o ...[text shortened]... on for increasing difficulty level.The easy half is arguably even tough though that is relative.
It also occurred to me as I was doing them that a long move sequence in a mating attack is only good if you can actually see the last move and verify that it is a mate. Even the longest mating sequence ultimately ends in a mate-in-one that had to be seen when the combination began.
Paul
Originally posted by wormwoodThanks a bunch, your insight is super appreciated. Especially the part about not guessing. I'm at level 30 right now and when I'm not sure between two lines, I'll just guess and look at the answer. I guess I thought maybe quantity was the way to go, but it seems to make sense to go for quality. It reassures me when you say 30 mins should exhaust me, because after 30-90 mins I usually have a headache.
well, the more you do the better. it depends on how much torture you can stand indefinitely. if you burn out, you'll stop for months, even for good.
the most important thing is to stay on a steady diet of doing tactics. preferably a little every day. 15min, 30min, 60min or more, whatever you can handle.
with the type of problems like in ct-art, ...[text shortened]...
when/if you get through all of them, start again from the beginning. rinse & repeat.
I guess it really is like training in a gym ''No Pain, no gain!''
This is an example of what I meant by ''training schedule'' :
http://www.chesscentral.com/Chess_Strategy_Chess_Tactics_a/168.htm
I didn't like it at all, so this is why I asked for some other ideas. Thanks a lot.
If anyone has anything to add or to correct to Mister Wormwood's advice, it would be greatly appreciated.
To Paul : Thanks 🙂 French is my language. I try to write as well as I can, because people who don't pay attention to their spelling sound retarded (no offense to anyone out there).
Originally posted by Paul LeggettSo I should compliment (not sure if it's the correct meaning of the word) training tactics with Ct-Art with a Mate in one book training? '' Even the longest mating sequence ultimately ends in a mate-in-one that had to be seen when the combination began.'' Interesting!! I never thought of that before.
I played through Lazlo (sp) Polgar's mate-in-one problems in his book, and I was shocked that I actually had to think and verify to see some of the mates. I think it was worthwhile to expose myself to all the various mating positions.
It also occurred to me as I was doing them that a long move sequence in a mating attack is only good if you can actu ...[text shortened]... quence ultimately ends in a mate-in-one that had to be seen when the combination began.
Paul
Originally posted by Maxime Ferlatteheh, I read that same article some years ago when I got ct-art myself. it's a good starting point to get your training priorities straight, but I didn't like the schedule she laid out either, and made my own. 🙂
Thanks a bunch, your insight is super appreciated. Especially the part about not guessing. I'm at level 30 right now and when I'm not sure between two lines, I'll just guess and look at the answer. I guess I thought maybe quantity was the way to go, but it seems to make sense to go for quality. It reassures me when you say 30 mins should exhaust m ...[text shortened]... t pay attention to their spelling sound retarded (no offense to anyone out there).
GM ziatdinov has interesting things to say about training as well, might be a good idea to check him out as well. I think the bits I'm thinking about were somewhere on jeremy silman's website. I remember it was very motivational for me.
and yeah, I also fully agree about the similarity between mental & physical training. the more I've trained chess, the more sure I've become of there being practically no difference between the two. pretending the brain is a muscle just like real muscles, cuts through a lot of issues and ends up in very practical and efficient training.
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Originally posted by Maxime Ferlattethe more you've got elementary patterns hard wired into your brain, the faster and more accurate your calculation of more complex situations will become. you can simply jump over the known patters in an instant.
So I should compliment (not sure if it's the correct meaning of the word) training tactics with Ct-Art with a Mate in one book training? '' Even the longest mating sequence ultimately ends in a mate-in-one that had to be seen when the combination began.'' Interesting!! I never thought of that before.
I've planned to go through the elementary polgar bricks for years, but haven't got around to it yet because I need to correct some other things. but at some point I will do it, I'm sure it'll be very beneficial. some of the 2-movers from polgar I've seen have been hellishly difficult. which simply means that there are loads of simple patterns I haven't been exposed to yet.
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Originally posted by Maxime Ferlattemy advice would be not to study with ct-art. I made that mistake for a very long time in the past (more than a year), and although it probably did help me, I didn't feel it. it's really really hard to stay motivated and put in your hardest effort every time. when I started training at chesstempo.com with the standard solving type (where you have no limitations and accuracy is the only way to get points) though, I immediately began feeling I was getting stronger and stronger, and it's much, much more enjoyable to have a "real rating", to get into discussions about the puzzles and be part of a living community.
Can anyone suggest some kind of structured workout program using Ct-Art?
When you feel that competitive drive in such community, it drives you mad when you get a problem wrong to the point that you're truly scared of making a mistake, and extend your calculation abilities to the limit.
remember what Kramnik has said about being a strong chess player: you must have good health, a strong nervous system and you must absolutely hate losing. CT-Art is lonely and miserable, and it doesn't hit you that hard when you miss a problem. In chesstempo however, you feel like you want to die when you're punished by the tiniest of inaccuracies and lose a whole 30 points that you've gained with sweat and blood by getting 5 problems correct in a row in like 3 hours. I do anyway.
and I also think the problem set there is better suited for tactical improvement.
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Originally posted by Maxime Ferlatteoh the sweet headache of hard chess work, that's always nice. I don't get headaches often though, usually after 1 hour or so I get sleepy and dizzy, and some subconscious images start popping up in my brain just like in the transition phase to sleep. then I know I need to suck it up one last time and make that final shot with all the energy left in my brain. after that I quit the training.
It reassures me when you say 30 mins should exhaust me, because after 30-90 mins I usually have a headache.
Kramnik, after a series of blunders close to the end of the games, has added an extra 3 hours of solving studies exercise after his usual day long's training regime to improve his duration. that kind of stuff is what I love so much about chess.
I'm really sorry I don't have enough time to study enough to feel that tired anymore. life sometimes makes me very sad.
Originally posted by wormwoodI read the parts Ziatdinov wrote on Silman's site and WOW. Very eye opening, and like you said, motivational. His concept of learning the ''language of chess'' really helps to understand why tactics are so important. He compares complete knowledge of key positions to letters of the alphabet, and learning those positions until they are second natures enables oneself to read the board as if concrete variations were simple words. Of course, this takes immense amounts of dedication and work, but it helps me imagine what mastering tactics will feel like, which is what makes it motivational for me. Of course, his ideas are too dogmatic, and he makes the uneducated mistake of generalizing the way HE feels about chess to everyone in the world. (You can tell he's a mathematician, not an objective psychologist). But those rough spots are easy to spot and ignore, and the read is amazing.
heh, I read that same article some years ago when I got ct-art myself. it's a good starting point to get your training priorities straight, but I didn't like the schedule she laid out either, and made my own. 🙂
GM ziatdinov has interesting things to say about training as well, might be a good idea to check him out as well. I think the bits I'm thinking ...[text shortened]... cuts through a lot of issues and ends up in very practical and efficient training.
Here's the link for anyone interested.
http://www.jeremysilman.com/chess_instruction/Ziatdinov_Pt_1.html
(change the ''1'' to 2,3, up to 9 for the other parts)
As soon as I finish the exam and project rush, I will learn a 3rd language! 🙂
My deepest thanks Wormwood, your kind responses ended up helping me more than anyone else ever did!
Have a nice day!
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Originally posted by Maxime Ferlatte"This bravery has nothing to do with confidence from what you know, but from the self-awareness of how little you do know! This cannot be trained. Teaching will not help. You have to be a born fighter."
I read the parts Ziatdinov wrote on Silman's site and WOW. Very eye opening, and like you said, motivational. His concept of learning the ''language of chess'' really helps to understand why tactics are so important. He compares complete knowledge of key positions to letters of the alphabet, and learning those positions until they are second natures nd responses ended up helping me more than anyone else ever did!
Have a nice day!
I didn't like this, not at all.