Bad puzzles bring my Puzzle rating down

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carlosjcheco

I am experiencing a bad Puzzle algorithm. The server started pushing several bad puzzles that make no sense to solve. I started collecting good and bad puzzles. If the server keep using that o keep taking away my rating I will just leave the site. I am gathering the puzzles as proof so that everybody can see. Learning with bad puzzles only yields bad results when you play with actual people.

One example is the Kamikaze Queen sacrifices when the mate is imminent and there are more senseless sacrifices from the opponent in this bad puzzles. I feel like Chess.com is actually numbing me down with this non-sense puzzles.

Fix your puzzle algorithm guys, or let us thumb down and up the puzzles so that we the community curate content on this puzzles. Let us contribute.

Link

Alramech
carlosjcheco wrote:

I am experiencing a bad Puzzle algorithm. The server started pushing several bad puzzles that make no sense to solve....
One example is the Kamikaze Queen sacrifices when the mate is imminent and there are more senseless sacrifices from the opponent in this bad puzzles. I feel like Chess.com is actually numbing me down with this non-sense puzzles.

So there is a way to report bad puzzles: https://support.chess.com/article/1223-how-do-i-report-a-bad-puzzle

However, my guess is that these are perfectly valid puzzles, but you are missing some point to them.  Let's take a look at a similar puzzle thread that was questioned by someone roughly your level a long time ago.  The response from the computer in a puzzle that looks crazy like a "Kamikaze Queen sacrifice" is a response often to delay an immediate checkmate threat or to prolong the checkmate (e.g. giving checks in order to transform a mate in 2 into a mate in 5).

In the example below, the puzzle responds by doing a queen "sacrifice" in order to prolong mate.  But the point is, you have to understand that Black is busted and this is just prolonging the inevitable.

In general, if you don't understand a puzzle then look at it with an engine to see what is going wrong.  And if then you still can't see the issue, then you can always post specific examples to these forums, and people will gladly help you!  Actual bad puzzles do occur, but they are exceedingly rare.

Martin_Stahl
carlosjcheco wrote:

I am experiencing a bad Puzzle algorithm. The server started pushing several bad puzzles that make no sense to solve. I started collecting good and bad puzzles. If the server keep using that o keep taking away my rating I will just leave the site. I am gathering the puzzles as proof so that everybody can see. Learning with bad puzzles only yields bad results when you play with actual people.
One example is the Kamikaze Queen sacrifices when the mate is imminent and there are more senseless sacrifices from the opponent in this bad puzzles. I feel like Chess.com is actually numbing me down with this non-sense puzzles.
Fix your puzzle algorithm guys, or let us thumb down and up the puzzles so that we the community curate content on this puzzles. Let us contribute.
Link

@Alramech is correct, most of the time when it's suggested there's something wrong with a puzzle, it's just that the solver missed something. If you had links to the original puzzles in your collection, along with notation why you think it's wrong, it would be possible to validate that.

lorenzo_tamiazzo
@carlosjcheco The imminence of a checkmate is not something the engine really cares about, if it can delay it by one move with a so called kamikaze queen sacrifice, it will! My advice would be doubt yourself before you doubt chess.com
carlosjcheco

TY everyone! for the responses.
Special thanks to Alramech for providing the link.

@Martin I will review my bad puzzle list with engine and think of my responses and report. I just have to be aware that the variations might include this type of things and expect it. And @lorenzo, I do doubt myself, that is the point of a puzzle because you are training.

carlosjcheco

Here you go guys, here is a clear mate and the puzzle is proposing to take the bishop in e7 after check with rook on g7 when it is obvious it will be rook somewhere safe, block check by black bishop and bishop takes bishop with check mate.

Martin_Stahl
carlosjcheco wrote:

Here you go guys, here is a clear mate and the puzzle is proposing to take the bishop in e7 after check with rook on g7 when it is obvious it will be rook somewhere safe, block check by black bishop and bishop takes bishop with check mate.

Where's the mate? Because I don't see it, not without getting rid of that bishop first.

carlosjcheco

carlosjcheco

When you check with the rook and go to g1 it only has the option to block a bishop with a bishop and you take it to get mate

Martin_Stahl
carlosjcheco wrote:

From your initial position, there's a black rook on f8 that prevents that from working. That's why a link to the tactic is best.

carlosjcheco

https://www.chess.com/c/fGidZHSn

Martin_Stahl

https://www.chess.com/puzzles/problem/1306259

Yep, you have to take the bishop first otherwise it's protected by the rook on f8.

carlosjcheco

check it with the engine yourself

Martin_Stahl
carlosjcheco wrote:

Black has f6 stopping mate in your solution.

carlosjcheco

That is not the initial position, black moves that rook

Martin_Stahl
carlosjcheco wrote:

check it with the engine yourself

No need to check it. I calculated the line. The puzzle solution is correct.

carlosjcheco

Not if there is a mate

Martin_Stahl
carlosjcheco wrote:

That is not the initial position, black moves that rook

No it doesn't. I played the tactic and your collection had the rook there as well. Regardless, the pawn is also preventing the mate, even if the rook wasn't there.

Martin_Stahl
carlosjcheco wrote:

Not if there is a mate

The rook that moved is not the f-file rook. As mentioned, get rid of the rook on f8 and f6 still prevents mate.

carlosjcheco

You are wrong bro, see my image. The black rook just moved from f6 to f2 and the puzzle starts there