Problem with tactic page

[oblonsky]

Hi Richard

I am not getting any tactical problems after logging in.  I am getting the view problems stuff but when I click on Solve Tactics I simply get nothing.


regards
Bernard

[richard]

Hi Oblonsky,

Thanks for the report. Can you try clearing your browsers cache and logging out and in again?  Which browser/version and operating system are you using?

Thanks,
Richard.

[palemon]

I have similar problem. I don't see pieces on the diagram and also buttons below. I tried to clean cache. I lost points in last two problems due to pieces invisibility.

[blogjam]

I'm having the same problem as palemon.  I'm using Windows XP and IE 7.0.  Pieces don't load and only the "Next Problem" button loads.

I've cleared the cache and logged out and back in - still have the same problems.

[drahacikfm]

No pieces show on the boards or buttons below it.  Only the red X symbol that happens when an image can't be loaded.  Windows Vista and Internet Explorer.

[richard]

Damn, very silly bug that led the site to fail for everyone but me :-(   (I left in some debug code which loaded the images from my local site, how embarrassing).

Things should work now (you might still need to force a reload the refresh the javascript code). [or at least things should stop not working for that particular reason , there may be others :-/ ]

Apology for the problem, hopefully people didn't lose too many rating points.

Regards,
Richard.

[oblonsky]

Looking good, Richard!

I really like the improvements.  Even something as silly as ranking numbers on the users page makes things look much slicker.

Congrats on making the site even better.  You still owe me 20 rating points for the errors this morning.  I failed problems I couldn't even see.  I can fail them just as easily seeing them, trust me.

regards
Bernard

[blogjam]

Works great now!  Very nice.  Thanks!!!

[richard]

Thanks Bernard and blogjam.  Bernard, hopefully you'll get your 20 points back via some expected rating over the next few days :-)

Regards,
Richard.

[palemon]

I have also one question. When new problem started there is no information about it (rating etc.). These information appears after solving. Is it intentional?

[richard]

I have also one question. When new problem started there is no information about it (rating etc.). These information appears after solving. Is it intentional?

Yes Palemon that was a recent design decision.  The general idea is that the old UI gave away a lot of information about a problem (tags/comments/rating/average time). A few users pointed out in email and on the forum that they thought the tactics would be more realistic (i.e. closer to over-the-board conditions) if this information was unavailable until after the problem was solved.  At the moment you really only get enough time to see the detail if you disable the "continue on correct" feature in the preferences.  Previously continue on correct was the default, I've changed the default for new users to stop on correct as it encourages more people to comment, vote on tags and rate problems for quality.

Some users have pointed out that you do have some knowledge about the tactics you should expect to see OTB by looking at the rating of your opponent.  This is a good point but I think seeing the rating of each problem before solving it is more like being told not just what rating your opponent is, but also being told after each move if your opponent has done a good or a bad move, which is a little too much information in my opinion.

Regards,
Richard.

[oblonsky]

I think removing all information about the problem until after it is solved is a master stroke.  From a chess point of view that is the best improvement you have made. 

When playing over the board I strive to ignore anything I know about my opponent and really try to 'play the position'.  If I get to do this all of the time when practicing then so much the better for me.   Training should be hard and actually playing only a little easier.

Also the assumptions you make about the problem affect the kind of reply you make.  If I know a problem is rated only 1400 then I'm not going to look much further than a recapture leading to a solid advantage, a simple tactical motif or a mate in two perhaps.

Problems rated 2000+ force me to really see what is there - I still get them wrong, mind.

I'm an information junkie and keep stats on most of my interests and pastimes, but the improvements really help to focus my training and make it easier to focus my chess training. 

These improvements, I think, take it beyond CTS in my estimation.  I'm just expressing an opinion when I say that - I'm not looking for a fight with the CTS guys as I still use it but very sparingly.

[richard]

Glad you like that improvement. I'm interested to see what the majority opinion is on problem set quality. I think I've got a lot closer to CTS in this regard with the latest update, but there is still room for improvement.

Regards,
Richard.