How many tactics exercises are optimal?

What do you think is the best strategy to improve in tactics? Do you think is better to learn well a rather small number of tactics, let's say 1000 or 1500, or try to solve tactics from a large pool of exercises, as for instance in TT in chess.com?

Probably both strategies are valid, but I began now to focus on a small number of exercises (1100, in the website Chessable). I think that learning tactics by spaced repetition is probably less time consuming and perhaps more effective to improve in tactics in a short period of time. What do you think?

You are evidently unaware that promoting another chess website is frowned upon by management.

Do what you want but don't expect us to say, "ooh yes, that sounds much better."

Hi Torrirubi,

I would say to study tactics by themes or motifs would work best.   

It seems that you are not exactly an Einstein, right? First, you don't understand my question. I I'm interested in different strategies on how to improve tactics. And second: I am a supporting member of chess.com, so I am paying to use this great website. 

If you don't have any intelligent contribution to this post you should spend your time with more useful things, instead of making ridiculous interpretations of the alleged motivations behind my question. Blödian.

I didn't know that comments about chessable were allowed. I have seen hundreds of other comments slapped down by the moderators.

I didn't insult the OP. I just thought that he was asking to get slapped down.

I did understand the question.  When it comes down to it, I don't think that memorizing a limited set of tactics will be more helpful than gaining exposure to themes through a much larger set.

Of course, it's impossible for anyone to really know which is better.   Those who have memorized the small set will say that it is better and those who use the larger set will choose it as the way to go.

Okay, sorry, I misunderstood you.

It is probably a matter of taste. I tried rather long with the app Chessimo and Shredder. After a break of some months I began again to train with Chessimo and I was surprised to see how many things I already forgot. In Chessimo you have to repeat every exercise 6 times, but there is no algorithm based on spaced repetition, so you will not train more frequently the positions that you often get wrong. I guess if somebody really try long and hard enough with TT he will have more success, as in TT you are forced to think every single time to get the right move. I think that training 1000 positions using spaced repetition is the "lazy way": I will get strong on basic stuff and the most common motives, but - as Philidor-Legacy said -, this is a strategy suited only for beginners and club level players (actually my level). 

Okay, it's you maestro. Nice to see hear from you again!

I also began to work with the 100 MC's tactics, and I enjoy them. I think I will work with these two books (1001 and 100) to have a solid basis for common tactics, and will later purchase other books on tactics if Chessable released them. For the moment I have enough to do with what I already have. I even stopped with the endgame-books to reduce the number of reviews (I had almost 2000 positions to review, now I have "only" 500).

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Axis, I don't understand exactly what your question has to do with the thread?

But remember no one will point out tactics for you during play

I like mixed motifs. Of course it is useful to learn a single motif by doing several exercises, but soon you should mix everything, otherwise it is too easy to finding the key move.

This is true. I think that you begin to get really stronger when you realise that you can also find such motifs in your games! I remember my first (and I think only) smothered mate. It happened in a blitz, and suddenly had the impression that I saw the position before, with the knight and queen close to the enemy king, and - yes - checkmate in five, like in the tactic exercises. It is a great feeling (for me probably more than for my opponent).