Hi, I am not an expert, I always play with timer,
I don't care about the timer though I try to see the whole combination before I move.
of course it is important to solve a tactic before the timer runs out.
Tactics I can find before the timer runs out I can find in games.
if you take to long to find a tactic you will never find it in a game
I really do not care about rating I think I get the rating I deserve as soon as I deserve it.
Find out why you lose your games and try to correct those problems. My guess is that you don't often meet "puzzle" scenarios.
Of course you can take your tactics to the next level but what about the other areas of your game? Thinking process is very important imo. If you don't use one try Chuzhakin's system. Its free and gets you started quickly to stop you from blundering so much.
If you play only blitz then I would advice you to start playing longer games. At least 25 minutes per player and longer. If you can, join a chess club and play otb. Playing otb is great training.
It usually will take longer the higher you get because you will be meeting tougher opponents. But more than anything does it depend on how much you train. Obvious point: if you don't improve your game, your rating won't get much higher.
Thanks all. I finally broke 1600 today. I told myself I will not stop until I reach it. I have been past 1550 before so I figured I could do it and I did!
I think my main problem was not stopping to think out the problem enough. I was not calculating my opponents replies or my own continuations enough and I was occasionally ignoring some lines (sacrifices, etc.).
good! that is the spirit I think the key to getting better at tactic trainer is to think of tactic trainer as a chess position trainer.
you would never sacrifice a queen in a game without calculating all side lines and looking at whole board.
I try to think as if I was in the move in the position in a live game. of course with the little difference I know there is a tactic.
I find the problems are quite similar except there are more decoy lines. For example, a 1355 problem might be a simple fork, while a 1555 might have the same good fork only thing is there was a better line or a subtle defense!
-It's never a passive defense, except when it is.
-It's always a sac, except when it isn't.
-If repetition is possible and you're down material, that's very likely what it is.
-If you see an obvious mate in 3, there's probably a mate in 2 you missed.
-You will never take a good trade that still leaves you down in material.
-If you see a good combination that wins a ton of material, look for a queen sac that forces a mate before you try it.
-Occasionally there's a hanging piece double bluff. The obvious move taking the piece is the correct move, but everyone burns time looking for the cheeky mate.
-Pawn promotions are disproportionately not a queen.
Hope that helps.
Hi. After some months, my average rating gone from 1300 to 1500 but I can't seem to bust to 1600. So, here are some of my questions for all you expert tactic trainers:
How long do you solve tactics trainer puzzles in one sitting?
How long appx. do you spend on a puzzle?
Do you play with the timer bar? (i don't)
How long does it take to go from 1500 to 1600 on average?
Thx