Tactics Training

I am curious on other's philosophy for tactics training.

I use ChessTempo.com currently. I have a rating of ~1650 there and at that rating the problems are difficult enough for me that I can take 20-45 min. I have solved over 2000 problems there over the course of five years.

At this point, I would prefer to be reinforcing basic patterns. This would allow me to see more problems in the same amount of time as well.

I have had a premium membership at ChessTempo before, and I don't think that is what I'm looking for. Sure they have alot of problems, but that's not exactly what I'm looking for. I also don't really like the freemium business model. And I certainly don't need a rating attached to my tactics training.

So, here is what I am thinking. I would like a set of basic tactics problems (I'm guessing mate in ones) that i can do "circles" of and drill patterns into my head.  I will use these basic patterns as building blocks and work my way to more difficult problems (mate in twos). I plan to continue doing these circles indefinitely.

So I need to find a good set of tactics to spend my time on. From what I have read, the mate in one and twos from Polgar 5334 sound like they would be what I am looking for. There are ~300 mates in one and ~3,000 mates in two. Does anyone have any experience with this book? Are 300 and 3,000 about the number of positions I will want to assimilate? Any other thoughts?

I have looked at CT-Art as well, but this appears to be a step up in difficulty.

I have worked through the entire Polgar book.  It is very good at building basic mating patterns, but I would suggest something else that is not entirely focused on checkmates.

Have you visited the web page of the famous coach, Dan Heisman? (http://home.comcast.net/~danheisman/Events_Books/General_Book_Guide.htm)

He suggests Chess Tactics for Students, by John Bain, and his focus is on reaching the point of recognizing the answers to problems very quickly, rather than just being able to solve them.  He outlines his suggestions on the page I linked.

I'm currently doing the Seven Circles program, utilizing the 1,000 tactics problems that come with the (free) iChess program. The 1,000 problems are from actual FIDE games and are not just mates. For a quick start, I would recommend that.

Thanks! Yes, I am quite familiar with his list. Have you read Bain's books? Is there text or is it simply a problem book? Do you know how many problems there are? Also, what level are the problems?

I completely agree, what I am aiming to do is recognize the patterns, rather than just solving the problem correctly.

I have previously read Predator at the Chessboard, which provides explanations in words. I am mainly looking for a problem set at this point.

I have a sixpack of programs from ChessKing that includes 3 tactics courses. They're standalone programs, no need for the main ChessKing program.  Level 1 can be purchased seperately for $25 (although the 6pack is cheaper per program).  984 mates in one, 80 or so mates in 2.  Similar to CT-ART but a cleaner interface and chessboard.  Good stuff; here's the link.

http://chess-king.com/shop/chess-king-training/chess-king-training-tactics-1/ 

Thank you. Is iChess mainly for smartphones/tablets? I do have an iPhone, but so far had not found the quality of apps to be nearly the quality of comprable paper product.

Also, as far as I know, ChessTempo's problems also come from FIDE play. This is kind of what I am trying to get away from. I guess what I am looking for is a select set of problems that will be inclusive of all basic patterns, with little to no repetition.

Thank you. My club has some software by Chess King software, I will have to look into that further.

I upgraded my membership here primarily for access to unlimited tactics puzzles. $50 / year seems cheap when compared to the money I spend on chess books. 

Hi Bardu.  I work my tactics at chesstempo too.  My instructor, which I can not afford anymore, suggested me to work on Tactics per motif.  So, as you know there are 23 tactical motifs at chesstempo, then what I do is to work on them in Unrated mode, so I select one motif at a day.  Once I am done will all 23, I start over.   Cheers.

I definitely agree with taking Heisman's advice for how to study tactics. Following his advice with Bain's book is how I got from about 1250 to 1400+ in USCF tournament play. But there's a newer book that I'd say replaces Bain's as the gold standard for starting tactics puzzles: Heisman's own "Back to Basics: Tactics".

This is basically the other route I was thinking of going. So you spend one day per motif per day and 23 days for one "circle"? My main problem with ChessTempo is the random selection of tactics from tournament play, rather than a more comprehensive, yet concise problem set.

I really don't like the tactics trainer here, because it is timed. Also, I do like the interface and features better at ChessTempo, considering most of the other features here (videos, Chess Mentor, opening explorer, etc) are not appealing to me.

Although I have taken lessons from coach Heisman, I have not read the Bain book, since I had already achieved a high level of tactical ability by the time I learned of Bain and was able to score highly on Heisman's Bain quiz.

But knowing how good of a coach Dan is, I would certainly trust his advice and book recommendation.  Here is an excerpt from one of Heisman's articles that I find amusing:

I once suggested to a student rated about 1600 USCF that he repetitively do

the problems in Chess Tactics for Students by John Bain. At the next lesson

he politely tossed the book across the table and said, "You've got to be

kidding! This book is way too easy for me!"

We then reviewed two of his slow games, and in both he lost by overlooking

simple tactical sequences by his opponent. So I asked, "Do you really think

that the tactics you allowed in those two games were more difficult than the

problems in the Bain book?"

He thought that over for a few seconds, then grabbed the book back, while

quietly remarking, "I think I see what you mean."

Yes, I agree with his philosophy as well. :) Again I not a beginner, but just looking for a set of essential basic positions to drill with. Do you know how many problems are in those books? Is there text as well?

I have Bain's book within easy reach so 13 chapters each with 31 problems and chapter 14 is a review.  Minimal text, 2 problems per page.  You do need to cut out a little cardboard template to cover up the "to do" and "hint" text when you do the problems though.  Each chapter is a seperate motif.

Thank you very much for all the replies. I have my work cut out for me! :)

You can get Dans interactive ( move the pieces on a board) Back to Basics : Tactics book in the free app e+Chess for your iphone  ($14 for Dans book) it comes with Chess Fundamentals by Capablanca for free. The app usually has 1 or 2 books on sale

For a different type of training, try Chess Exam by Igor Khmelnitsky. You don't merely solve a puzzle, you must explain your reasons. Here's the link: http://www.chessexam.com/cef_t1.htm and click on the Sample Game. http://www.chessexam.com/

Hi.  Yes in 23 days you complete all the tactical motifs.  Then you start over.  In practice it takes longer than 23 days for me because some days I rest.  So, now regarding Chesstempo tagging.   I have found that only rarely a tactical motif is misleadingly tagged.  Since you would be solving in Unrated mode, you will select one tactical motif and you will know which one it is.  Knowing the tactical motif you are working on is what helps in your search for correct moves.  Message me privately if you would like to share or ask further questions.  Cheers.