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Post by Ozymandias on Jun 6, 2022 14:13:03 GMT
The only LTC I do on my daily routine is the tactics problem solving. Back in the day, I used a nice problems server: chess.emrald.net.  Their advantage over ChessTempo was also a drawback. It had a clock and gave you more points for solving problems faster. This is obviously more realistic, but I find that not having this incentive over at ChessTempo, I get to solve more complicated problems. I may spend as much a whole hour on a problem, I'm stubborn like that. |
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Post by Ozymandias on Jul 6, 2022 7:21:25 GMT
No pointers this time, no indication about the problem's difficulty, not motif, just the position with white to move:
[ChessTag]{2rr2k1/1p2qpp1/p6p/3b4/2nQ1N2/6P1/PP2PP1P/2RR2K1}{2rr2k1/1p2qpp1/p6p/3N4/2nQ4/6P1/PP2PP1P/2RR2K1}{2rr2k1/1p3pp1/p6p/3N4/2nQ4/6P1/PP2qP1P/2RR2K1}{2rr2k1/1p3pp1/p6p/3N4/2nQ4/6P1/PP2qP1P/2R1R1K1}{2rr2k1/1p3pp1/p6p/3N4/3Q4/6P1/PP1nqP1P/2R1R1K1}{2rr2k1/1p3pp1/p4N1p/8/3Q4/6P1/PP1nqP1P/2R1R1K1}{2rr2k1/1p3p2/p4p1p/8/3Q4/6P1/PP1nqP1P/2R1R1K1}{2rQ2k1/1p3p2/p4p1p/8/8/6P1/PP1nqP1P/2R1R1K1}{3r2k1/1p3p2/p4p1p/8/8/6P1/PP1nqP1P/2R1R1K1}{3r2k1/1p3p2/p4p1p/8/8/6P1/PP1nRP1P/2R3K1}[/ChessTag]
SPOILER: the last move is trivial, but I wanted to leave the problem as is.
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Post by matejst on Jul 9, 2022 13:23:54 GMT
The problem with this "problem", for me, is that I don't define it as a problem. I first saw 1.Nd5:, Qe2: 2. Re1 and then spend 15mn looking for a sacrifice, a trick in the starting position. Then I calculated what I realized should be the main line. Blindfold, the hardest move to find is ...Nd2, while Nf6+ is fairly easy.
I lack discipline obviously, and I have to calculate deeper consistently.
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Post by Ozymandias on Jul 9, 2022 14:51:22 GMT
Fairly easy? The problem is rated 2195 at Chess Tempo. There are titled players with a lower rating on that server.
Nxd5 and Re1 are relatively easy moves, I didn't calculate black's reply, just looked for the most sound move, every step of the way. Nf6-Qd8 weren't that apparent to me, I had to sleep on this one, literally. In the morning I saw it clearly.
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Post by matejst on Jul 9, 2022 18:55:35 GMT
Fairly easy? The problem is rated 2195 at Chess Tempo. There are titled players with a lower rating on that server. Nxd5 and Re1 are relatively easy moves, I didn't calculate black's reply, just looked for the most sound move, every step of the way. Nf6-Qd8 weren't that apparent to me, I had to sleep on this one, literally. In the morning I saw it clearly. Exercises in LucasChess, a hundred a day/or one hour a day... For me the hardest was Nd2. I was asking myself how black can save his knight, then I saw Nd2 with mate on the first rank -- then remembered that the Bishop was off the board and rejected the idea. Only when I retried to calculate the variation I saw Nf3+ (so Ne5 was possible too i believe). |
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Post by Ozymandias on Jul 9, 2022 20:25:21 GMT
Maybe, the opponent's moves don't have to be the best, because it's your side the one that always wins. Ne5 fails just the same as Nd2, but as I said I didn't calculate all the possible replies, but concentrated on finding good moves for the replies I actually got. I only really calculated when I didn't see any "obvious" move. Now, for you, Nf6 was easy, but that's when my intuition failed me and had to grind it out.
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Post by matejst on Jul 9, 2022 20:58:04 GMT
Ozzy, it's just a question of training. I noticed after a month of solving mate combinations I could see much faster/easier motives and moves. And not only when I solve problems/combinations, but also when I analyze games/opening. If you already play regularly in a club, just force yourself to open LucasChess and solve 50 problems a day. Since they are repeated, it's about 15/30 mn. You'll see how much it helps. And also: no intuition -- but calculation. Search for motives first, but then calculate every time nonetheless. I often saw ideas but messed the move order, e.g., or missed an answer.
Edit: Just doing these exercises is worth 200+ Elos in a year.
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Post by Ozymandias on Jul 9, 2022 21:21:48 GMT
Between chessemrald and Chess Tempo I don't know how many thousands of problems I've done over the years. But the easy ones (a hundred a day a times) never did much for me. I prefer now to concentrate on difficult problems, which resemble more key situations during real games. I still miss easy moves, but not so much as before. I also see more complex combinations, previously outside my purview.
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Post by matejst on Jul 10, 2022 7:28:51 GMT
Between chessemrald and Chess Tempo I don't know how many thousands of problems I've done over the years. But the easy ones (a hundred a day a times) never did much for me. I prefer now to concentrate on difficult problems, which resemble more key situations during real games. I still miss easy moves, but not so much as before. I also see more complex combinations, previously outside my purview. I also do the exercises in "Total chess training", Combinations for intermediate players. They are very difficult, worth 10-50 points, and timed. It was hopeless at the beginning, but now I rapidly solve exercises worth 30 points, and have difficulties with harder exercises only.
Miguel de la Maza wrote a book about solving chess problems -- Rapid chess improvements. He got 400 Elos in two years this way, from 1700 to 2100. For more than 2100, one has to work seriously his opening repertoire and, especially, endings. In general, I think he's right. In my case, there are other problems (zeitnot).
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Post by Ozymandias on Jul 13, 2022 10:18:50 GMT
A lot of the latest posts here have little to do with the engine, so I was thinking about moving them to either the "new member's welcome Mat" thread or one of new creation in the "The People" sub-board. If you want to create it, choose the appropriate title and I'll move them there. As for "Total chess training", I seem to have maxed out around pretty much the same level I have on Chess Tempo.  Given that this program is rather old, while the rating @ CT is being constantly updated, which takes into account Elo deflation, I'm not sure how they can be so close.
It's a nice program. It gives lots of pointers when you fail, until you finally see the motif. It's completely different to CT, where you know absolutely nothing about the position at hand, just like in a real game. Here you know how difficult it is, what particular tactic is involved and what kind of an advantage you're expected to obtain. It seems like too much help, but this program comes highly recomended by strong players, like someone I knew back in my hometown, so I'll give it a try, see if I make progress. |
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Post by matejst on Jul 13, 2022 12:04:56 GMT
I bought the other a used laptop (for 150 euros) and reinstalled all my chess apps, so I restarted the Elo in Chess tactics for intermediate players. Doing again the mating combinations, which are pretty easy. I have somewhere CT-art too, but it's the original application, not this one in Peshka, and I could not install it. But I have the CT-art books, so I did some exercises there too.
Come on. You should achieve 2100. I did the Uwe Auerswald exercises beforehand in Lucas, so it probably helped see the motives and not lose points. In CTfIP, the progression is linear (the Elo is fake, you got points every exercise you solve), so there's no reason not to make it over 2000, even 2100. I find the exercises in Chess Endgame Training much harder, but I'll find a way to solve my problems there eventually. I restarted from 1500. That's where I am after a few exercises:  |
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Post by Ozymandias on Jul 13, 2022 14:14:33 GMT
That screenshot is a blow from the past, what is that? Mac OS 8? Rings a bell.
I thought we were using the same program, but I don't recognize that one. Can you give me a link to the homepage?
2100? I'll let you know.
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Post by matejst on Jul 13, 2022 15:10:31 GMT
That screenshot is a blow from the past, what is that? Mac OS 8? Rings a bell. I thought we were using the same program, but I don't recognize that one. Can you give me a link to the homepage? 2100? I'll let you know. It's my favourite theme for windows/linux for years -- yes, OS8. Unfortunately, never had a Mac. I used a Mac I laptop 20 years ago for an afternoon, and was very impressed. Today, no, thanks.
Yes, it is the same program, but you use the modernized Peshka interface. But all the functionalities seem to be the same. I have send you some chess materials through wetransfer. It should have had already arrived.
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Post by Ozymandias on Jul 13, 2022 15:52:13 GMT
OK, so the one you're using is this one. Well, I like the newer version better, smaller download too ;-) I had to buy a Power Macintosh 8600 for work, back in the day. It set me back for the equivalent of 2,400€ in our own currency, had to ask for the money and slave myself for months to return it and make a profit. It had Mac OS 7, which was nicer than Windows 98. Since Win 7 the beauty contest has been pointless. Both platforms look good. |
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Post by matejst on Jul 13, 2022 18:20:13 GMT
What I also found valuable was the ECM 1,2,3,4 (I think there are several more, though). If you want to achieve a high rating fast, an advice I found very useful: be fresh, rested; the difference is huge; never do too much.
EDIT: Did you try Mate studies? I find it much more difficult than combinations so far. I have the same problem I had when calculating endings, or playing the end of game in blindfold chess. I miss landmarks on the empty chessboard.
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