sweetness and light

[texian]

i just got my first problem (45518) rated at 2000 correct and reached my highest standard rating at 1550 as a result .. therefore, this is a cause for celebration and a moment of reflection

during play at FICS, i recognized often making moves that were merely reactive or even clueless, especially during the middle game when so many possibilites present themselves .. with CT's many multi-move problems, i learned that my ability to see ahead even a move or two was non-existent .. by slowing down and analyzing every problem, i'm gradually developing a better ability to visualize the board not as it is but as it will be .. while the volume of problems i encounter during a session is significantly reduced, for now this feels like the right approach .. for now, it is the focus of my training program

since slowing down my CT standard rating has increased by nearly 150 points in about a week and my confidence in visualizing the board has increased substantially ..  my hope is that this developing skill at seeing a move or two ahead will also yield different results during play and with practice extend to seeing a few moves ahead rather than just reacting or stabbing in the dark at a potential move .. in time, i figure speed will come .. for now, slow and right trumps fast and wrong

i just wanted to share that little moment of joy on this journey of re-learning this grand old game .. of course, a few problems earlier today i missed a 1300 problem, a mate in one, with all that careful analysis seeking an elegant solution on a crowded board .. but all things considered, i'm a happy camper at the moment 

[andreacoda]

Thanks for sharing, Texian! I hope I will be able to follow your steps soon enough! for now I am just fluctuating between 1500 and 1525, and I keep missing really silly problems that, I am positive, are at my level...

But I have hope for the future, of course! 

[pawnmancer]

When I started solving problems (standard) on this site My Initial rating was about 1800 (I used to solve tactics problems on Chess Tactics Server). Now my standard rating fluctuates around 2100. I account this to two things:
1. when you have more time to think about the problem (i.e. unlimited time) it gives you to think about the problem when you would normally (for example OTB) just make a move you have found best so far. This really helped to improve my analytical analysis.
2. Thanks to no time limit I decidet to recently incorporate a "blundercheck" (which is basically asking "After I make this move, does he have any checks, captures or threats I can't meet") into my thinking process, which forces me to continue the analysis deeper and I'm much less likely to make a mistake.

[andreacoda]

Compared to me, you are on a different planet, pawnmancer!

I am at a stage where, basically, either the solution comes to me in a few minutes, or I can dwell on it an hour without any results...

I think it is normal, though: somebody who is 1500 will be very unlikely to see a 2000 or above problem, regardless the time.

I must also say (at my very partial defense), that some problems are really cryptic - even after seeing the solution, and putting the position on Fritz, I don't manage to understand the point. But I am positive is is the user, and not the system! 

Cheers,

Andrea

[drahacikfm]

Pawnmancer, yes, the blunder check before you make a move is very important in real games.  I teach my 9-year-old son (bubak here, 2170 standard!) to do this before every move he makes in a tournament game:

Ask yourself:  If I make the move I am planning, can my opponent make any of the following moves, and what will my reply be to that move?:

1) Can he check me?
2) Can he threaten mate?
3) Can he attack any of my pieces with a something of lesser value? (ie. attack my rook with a knight, or attack my bishop with a pawn, etc.)
4) Can he attack anything I have more times than it is already protected?

Even if these moves by the opponent look stupid because they lose material, you still have to think about them.  Most combinations start with some stupid-looking move that loses material.  That's why they are called sacrifices!

Now the trick is for me to do this on very move when I play tournaments

[andreacoda]

Now the trick is for me to do this on very move when I play tournaments

Given you are a FIDE master - and given the results your son is obtaining - I would say you are already there... 

Cheers,

Andrea

[texian]

great tips, drahacikfm and Pawnmancer

i'm putting a sticky note on my monitor to use when i play at FICS to teach myself this BLUNDER CHECK routine and, for me, i'm adding

5) Can he FORK or PIN me?

i've known i needed a routine like this for several days now, as my games have been consistently all forked up by my opponents .. beyond "Do a FORK CHECK", i hadn't been able to put it so directly into words .. at my level, probably any level, blunders are a real killer .. this could really help .. 5-stars for both of you 

[newlook]

One useful exercise is to think about what move your opponent would make if he could skip your turn and move again right away. Start in one corner, look at every one of his chessmen, and visualize every possible move. Sometimes you will see a move that he can't play right away but may want to do in the future. With Internet chess, you have the ability to flip the view of the board, and that can help you put yourself in the opponent's shoes.

[boromir]

A piece of advice from Peter Svidler who, when commentating on chess.fm, said that in critical situations he would check every possible move with every single of his opponents piece before making his critical move.
The particular situation he was talking about at the time was Aronian's reply to Carlsen's 27.Rxb4 (from Monday's game in Bilbao) where he overlooked the winning 29.Ra1.

[drake]

I have always been told three words.

Check, Capture, Threats

That is what I try to look for (both sides) before I move a piece.

[pawnmancer]

texian: If you would like to know more about the blundercheck and related things read some Dan Heismann articles from chesscafe: http://home.comcast.net/~danheisman/Articles/Novice_Nook_Links.htm
I especialy recommend the articles about thought process (look under Novice Nook by subject ->thought process  category).
He is great chess coach and his articles really helped me to leave the waters of 1500- players.

[texian]

thanks, pawnmancer .. looks like a great series of articles .. i also see that some of Heismann's articles on thought process appear at Jeremy Silman's site .. i've read a few articles by Silman and have appreciated his approach as well .. i have a couple of Silman's books on my wish list

[tama]

Usually for me the first move of a combination i think, what is my opponents best reply and so on for all the calculated moves. It should be natural to do this and CT is great to practice it! I love you Ms tempo!!