lichess.org
Donate

Why your tactics aren’t improving

i love this blog

i love this blog

@JamesColeman said in #8:

I also feel like puzzles can be overdone, it’s good to stay sharp regularly but you soon hit diminishing returns, especially if all other areas of study are being neglected.

Thanks for reading James - as you would know well as a coach, this post talks about things more macro or high level so you'd want to look at each player or student's games and diagnose in more detail, but it's a starting point.
Definitely re diminishing returns if you're focused too much on tactics - the premise of there being a particularly strong move in puzzles is different to games where you also have to find chances (for both sides) yourself, so that's another whole other topic too.

@JamesColeman said in #8: > I also feel like puzzles can be overdone, it’s good to stay sharp regularly but you soon hit diminishing returns, especially if all other areas of study are being neglected. Thanks for reading James - as you would know well as a coach, this post talks about things more macro or high level so you'd want to look at each player or student's games and diagnose in more detail, but it's a starting point. Definitely re diminishing returns if you're focused too much on tactics - the premise of there being a particularly strong move in puzzles is different to games where you also have to find chances (for both sides) yourself, so that's another whole other topic too.

@makingtheory said in #9:

Thanks for this article. I'm so-so at tactical puzzles (the harder ones on chesstempo) but I often miss my own opportunities or miss my opponent's tactics. So I've invested in the first book you mention "How to Become a Deadly Chess Tactician". I read the sample, and it seems to address having the proper mindset, which hopefully will improve my tactics in actual games.

Hope you find the book helpful. If you're already doing puzzles at that level, looking at tactics itself from another angle could be helpful in perhaps motivating you.

@makingtheory said in #9: > Thanks for this article. I'm so-so at tactical puzzles (the harder ones on chesstempo) but I often miss my own opportunities or miss my opponent's tactics. So I've invested in the first book you mention "How to Become a Deadly Chess Tactician". I read the sample, and it seems to address having the proper mindset, which hopefully will improve my tactics in actual games. Hope you find the book helpful. If you're already doing puzzles at that level, looking at tactics itself from another angle could be helpful in perhaps motivating you.

@krystufek said in #10:

Off-topic: Where can one buy the board and pieces, and the clock in the cover photo?

I actually get this quite often - unfortunately for the board, this is one from some random department store in Australia (can't remember which) from around 25 years ago and I haven't been able to find the same one.
The clock is a DGTXL from dgtprojects.com (think the link is something else now) - old model so not sure if they have this exact one still around.

@krystufek said in #10: > Off-topic: Where can one buy the board and pieces, and the clock in the cover photo? I actually get this quite often - unfortunately for the board, this is one from some random department store in Australia (can't remember which) from around 25 years ago and I haven't been able to find the same one. The clock is a DGTXL from dgtprojects.com (think the link is something else now) - old model so not sure if they have this exact one still around.

@ratkaj said in #11:

i love this blog

Thanks for reading

@ratkaj said in #11: > i love this blog Thanks for reading

What do you think about puzzle storm, puzzle rush or just doing tactics quickly in general for improving tactics?

What do you think about puzzle storm, puzzle rush or just doing tactics quickly in general for improving tactics?

great advice. yet, i do wonder if you guys (titled players) tend to gloss over the difference in skill levels among players rated "Between about 1500 and 2000...." to me, it's huge & complicated. but maybe i'm misunderstanding and it is mostly just better tactics.

great advice. yet, i do wonder if you guys (titled players) tend to gloss over the difference in skill levels among players rated "Between about 1500 and 2000...." to me, it's huge & complicated. but maybe i'm misunderstanding and it is mostly just better tactics.

Improving without books possible, isn't?

Improving without books possible, isn't?