How are the points awarded for solving puzzles in the Tactics Trainer?  I'm a slow thinker and often will solve the puzzle correctly, yet get a negative score.  I would expect that a correct solution would always yield positive score.  This is quite discouraging to be awarded negative points for success.

Tournament chess games are also played with a clock.

we have changed it so that even partial correct answers get partial credit

 

my scores peaked at 1510 and have been as low as 710 in the space of two weeks.  If I log in while tired, i may as well take a 200 point rating hit.  Some are tough.

Is the trainer actually presenting me with puzzles geared toward my rating, or are they random puzzles which always raise or lower a rating by the same score?

 

ok. we found a REALLY big and nasty bug. jay will work on fixing it as soon as he is uncurls from a ball on the floor where he has been crying for the last hour. we'll get it fixed and then script a fix to everyone's ratings. 

if you read this, send jay an encouraging message ;) he'll need it today :)

showed support and sent message

Awe... And I was trying to get my rating down to zero!

As you solve more puzzles and your rating estimate becomes more accurate, your rating will change less for solving or failing a single puzzle.