Understanding strategic play, positional concepts and pawn structures is essential for creating opportunities where tactics can naturally arise.
REACHED 2000 PUZZLE RATING / HOWEVER IT'S A WASTE OF TIME
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I am 3100 puzzles and definitely don't consider doing them a waste of time. I think of puzzles as like reps at the gym, the more you do the stronger you get, a common analogy but an accurate one. Stronger you get tactically*, there are many other things that make up chess than just tactics.
Oct 16, 2024
0
#24
magipi wrote:
ImTrashLOL_91 wrote:
Most of the tactics do not show up in game. It's pointless if you don't understand how to get into a position to allow tactics.
On the contrary, all puzzles are taken from actual games. And in your own games there are multiple opportunities to make a winning tactical shot or avoid giving one to your opponent.
Here is an example from one of your latest games:
https://www.chess.com/game/live/122615061749?username=imtrashlol_91
With 9. - Nxd5, you simply blundered a piece. Your opponent simply has to take it. He missed it, and played a bad move ( 10. Rxe5+), which allowed you to get away with Ne7. Instead, you played Be6, which blunders the same piece again.
Later, on move 16, you simply blundered your queen with Qh6. Again, this is not even some clever tactics, you just put the queen on a square that was attacked by a bishop. Your opponent didn't take it.
Later you won your opponent's queen, and a few moves later you blundered it back to a simple discovered check.
At the end of the game you resigned in a position where you are slightly better. Was dinner ready or what?
You say that puzzle are too easy, but you failed some that are even easier. You should do more puzzles, not less.
I was playing while tired and did not pay attention.
Oct 16, 2024
0
#25
magipi wrote:
ImTrashLOL_91 wrote:
Most of the tactics do not show up in game. It's pointless if you don't understand how to get into a position to allow tactics.
On the contrary, all puzzles are taken from actual games. And in your own games there are multiple opportunities to make a winning tactical shot or avoid giving one to your opponent.
Here is an example from one of your latest games:
https://www.chess.com/game/live/122615061749?username=imtrashlol_91
With 9. - Nxd5, you simply blundered a piece. Your opponent simply has to take it. He missed it, and played a bad move ( 10. Rxe5+), which allowed you to get away with Ne7. Instead, you played Be6, which blunders the same piece again.
Later, on move 16, you simply blundered your queen with Qh6. Again, this is not even some clever tactics, you just put the queen on a square that was attacked by a bishop. Your opponent didn't take it.
Later you won your opponent's queen, and a few moves later you blundered it back to a simple discovered check.
At the end of the game you resigned in a position where you are slightly better. Was dinner ready or what?
You say that puzzle are too easy, but you failed some that are even easier. You should do more puzzles, not less.
I'm always doing puzzles. If I did more I would be doing puzzles hours and hours lol. I even do them while at work.
Oct 18, 2024
0
#26
Doing too many puzzles is also something to be avoided. They are great when done in a right amount
Puzzle rating here means nothing.
Oct 18, 2024
0
#28
Crazy7butZombie wrote:
I have 3 questions:
1. What do you think is the best way to progress at puzzle rating?
I'm stuck at 2100.
I do many, many puzzles but still no progress.
2. How do I decrease the gaps between lines (I don't see the icon you have for example in WORD)
3. How do you get your shape to be more stable? Is it possible to avoid the pendulum from up to down?
I just get better at figuring them out. My rating goes up and down. Don't play them while tired.
Crazy7butZombie wrote:
chrislamuk napisał:
Puzzle rating here means nothing.
What do you mean?
The puzzle rating here is not a true Elo rating but a kind of high score. It's more of a measure of how much you like doing puzzles. On the leaderboard there are scores of over 65,000. Search the forum, it's been discussed before.
Oct 18, 2024
0
#30
chrislamuk wrote:
Crazy7butZombie wrote:
chrislamuk napisał:
Puzzle rating here means nothing.
What do you mean?
The puzzle rating here is not a true Elo rating but a kind of high score. It's more of a measure of how much you like doing puzzles. On the leaderboard there are scores of over 65,000. Search the forum, it's been discussed before.
I already know this.
Puzzles are most helpful when you're a beginner. Once you're at an intermediate level then slow games with a decent, strong bot are probably more helpful.
Oct 19, 2024
0
#32
Have you finished a tactics book you were looking at? If so what’s the name of the book?
Oct 24, 2024
0
#33
In order to figure what why you are not improving on either Elo or tactics rating we have to know what you are doing for training so we can possibly tweak it. Without that, you’re just yelling in a black hole.
Oct 24, 2024
0
#34
That being said, I’ve looked at a lot of the games played by the OP, and found out his play is typical of a sub 1000 player. He blunders a lot. Despite his high tactics rating he misses a lot of tactics in his games. One thing to know is that solving a tactics problem and finding a tactic in your game are two totally different things. I might suggest doing “mixed” problem sets in chess tempo to train yourself to make good moves when no tactic is there. Usually the solution to blundering less is to do lots of tactics. You seem to think 3000 tactics is a lot, but in reality, you have just scratched the surface my friend. Never make a thoughtless move. Don’t move just by rote. There are more than just one type of tactics training!!! Look up Cans clinic and watch his videos.
Oct 24, 2024
0
#35
Fizzleputts wrote:
That being said, I’ve looked at a lot of the games played by the OP, and found out his play is typical of a sub 1000 player. He blunders a lot. Despite his high tactics rating he misses a lot of tactics in his games. One thing to know is that solving a tactics problem and finding a tactic in your game are two totally different things. I might suggest doing “mixed” problem sets in chess tempo to train yourself to make good moves when no tactic is there. Usually the solution to blundering less is to do lots of tactics. You seem to think 3000 tactics is a lot, but in reality, you have just scratched the surface my friend. Never make a thoughtless move. Don’t move just by rote. There are more than just one type of tactics training!!! Look up Cans clinic and watch his videos.
I have done tactics that derived from books that I worked on with a coach. Most of my puzzles I work are on Chess.com. I try to see the tactics in game, usually it leads to a miscalculation causing me to lose and blunder. I will check out Can Clinic. Thank you for your comment and hel.
Im the same, but puzzles have much more time, so I can figure out the moves. Also helps to know there is a move, where in a game the best might be to move a pawn out and capture some space. Most of my mistakes in games are time forced, and then every once in a while, u get a game where u play fast and to ur ability, and ur opponent calls u a computer or cheater. Thats the best!
Mar 29, 2025
0
#37
TheFiancheetoGambit wrote:
As for your puzzle solving, you seem to not be spending enough time on your puzzles. One the ones you solve (incorrect or correct) you seem to take 20 seconds - 1 minute solving, this is too fast and you are also doing too many puzzles at a time. All your most recent puzzles were done on Oct 15. The problem may be you are doing puzles the wrong way. I recommend doing a max of 15 a day, if a puzzle is too hard for you and you can't seem to figure out a solution even if you spend 5 minutes on it, that is good. Once you do solve it (prioritize actually solving the puzzle over getting it done quick) you will remember it since it challenged you. If you can look at a puzzle and quickly see the solution, it doesn't help you. The goal is for you to practice calculating these tactical sequences.
Summary:
- You should spend over a minute on a puzzle calculating all the lines you find reasonable. - Calculate until the decisive move (mate, winning material advantage)
- harder the puzzle is, the better for your improvement (especially calculation)
- Don't do too many puzzles at once or you won't retain the information that you took in while doing them.
- Make sure to spend a good amount of time playing games, puzzles alone won't help the rating increase.
- Prioritize solving the puzzle correctly. If you get one wrong, check with the engine to see why your solution was wrong, and how the correct solution works better than yours.
Lastly, don't worry much about puzzle rating or your rating. If your skill increases then naturally, so would your rating. Enjoy the process, it is essential for motivation. Good luck on your improvement journey!
You are correct and I will do this. Thank you for your comment.
Mar 29, 2025
0
#38
TheMachine0057 wrote:
That being said, I’ve looked at a lot of the games played by the OP, and found out his play is typical of a sub 1000 player. He blunders a lot. Despite his high tactics rating he misses a lot of tactics in his games. One thing to know is that solving a tactics problem and finding a tactic in your game are two totally different things. I might suggest doing “mixed” problem sets in chess tempo to train yourself to make good moves when no tactic is there. Usually the solution to blundering less is to do lots of tactics. You seem to think 3000 tactics is a lot, but in reality, you have just scratched the surface my friend. Never make a thoughtless move. Don’t move just by rote. There are more than just one type of tactics training!!! Look up Cans clinic and watch his videos.
Yha, I don't understand my blunder sometimes. A lot of the time I know it's because I moved without thinking or am tired. I can understand this. What makes me mad is when I spend like 2-3 min on a move trying to calculate it and for some reason I don't see a bioship across the bored that annihilates me. Even after checking for blunders.........
As for your puzzle solving, you seem to not be spending enough time on your puzzles. One the ones you solve (incorrect or correct) you seem to take 20 seconds - 1 minute solving, this is too fast and you are also doing too many puzzles at a time. All your most recent puzzles were done on Oct 15. The problem may be you are doing puzles the wrong way. I recommend doing a max of 15 a day, if a puzzle is too hard for you and you can't seem to figure out a solution even if you spend 5 minutes on it, that is good. Once you do solve it (prioritize actually solving the puzzle over getting it done quick) you will remember it since it challenged you. If you can look at a puzzle and quickly see the solution, it doesn't help you. The goal is for you to practice calculating these tactical sequences.
Summary:
- You should spend over a minute on a puzzle calculating all the lines you find reasonable. - Calculate until the decisive move (mate, winning material advantage)
- harder the puzzle is, the better for your improvement (especially calculation)
- Don't do too many puzzles at once or you won't retain the information that you took in while doing them.
- Make sure to spend a good amount of time playing games, puzzles alone won't help the rating increase.
- Prioritize solving the puzzle correctly. If you get one wrong, check with the engine to see why your solution was wrong, and how the correct solution works better than yours.
Lastly, don't worry much about puzzle rating or your rating. If your skill increases then naturally, so would your rating. Enjoy the process, it is essential for motivation. Good luck on your improvement journey!