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How much time to spend solving tactics?

How much time to spend solving tactics?

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I wanted to know, how much time do you invest in solving tactics?

I only on some days solve a few tactics, which takes me about 1 hour each time.

My rating is about 1300 I wanted to know if that is enough or should I study more?

I also recently bought My System which I will read day to day and also solve tactics.

I hope to improve greatly, only been playing for 2 months.

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In the beginning you should spend a lot of time on combinations and mating patterns. I think a lot of players spend wayyy too much time on openings and not enough on basic combinations. If you have a laser printer there is a boatload of pages here:

http://www.wtharvey.com/

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about hour a day is enough. go to CTS, its da best.

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Originally posted by Ian Coetzee
I wanted to know, how much time do you invest in solving tactics?

I only on some days solve a few tactics, which takes me about 1 hour each time.

My rating is about 1300 I wanted to know if that is enough or should I study more?

I also recently bought My System which I will read day to day and also solve tactics.

I hope to improve greatly, only been playing for 2 months.
Tactics, tactics, tactics at your level.

D

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Originally posted by Jusuh
about hour a day is enough. go to CTS, its da best.
I've tried CTS but I think most tactics was too easy and with too little time. (good if you play blitz though).

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Originally posted by bikingviking
I've tried CTS but I think most tactics was too easy and with too little time. (good if you play blitz though).
You have all the time in the world with CTS. I started off on there, just taking my time, and I gradually got faster and faster. Then my rating started going up, and the tactics got harder and harder.

I think it's a great training tool, but the best I've come across so far is called Chess Mentor. Superb piece of software, no matter whether you are a complete novice, or a decent player, ie: I'm finding a lot of the instruction very helpful.

D

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Originally posted by bikingviking
I've tried CTS but I think most tactics was too easy and with too little time. (good if you play blitz though).
wait a minute... has RahimK fed you with his slow tactics mambo jambo?? 😀

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no

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I'd say about 30 minutes a day. 😀

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Originally posted by bikingviking
I've tried CTS but I think most tactics was too easy and with too little time. (good if you play blitz though).
if you can't solve the CTS problems fast enough on a certain level, that simply means you're not there yet, and need to work more on the simpler problems.

after all, it's not the server that clicks on the board prematurely, it's you.

the most important thing is to train tactics consistently. 15min daily is a lot better than one 2h session once a week. 1h a day is of course even better.

another important thing is that you need to get exhausted when you train. if it doesn't wear you down, you're not pushing yourself, nor improving. pain is good.

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^ I secound chess mentor ----


although, I would add, I'm not sure its worth the very hefty price tag.

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Originally posted by Ian Coetzee
I wanted to know, how much time do you invest in solving tactics?

I only on some days solve a few tactics, which takes me about 1 hour each time.

My rating is about 1300 I wanted to know if that is enough or should I study more?

I also recently bought My System which I will read day to day and also solve tactics.

I hope to improve greatly, only been playing for 2 months.
I suggest you do at least 5 puzzles a day and don't spend anymore then 5 minutes on one puzzle. If you don't get it after 5 minutes, check the solution and then redo it again after awhile.

But the more you do, the better.

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Originally posted by Ragnorak
Tactics, tactics, tactics at your level.

D
I'm not sure I fully agree with this. Certainly there's no doubt that most games are won and lost due to tactical oversights and miscalculations, and I don't think that there's much point in learning lot's of opening variations only to be left at sea when when you run out of book moves. However tactics are the way you realise a strategy so you need to have some conception of how to plan for them to be any use. A reasonable conception of position helps you with tactics - if you put your pieces in good places you will find that you get tactical opportunities and if you put your pieces in bad places your opponent will get tactical opportunities.

I'm not suggesting that working on tactical vision and calculational accuracy shouldn't dominate people's work on chess up to around the 2,000 mark. But everyone needs to spend some time looking at positional ideas. I'd say a reasonable balance would be to divide you your chess working time to around 80% tactics, 10% openings and 10% position.

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Mhh... I use Personal Chess Trainer for the puzzles, I take about 30 seconds per puzzle. It's easier on the computer becuase you get on a role. Though, there are about 135 puzzles per unit and I do 1 new unit everyday.

If I return to a previous unit it takes me 3 seconds to solve a puzzle. I think the results are great lol.

I should probably also do harder ones online...

THOUGH, these get harder and harder, and im still at module 1.

6 Modules , 51 Units per module for Tactics in Personal Chess Trainer.

I strongly recommend you check out the trial version at: http://www.personalchesstrainer.com/

even if its just to tell me what you think.

Thanks for the post,

PS.I think im going to make a NEW thread regarding Personal Chess Trainer, comment there on it and in here about how much time and stuff to spend solving puzzles.