Study log. 10 Sep 2016

Tactics

I am continuing doing tactic problems around 15-20 a day and my tactics rating keeps growing (now around 2180). It is indeed pleasing, but I am wondering where I am going to reach plateau. Anyway, the immediate point is, that if the rating estimation of chess.com tactics trainer even a little accurate, then it looks like tactics isn't my biggest flaw. Not that I am going to stop doing it, I will be continuing working on tactics on daily basis to eliminate my calculation weaknesses as I pointed in my initial post. The fact that I am climbing up on the rating table is rather a reminder for myself, that I need to work more on the other parts of the game. Specifically strategy and endgames, and probably openings. So starting monday, I'll be devoting at least 1 hour a day to either endgames or strategy. Not likely that I can do more, due to my extremely tight work schedule.

The most challenging problem out of those I failed was this one:

I did well till b3. I totally didn't see this move even with pieces in place so I failed it

Strategy

Today I did one strategy exercise from Sliman's course. It was this one:

Games

In order to eliminate blunders I decided to add two more exercises to my daily routine. First when playing - always to apply a Blumenfeld's rule to every move. That means that after calculating something and before making a move - take a second look on the position and see if there is no immediate catastrophe you're missing. I need to make Blumenfeld's rule my good habbit. 

Another exercise I am going to do daily is to play 1 blindfolded game a day. Luckly both chess.com and lichess provide such opportunity. Today I played one blindfolded game and surprisingly I didn't blunder as much as I would. I did blunder a pawn at one point, but for some reasons my opponent didn't take it. I did lose, but mainly because I was short on time, I think I had better at some point and had good chances to convert this game to a victory.