I find fighting it makes it worse. Accept it and move through it. Makes me very tired when I fight through them. Resistance burns a lot of energy. Also, make the one you’re working on your only focus. Forget about how many you should or ought to do.
A coach once told me that some puzzles can take and hour for even 2000+ players. I’m not sure how true that is?
Aim to not make puzzles a means to an end.
It’s funny I spend hours a day studying and playing and I’m still no better than some who don’t.
But, yes, I like your term:’hope chess’, it’s very apt
You have to start with "Why?". Why do you do Puzzles in the first place? Do you do it because someone told you that you should or do you have your own reason? External reasons usually aren't good enough. I think you have to fundamentally believe that this is the path to improvement!
Personally, I do puzzles to improve my calculation. I won't do that if I guess moves by intuition. I know it feels good when it's right, but you won't get anywhere like that. No progress can be made in guessing..
How do I fight that urge? I make a rule for myself saying I can't make a move until I calculate all the variations. This can sometimes take more than 15 minutes. If the computer responds with something that I hadn't taken into account, I call that a failed puzzle (even if I get the answer right in the end). You have to remind yourself that you're doing this to prepare for real games!
P.S. For anyone wondering, I'm a 2200 FIDE player (and coach 
) with a Puzzle rating of 3500
Aimchess has a feature that forces you to calculate all moves before you solve a puzzle. If you apply that feature it works great.
I should do more puzzles, I dropped from 470ish to 440 today
Aimchess has a feature that forces you to calculate all moves before you solve a puzzle. If you apply that feature it works great.
Really? I have a free account on aimchess. Where is that feature applied, how do I find it?
Aimchess has a feature that forces you to calculate all moves before you solve a puzzle. If you apply that feature it works great.
Really? I have a free account on aimchess. Where is that feature applied, how do I find it?
I’d be interested in that too. I’ll have a look and see if I can find it.
If you go into the training room, >Tactics and in the mode box select “force full calculation”
If you don’t see it, it may be a premium membership thing.
Just tried it Andrea , after the first move, you only get five seconds to make each move. Cool.
You have to start with "Why?". Why do you do Puzzles in the first place?
Heh. I can tell people I'm rated 2400 on chess.com
You need to put in time think for at least 5 mins per puzzle even if u have seen the key move instantly
You don't fight it. It's just a game afterall. If you find yourself getting lazy solving puzzles, just guess. That's what I do. There isn't much point in spending half an hour on a puzzle you could just get wrong anyway. Unless you really, really want to get it right. In which case you wouldn't be lazy.
So if you are lazy, your time is more valuable than getting every puzzle right. Like regular chess, guessing is often all we have. We are not computers, we will always make mistakes, often big one. So if I have a puzzle I can't figure out I just hope I have the right answer. And if I don't, that works too. The next time I see a similar puzzle I have a better chance of guessing right.
If you go into the training room, >Tactics and in the mode box select “force full calculation”
If you don’t see it, it may be a premium membership thing.
Hi Kevin, thank-you. Yes it mush be a Premium feature, as I don't see it with my free account.
You have to start with "Why?". Why do you do Puzzles in the first place? Do you do it because someone told you that you should or do you have your own reason? External reasons usually aren't good enough. I think you have to fundamentally believe that this is the path to improvement!
Personally, I do puzzles to improve my calculation. I won't do that if I guess moves by intuition. I know it feels good when it's right, but you won't get anywhere like that. No progress can be made in guessing..
How do I fight that urge? I make a rule for myself saying I can't make a move until I calculate all the variations. This can sometimes take more than 15 minutes. If the computer responds with something that I hadn't taken into account, I call that a failed puzzle (even if I get the answer right in the end). You have to remind yourself that you're doing this to prepare for real games!
P.S. For anyone wondering, I'm a 2200 FIDE player (and coach ) with a Puzzle rating of 3500
Hello Sandro, very happy to read from you. Thank-you for your thoughtful answer. Personally, I do know that I'm no that good in calculation, since I often "lose" myself when I have to calculate a combination that has 3 or more moves, for example, to give mate. Mate in 2 is OK, mate in three may or may not be an issue, depending on how many potential "answers" by the opponent I have. Of course, a pretty much forced Mate in 3 is OK. A non-forced, is often an issue.
That said, I do want to improve in calculation, but I personally don't know if tactics puzzles are the best way to do so. Probably 90% of people believe it, as everyone knows the little saying that "chess is 99% tactics", hence I do puzzles. Reading your answer, I'm no sure anymore this is the rightful approach.
Interesting comment. And how, if I may?
You don't fight it. It's just a game afterall. If you find yourself getting lazy solving puzzles, just guess. That's what I do. There isn't much point in spending half an hour on a puzzle you could just get wrong anyway. Unless you really, really want to get it right. In which case you wouldn't be lazy.
So if you are lazy, your time is more valuable than getting every puzzle right. Like regular chess, guessing is often all we have. We are not computers, we will always make mistakes, often big one. So if I have a puzzle I can't figure out I just hope I have the right answer. And if I don't, that works too. The next time I see a similar puzzle I have a better chance of guessing right.
Your comment is interesting, especially if I put it next to Jalex13's one. I believe as well we're not robots nor computers. That said, I don't think I lack self-discipline in what I consider "pillars" of my life, or anyway very importants aspects of it. Still, I would like to be able to maintain that high degree of discipline "in & where" I want to, for example, in solving chess puzzles.
there is no "method".
its the same as when people ask how to get motivation to go to the gym.
You don't. You just go to the gym even when you don't want to, and put in your best effort to get that workout done.
It's the same with chess puzzles and lazyness. sometimes you can't be arsed, or wanna do the puzzle quickly, but you need to discipline yourself to not do it.
The only thing you can do is give structure to your discipline, that'll make it easier to follow, but you still need to show up and do it. you can give structure for puzzles such as having a checklist for things to scan for first, or other rules to follow, but just have the mentality of just DOING it.
If you're like me, sometimes you're lazy and really don't want to calculate all those variants. So you end up playing that "hope chess" move. Many times, your intuit helps you, sometimes, you are frustrated by the mistake.
How do you guys fight against this kind of lazyness, or are you so disciplined to not fall in this kind of "mental" trap?
Thanks!
AG