I was a way for a bit and now I start doing the Tactics Trainer exercises and they seem to be a lot, lot harder.

Is it just me or does anyone else feel that way?

Well, more you advance, the harder it gets.

I believe there has been a number of "tweaks" to the tactics trainer in the last few months and I also am struggling a bit now. Maybe "struggling" is good though, eh?

My score dropped 500 points from 2200 to 1700 really quickly, so I think they
changed the scoring system when they adjusted the system for our chess ratings.

well, I was at 2200-2400 before the new year. now I am struggling around 2000

I noticed that too.

Yes, I thought it was just me. I had been consistently hovering around 2400, but have dropped a good 200 points and have been struggling to make it to 2300. I have no idea what's happened.

the better you get the better they get, my worse mistake is not moving far enough so i play to say e5 when e6 would give me the mate not just a check. Stupid touchpad is my excuse

always gives me a giggle when someone posts so off topic.

Yeah, and rightly so. I managed to hit 2100 once. Oh, I swaned around like the real big man that day - deep in side I knew I was a phoney.

Now my rating is like a sinking ship - going down ever so slowly. I ain't got a clue where the sea bed is but I'm almost into the 1800's and it's not looked any where near stopping.

Even at 1900 - I know that I'm  a phoney :)

 I try my best

I'm gonna go hit up the tactics trainer...

I don't use this tactic trainer annymore, I like the one that gives me enough time to do the long calculations, with all the sidelines.

(in standard mode, in blitz you have "no" time)

-I would get back to this one, if it was possible to think, but this one is ok for blitz training. (I don't bother naming the site, since staff don't like it)

 I could use a bit more time myself.

I think it would be quite easy for Erik & staff to make also an untimed rated tactics trainer. One reason against that is the possibility of cheating (sure, there are also cheaters in the present TT, but maybe fewer). The main reason is that tactics it's not about calculating long variations, but about seeing the best move. Often you find the best move by eliminating other candidate moves, and you can do this fast. Contrary to common belief, timed tactics trainer it's not aimed at improving your blitz play, but at improving your standard time-control chess.

wow... wait a minute. cheating in Tactics Trainer?  you've got to be joking :) 

That is very very true. After not doing the task for about a week or so it just hits me a little and it starts lacking on me =/

What is so hard to take like 20 seconds, set up the board in Fritz and find the answer after that?

not hard to cheat, pointless.

I can understand cheating in online play, where one WINS. against an opponent, someone you know, maybe, someone who has said something nasty to you in the ingame chat.

that could be a reason enough to cheat for some people.

but in TT? what is the purpose. The whole idea of the thing is to learn, it is not even competitive in any way...

You say that as though there's actually some benefit to be derived from cheating in mutual play that isn't present for tactics trainer.  It's not present in either place, but I'm sure that those subject to the delusion that it is in mutual game-play are just as prone to believing the same for tactics trainer.