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Avoid These 7 Mistakes In Chess Tactics Training +2 Bonus Training Methods
Let us see what are the 7 Mistakes In Chess Tactics Training – and how this awareness will help you work smarter rather than just harder.
More specifically, let’s talk about how easy tactics can be made useful and fun. (it really is), and the common mistakes people make when starting a Chess Tactics Training Plan.
1. Playing Chess Fast
Specifically playing fast when you have ample time on the clock,
How are you going to give your mind time to absorb and assess the position?
To check to see if there is a similar pattern in your mind?
How will you find the tactics in a position if you do not see the problem in your opponent’s position?
2. Not Knowing the Tactical Identification Marks (TIMs)
Tactical IDs are signals that there is an opportunity for a successful attack in that given moment.
The Tactical IDs are –
Inferior development of pieces,
Weak enemy King position,
Uncoordinated Enemy pieces,
Too many weaknesses in the position,
Pieces that are blocked or doing a defensive role,
hanging or unsupported pieces,
Overloaded Pieces,
Defenders that can be chased away (using Decoy and Deflection or by the Direct attack).
3. Solving Fast By Guessing
Guessing in Chess Tactics Training
Wait… Are you finishing a project that needs to be submitted by a certain deadline?
Are you trying to complete a school assignment?
If not then relax and try to enjoy the process of solving.
The more you enjoy you will be feeling a sense of fulfillment and self-confidence.
Your mind will absorb the new pattern only if given time.
4. Solving Very Difficult Problems or Studies
Many times I see chess players solving puzzles that are way too difficult for their level.
This is what many chess players are guilty of doing.
They will order a book that is not meant for their level of expertise and hope that this is a good hack to improve their tactical vision.
You don’t need to break your head solving very difficult problems or studies – if you are not able to solve simple checkmates.
For each level of players, there is always something that will be too difficult to solve.
Make sure you get to solve the right set of positions to solve for your level.
Leave the difficult ones to the Pros.
There is no quick-fix method in chess improvement.
And if there was then we can all improve fast, isn’t it?
5. Solving too few problems daily
Many of the upcoming players think you need to solve only 10 positions daily or 15.
Even I was under that assumption until some 10 years ago.
I was told by a Grandmaster friend that a fixed number is not the limitation.
What is needed is the energy to keep solving till you get the positions wrong.
Instead of fixing the quota of the number of positions, take stock of the total time you spend.
If you are immersing yourself in solving the positions then you will lose track of time.
Then this routine will become a meditation,
6. Solving too many problems daily
This is the other end of the spectrum.
Quantity is usually not a good thing in chess.
If you want to solve tactics try to slow down so that you enjoy and understand the why’s, how’s, and the wherefores.
No bragging rights for solving 100 positions.
My question to my students will always be – what did you learn?
Doing 100 problems a day means you’re probably guessing the answer rather than diving deep into the problem,
After you finish the task, your take-home points will be zero.
7. Giving up solving problems after a few weeks
Don’t Give UP – Be Aware of these 7 Mistakes In Chess Tactics Training
I always hear this complaint that how much ever they try, they are not able to increase their chess strength.
Why should we train our tactics every day?
We solve chess tactics for a myriad of reasons.
It’s to build our pattern recognition and familiarity
PLUS Improve our calculation speed
PLUS Improve our visualization depth
The problem with mindless Chess Tactics Training is that you achieve none of those things.
This is the reason why many chess players will stop training in chess tactics – because they do not see the long term benefits.
Now that you have understood about the 7 Mistakes In Chess Tactics Training, here is the Bonus material as promised.
Bonus Tip 1: How to improve your Pattern Recognition ability in chess?
There is a science in the way we learn to recognize patterns.
Pattern recognition is the ability to navigate through unknown positions based on previously assimilated positional and tactical knowledge.
Professional Chess players often make the best move quickly (in complicated positions especially).
How is it possible?
The simple answer is – because they have seen similar patterns before and can apply them in their own game.
This entire process of pattern recognition and utilization happens at a deeper subconscious level.
And this comes by repeatedly and consciously looking at the same themes and patterns at regular intervals.
Doing tactical problems will develop this in a general way,
However, using special techniques to help will enhance pattern recognition more efficiently.
To improve pattern recognition in chess, here are my special suggestions especially for post-beginners:
- Start with easy checkmate problems that present easy tactical themes. Books like Simple Checkmates by A. J. Gillam does this nicely.
- Try solving the positions at a reasonable speed of 1 or 2 minutes max, on any particular position.
- Do this for 30 minutes every day.
- Whenever you find something difficult, study the position carefully and try to understand what you missed. Look at the answer. But don’t guess it.
- Wash, rinse, repeat until you can solve the problems quickly, taking no more than few seconds to recognize the pattern.
After many months of performing this task in your Chess Tactics Training, you will accumulate a great vision for these tactical themes and will be able to spot them easily in your games.
This is more relevant for beginners because these patterns will be the bedrock of their tactical ability.
Calculation speed is the speed at which you are able to calculate a sequence of moves.
It is improved by looking at your opponent’s responses at the same time as you look at yours.
Visualization depth is the number of moves that you can look ahead without moving the pieces on the real chessboard.
It comes from taking the time to mentally calculate and push your boundaries.
Bonus Tip 2: How do you improve your Calculation speed and Visualization depth?
If you want to increase your chess strength, you will have to improve your calculation speed and depth -and – apply the tactical pattern recognition database stored in your mind.
Just as how pattern recognition is an ability that can be trained through specific methods, calculation speed and visualization depth can also be improved.
In this case, you are exercising the skill – of calculating and visualization.
Here are some special tips on how to do it efficiently:
- Quiescent Analysis: Treat any middlegame position from a Grandmaster game* like a serious game that you’re playing. Better to set a real board up to mimic a tournament scenario.
- Calculate all the forcing moves first, and see if you find any tactical strokes.
- If nothing is satisfactory, look for strategic moves that help improve your position (and predict the same for your opponent’s side).
- Check your predicted move with the real game to see where you made a mistake- in the depth of moves or accuracy of predictions?
- Organize your thoughts in a notebook**. You will be surprised at what you perceived and what you missed or fumbled. You will gain many insights into your thought process.
*Preferably a game that is following your opening repertoire
**Only for training purposes. It is not allowed in tournaments.
This (and more like this) is what we do at our training camps and online chess sessions.
If you are interested in getting quality chess coaching and time-saving guidance please enroll yourself in our online chess classes.
After an initial assessment, we can decipher what ails your chess, and depending on your particular needs, we will emphasize the correct training regimen.
One word of caution here after reading about the 7 Mistakes In Chess Tactics Training
Chess is not just tactics alone.
It is a lot more.
An amalgamation of strategy, tactics, theory, practical knowledge, and lots more, of which tactics are just one small part,
The sense of ‘feeling’ for positions, is equally important.
And each element compliments the other in the broad canvas.
In fact, they make each other complete when they are seen together.
If you are a hobby player or an upcoming beginner with a desire to perfect the chess art then getting better, may need hard work.
So keep in mind that everyone has different limits of stimulation and saturation.
One just needs to invest in the time and effort in Chess Tactics Training, and that is something only the individual can do.
Ask your coach to pick the method that you enjoy and dwell deep on that.
Don’t give up.
If you are a quitter, don’t take up Chess Tactics Training.
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His Chess workshops and online chess classes can be booked in advance based on appointment.
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