Best way to practice calculation

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Avatar of JesuisCrescendo

Hello all,

I've tried to put more practice into my general tactics with hope i'd get better in calculating long lines in slower games. But it just turned out i got better in blitz and recognising patterns, but the calculation part just so so.

I've read that the best ways to train calculation is:

1. Do more tactics
2. Study endgames studies. I find most of them insanely hard and often can't solve them which tends to frustrate me...
3. Use candidate moves. but again for this one i feel that you have to have some proper discipline and already calculation skill to be able to disregard or keep those candidate moves

Do you agree? Whats your views?

Avatar of Optimissed

You could always try taking a random position, feeding it into a computer and leaving it switched on for a few hours and in that time, write down as many variations as you can see without touching the pieces, using a board with pieces set up. Then write down your candidate moves and your final choice, giving brief reasons.

Then compare your results with the computer's.

Then do it again.

Avatar of JesuisCrescendo

That's an interesting method i've havent heard before. Why the board with piece setup?

Avatar of JesuisCrescendo

any other views/suggestions ? (desperate and last attempt to up the topic wink.png )

Avatar of ciedd
Progressively improve in Puzzle rating (or other tactics trainer) imo
Avatar of ciedd
Also I think reading books without a board helps. I wouldn’t worry about not visualizing all annotations, but at least try to visualize some
Avatar of ciedd
* My Puzzle rating is high compared to play rating
Avatar of ciedd
If that matters....
Avatar of ciedd
Yeah chess set is better if you play otb. I will train with real pieces when tournament is looming, but I rarely do otb.
Avatar of JesuisCrescendo

Thanks both of you, indeed i started in a club and i play OTB matches. I feel my calculation and pattern recognition is less good over a physical board than online. Yestereday i positionned some tactics i missed from the passed few days and try to solve them OTB. Took time but it's a pleasant exercice