Intuition.

Thabtos

Only Chess

02 Dec '10 04:25

Thabtos
I am become Death
Joined
23 Apr '10
Moves
6343
02 Dec '10 04:25
Is playing intuitively something that you can learn in chess, or is it something you just have?

I love to plan and calculate, and when I can't do both I suffer.

My slow game rating is 1960.

Online 15 minute games, 1611

10 minute games 1100-1300 depending on the day.

5-min games, 900!

I know that there people that are terrible at faster games, yet very strong in slow games. I've beaten two titled players online before, so despite their strength in slow games they really stink at faster games.

But is the ability to make good moves intuitively something that you can learn? Does it come with experience?

I very rarely get stomped in the openings, but when I can't spend a lot of time on strategic plans or calculate tactical variations I never fail to make the wrong move.

I wouldn't care about it except for the fact that sometimes people I play OTB and they will insist on short time controls because they know they'll beat me.
lausey
Milton Keynes, UK
Joined
28 Jul '04
Moves
80199
02 Dec '10 11:48
Originally posted by Thabtos
Is playing intuitively something that you can learn in chess, or is it something you just have?

I love to plan and calculate, and when I can't do both I suffer.

My slow game rating is 1960.

Online 15 minute games, 1611

10 minute games 1100-1300 depending on the day.

5-min games, 900!

I know that there people that are terrible at faster g ...[text shortened]... e I play OTB and they will insist on short time controls because they know they'll beat me.
From my understanding it is a combination of intuition and knowledge.

Lots of practice will help develop intuition, because they will get used to certain patterns, and just know what to do next because it "feels" right.

I guess the strongest players are naturally better adapted to pick up the patterns quicker, so their intuition develop faster, giving the impression that they always had the intuition for chess.
Varenka
Joined
21 Sep '05
Moves
27507
02 Dec '10 12:18
Originally posted by Thabtos
Is playing intuitively something that you can learn in chess, or is it something you just have?
Intuition can be developed. But it’s also true that some people are more natural intuitive players than others. Dvoretsky/Yusupov’s “Attack and Defence” book has a good chapter on developing intuition.

One aspect about developing intuition is that you need to exercise your ability at making “quick guesses” in such a way that you get enough feedback regarding how right or wrong you were. So, in this respect, just playing blitz may not be enough – you also need to analyse the games and identify where your intuition was wrong. And in such cases, try to identify if there were any factors that could have allowed you to spot the right decision quickly. For example, maybe you quickly evaluate pawn structure but are slower to appreciate piece activity. Or maybe your initial thinking is too focused on your own ideas and not enough of your opponent’s. So analysis and feedback is important.
nimzo5
Ronin
Hereford Boathouse
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08 Oct '09
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02 Dec '10 17:08
OP- without knowing much about you it sounds like you rely on your ability to work things out over the board to offset what you don't "know". Most likely organizing your thought process and doing more pattern study would improve your blitz.

Intuition gets better as you ingest chess ideas and can rely on your subconcious to put them together when you are playing.
wormwood
If Theres Hell Below
We're All Gonna Go!
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10 Sep '05
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10228
02 Dec '10 18:001 edit
Originally posted by Thabtos
Is playing intuitively something that you can learn in chess, or is it something you just have?
intuition is the embodiment of what you Know, in contrast to what you can figure out, if given time. so, basically you just need to repeat figuring the same things out until you Know them in your sleep, drunk, dead, back & forth and upside down. if you need to think about them, you don't really Know them yet.

play a lot, analyse, play a lot, analyse, play a lot, analyse...

on a related note: the best way to get better at blitz, in my experience, is to play a lot of blitz. and also analyse the games afterwards.

things that didn't work improving blitz: tactics, endgames, master games, loads of slow games. improving my openings, which are still crap, actually did help a bit. -so quite the opposite of what's often given for blitz advice.
nimzo5
Ronin
Hereford Boathouse
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02 Dec '10 19:40
WW- Improving your weaknesses will show up in your rating first. It sounds like for you openings are/were your weakness and tactics your strength.
Thabtos
I am become Death
Joined
23 Apr '10
Moves
6343
02 Dec '10 20:04
Originally posted by wormwood

things that didn't work improving blitz: tactics, endgames, master games, loads of slow games.

Lol basically everything I do in training.
wormwood
If Theres Hell Below
We're All Gonna Go!
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02 Dec '10 20:11
Originally posted by nimzo5
WW- Improving your weaknesses will show up in your rating first. It sounds like for you openings are/were your weakness and tactics your strength.
yeah, that would make sense as well, and is probably at least part true. one thing is sure though: I'm definitely getting much better at defending horrible & lost positions. I think that's all about playing, playing, playing a lot.
wormwood
If Theres Hell Below
We're All Gonna Go!
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02 Dec '10 20:18
Originally posted by Thabtos
Lol basically everything I do in training.
they helped my slow games immensely though, so it's not like it wasn't useful. but practically no effect to blitz. rating wise at least. I'm sure I had relatively good ideas, I just didn't have the technique to keep it all together in blitz speed. but slowly it started going better & better.
greenpawn34
e4
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06 May '08
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02 Dec '10 20:33
I'd love to see a correct experiment based on the first move
you think of when you see your opponents move. (the intuition move).

The general feeling is that good players 7 times out 10 end up playing that move.

Re: Blitz
Possibly trying to cram a complete 'slow' game into 5 minutes.

Trust yourself and go with the flow.
Without seeing games suspect you play too perfectly and try to nuture a
middle game plus right through to the ending etc and end up behind time.

It's a different game, it hack,trap and attack (and loads guess work which
we call intuition.)

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Intuition.