Chess maze books etc.
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Do these "games" help your board vision?
Such as:.
Bruce Alberston books-Chess Mazes.
Solitaire Chess (app and board game).
BC Take (app by Maurice Ashley where you have to capture all of the opponents pieces that are on the board with every move you make.).
Or are they just fun chess related diversions?.
Just took a look at http://www.chesscafe.com/mazes/mazesintro.htm to get the idea of chess mazes in general. My first impression is that it would be more beneficial to solve tactics problems available either here on chess.com or on chesstempo. More relevant to the game itself, IMO.
I agree Crazy. I asked the same question to Dan Heisman and he said the Alberston books would help improve "board vision". He also said you get the most benefit from thing you enjoy doing so if your having fun to go ahead and do it. When it becomes not so fun your beneficial return decline
For a different perspective, I found Alberston's Chess Maze books extremely valuable. More than any other approach I've found, the exercises strengthened my board vision, which in turn led to faster and more accurate calculation. And they have dramatically improved my long term battle with blunderitis.
While I agree that tactics are important, better board vision will improve one's ability to solve tactical problems. I'm surprised by the lack of airplay Alberston's books receive. The exercises are both fun and challenging, some require upwards of 20+ moves.
Along similar lines, are the Who Is Guarding Whom exercises popularized by, I believe, Andrew Solstis. These exercises are available in the free ChessVis app, in addition to several other tools intended to improve one's board vision.
If you aren't familiar with Who Is Guarding Whom problems, you are shown a simple board position with 4 pieces (though a different number can be specified to increase or decrease the difficulty). Once you identify which pieces guard other pieces, you are shown a move to visualize, then identify which pieces now guard other pieces. The visualization process repeats for as many moves as you want (at least into the 20 move range). The exercises are helpful and the resource is free.
I do t know whether they actually help but I really do like Solitaire chess. Very fun chess pased type puzzle
rickr705 wrote:
For a different perspective, I found Alberston's Chess Maze books extremely valuable. More than any other approach I've found, the exercises strengthened my board vision, which in turn led to faster and more accurate calculation. And they have dramatically improved my long term battle with blunderitis.
I ordered that book and received it yesterday. Skimmed through the book and it looks like a winner. If it helps me not to hang just one piece in the next tournament I enter it will be worth it.