"What do you guys think about the Woodpecker Method?"

@IamNOTamod said ^

"I fear not the man who has practised 10000 kicks once but I fear one who has practised one kick 10000 times" ~Bruce Lee

Does this apply to chess, though?

Like this one

I wonder if Sun Tzu's The Art of War would help in chess? I seem to remember an idea in both chess and The Art of War. You want to keep your supply lines open and interfere with your opponent's supply lines...

I think one idea I need to learn more about is counter-play. I once lost a ladder game against a more-highly rated opponent due to a bad pawn move. I should have blocked the queenside completely instead of allowing it to open. My opponent's forces were mostly on the queenside, aiming for my weak queenside. My pieces were aiming at the castled king on the kingside, but there was no immediate mating threat from me. I don't still have the game, but I have thought about it a lot.

@tpr said ^

The title sounds better than the method.

What's so bad about that? The concept isn't new—and it's found in other fields as well: for example, in 1934, Emilio Pujol first published his Escuela razonada de la guitarra—four volumes totaling about 700 pages. In addition to the usual etudes, the work consists mainly of hundreds of short exercises of varying complexity that are actually very similar to the concept of “priyomes”—each one is a solution to a specific problem. You practice them over and over again—so that you can recall them later.

@Bishop1964 said ^

Doing 984 puzzles in 2 hours. Really ?

Sounds really weird. Unless problems are really easy - for the solver. That gives about 7 seconds per problem.

Tikkanen went trough 1000 problem at the end over 1 day - not just 8 hours but whole day. Given he was an IM back then...

@Bishop1964 said ^

I have also a question to all people who have done the Woodpecker method book.

there is no point trying use book as the speed is supposed to go up. if set up board it takes forever. I assume book is the easiest solution. whether it is electronical on paper.

@Bishop1964 said ^

I have also a question to all people who have done the Woodpecker method book.

What is the best way to do it ?

1. Use only the book ?
2. Use the book in combination with a physical board ?
3. Use a chessable course ?
4. Create your own private studies on Lichess ?

I have the books as a hard copy (literally, instead of paperbacks) and I solve directly from the book. Sometimes I bring them along on a train journey, sitting in an airport lounge or during the flight. A great way to kill time.

Woodpecker 1: I recommend for 1500+. Not that unique in material as there are plenty of other books and online resources on tactics and combinations.
Woodpecker 2: I recommend for 1800+. Unique in the way it teaches middlegame planning. I've used the 'priyome' positions to train students.

Disclaimer - I've never had the patience for the actual woodpecking i.e. repeating the set in shorter and shorter cycles. Usually I get to some point in the book, put it aside for months and then start afresh.