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 enjoythe 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 recognizethe 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.
In this article, we will discuss the top 13 Smart Chess Training Ideas that work – hacks that you can use in your daily routine, to make it smart, not hard work.
Chess Training Ideeas
The study of Chess is akin to learning a skill that needs to be absorbed and mastered slowly by repetition.
The continuous need for self-improvement has always been the fuel that keeps a player committed to daily practice.
Training is not an easy discipline.
If you have a coach or friend to train with, the process can become more easy-going and fun.
Chess is a Skill-based Game.
That means you need to keep a proper schedule of Practicing, Reading, and Learning hours.
Let’s begin with our 13 FREE Smart Chess Training Ideas that Actually Work:
Solving King and Pawn Endgames
Solving King and Pawn endgames without moving the pieces is not easy, it is very difficult, initially.
But it works wonders for improving your calculation skills. It improves your visualization and calculation considerably.
As you progress, endgame studies will be better for intermediate level and strong players – starting from simple to slightly difficult studies.
Don’t go for the composed studies that are impractical and for fun. Yet. They can be left for the grandmasters.
Visualization of Chess moves
Start by visualizing short games like games that end in 4 moves.
Then slowly increase the game length to your comfort gradually reaching a greater length of moves.
This will help in fixing your visualization stamina.
Playing Blitz games – with a small difference.
I know that this is counter-productive.
But only if it is not moderated.
What I am suggesting is a controlled game with known opening moves to perfect your opening repertoire.
This way you will build a list of bad moves that must be avoided.
Search for the weakness in your chess games.
This is my personal tip, but highly effective – I call it ‘minding your mistakes’.
Your games are the measure of your chess strength.
Everything that is flawed in your game will be seen there. You must learn from them and find out your blank spots.
Seek improvement in those areas that you are prone to make mistakes.
Endgame practice during chess classes
For this, I recommend learning the basic endgames first and then try the practice positions by playing with a stronger player or your coach.
Here I have to warn you that you must remember a fair amount of theory and also keep the theoretical points in your mind without fail.
Bullet games for fun – after chess classes.
A few bullet games online can help you keep sharp and warmed up. I call this fun Chess Training,
One strong warning – don’t play blitz/bullet games before a tournament.It will make you play fast without any plans or depth.
Look at games of the early Chess masters.
Why old games? Because the Grandmaster games of olden days would be easier to understand.
Start of with the games of Morphy, Andersson, et al.
Those ‘classic’ games were lessons on simple conversions, plans, and tactics.
As the games will be relatable to your level they will also enhance your understanding of basic strategy.
This will help you develop a solid foundation.
By learning how the old Masters perfected their move-making decisions, you will also consciously try to do the same in your practice.
Your opponents will see a strange difference in your play.
Solve chess tactics – without moving the pieces
In our online Chess Training portal, we do not encourage solving of positions by moving.
That would be akin to guessing or shooting in the dark.
Try to work out the solution in your mind.
This has the added benefit of redoing the moves as there is no touch piece rule for the mind.
This is another good method to improve your calculation skills.
Watch other online players’ games live.
Just like analyzing your own played games, you can learn from other players’ games too.
It’s said that a wise person learns from his mistakes.
A wiser one learns from others’ mistakes.
But the wisest person of all learns from others’ successes.”
Practice your openings by playing them on the real board.
I know it may sound clichéd but reading opening theory will not help you remember the lines unless you have physically moved the pieces and played them a zillion times by hand.
By hand means you are committing the opening moves to what I call ‘muscle memory’.
That way should your brain forget the moves, your body will remember them.
Study a chess book of Grandmaster’s games – the older the book the better.
Why an older book?
Because as I said earlier, easier it would be to understand the old games of the masters than the new games played with a lot of intricate calculations.
Try to get hold of a Grandmaster games collection and FINISH it.
Tournament Chess Set Triple Weighted – As per USCF
I received this neat chess set from a friend who lives in the US and I must say I have treasured it more than the wooden chess boards (that I collected from Kolkata at a discounted price after a GM tournament was over). So much so I am waiting for some more sets that can be used in my training academy. I am talking about the Tournament Chess Set Triple Weighted chess combination.
What is a tournament chess set?
The tournament chess set for tournament play is available with different specifications to keep in mind.
The United States Chess Federation (USCF) specifies that the square size should be anywhere from 2 inches to 2.5 inches.
The King’s height around 3.375 inches to 4.5 inches.
The standard USCF tournament set has 2.25-inch squares and a king’s height of 3.75 inches though you do get 2.5 inches, square-sized boards, too.
It also depends on the country you are playing in.
For example – as per FIDE (International Chess Federation) each square size for competitive play should be between 5 cm to 6 cm (1.97 inches to 2.36 inches), with a king height of 9.5 cm (3.74 inches).
Did you know?
There is a special relationship between the diameter of the King’s base and the square size on which the King stands.
The base diameter should be roughly 80% of the size of the square.
It is this ratio that dictates whether a chessboard and pieces combination has the proper matching parameters.
This makes sure that the pieces are properly spaced.
How big is a tournament chess set
One test you can perform to see if your board has the proper dimensions is to see if you can fit two pawns in one square. This should be possible with most tournament sets.
This means the typical size of the Chessboard would be around 20 to 24 inches including the border.
Where to buy a tournament chess set?
If you’re looking for an affordable, high-quality chess set of weighted plastic Chessmen, look no further than this one – Tournament Chess Set Triple Weighted.
These combos are ideal for schools, chess clubs, and academies as they are quite sturdy. I just order a few sets whenever someone comes from the US.
Our students using the Tournament chess sets in our academy (Golden Chess Centre)
It comes with everything you need to play to play serious Chess!
It comes with a full set of Triple-Weighted Regulation Plastic Chess Pieces, a Quiver Chess Bag, and a Regulation Vinyl Chess Board.
Complete set of 34 pieces – Includes two additional queens for pawn promotion!
Manufactured out of plastic and are meant to withstand the toughest abuse.
Triple weighted for improved stability and performance.
Vinyl Tournament Chessboard (2.25″ Squares)
Features rank and file labels on all four sides – ideal for beginners!
Manufactured out of high-grade vinyl and will resist dirt, tearing, and spills
Rolls up into a tight tube shape for easy transport
Quiver Chess Bag
21″ x 6″ in size (flat)
Easy to open/close zipper secures the chess pieces during transport.
Large enough to hold all of your chess pieces, rolled-up vinyl chessboard, and other small items.
Features an adjustable shoulder strap for easy transport.
Manufactured out of high-grade canvas and will resist dirt, tearing, and spills.
What is meant by Triple weighted?
A triple-weighted piece would have three weights inside the piece that make them heavier to play with.
The basic pieces are hollowplastic with felt on the bottom. These will not stand if there is a breeze while playing out in the open.
Superior quality pieces are fully plastic, meaning they’re slightly heavier than the hollow basic pieces.
The Heavy Tournament pieces (Quadruple weighted chess sets are nothing but the basic pieces with metal filings or weights in them.
When I asked a few Grandmasters about their taste, they seem to prefer medium-weighted pieces.
Maybe they became used to the weight of the standard tournament sets of today.
This is usually the DGT set, used in just about any FIDE rated tournament for quite some time.
This means you can crumple it, roll it, press it in your hand – and when you put it on the table it will fall straight and flat without any sign of crease or wrinkles.
These boards are stretchable in addition to being very crease-resistant.
And you can wash them clean using water and soap.
I have found this board is quite thick, sturdy, and can handle any abuse.
It comes with a non-slip surface which means the pieces do not slip easily.
This may be a let-down for those who like to slide their pieces but that is just a very minor irritant.
This board is best suited for serious classical time control chess which is where I do all my online training.
Now that you are about to buy a tournament chess set, why not take online chess classes from a professional coach and take pleasure in beating other chess players?
Classes can be scheduled as per your convenience and level.
Professional players (those who have a rating and play for prize funds) use psychology in chess a lot more than amateurs, both in online chess games or serious OTB. Let me explain the Psychology of chess weakness with an example.
There was a game between Fischer and Mikhail Tal, and Tal had sacrificed material since he was by nature very tactical. But Fischer had only one move that could refute the sacrifice, and he wrote the move he intended to play in his score sheet.
[Back then it was legal then to write the move, think about it, and play it. Nowadays you are not allowed to do it. You must first make the move on the board and then write it down].
When Tal came back after looking at other grandmaster games that were being played, he saw the move Fischer wrote and smiled slyly.
Fischer then played an inferior move compared to the move he wrote down and lost the game. When asked why he changed the move from what he had written, he replied that it was because Tal had given a subtle smile when he saw the move Fischer had written.
Had he not fallen to the psychological trick of Tal, Fischer would have had better results!
Psychology of chess weakness in the present day
Psychology is an indispensable component of one’s chess strength or weakness. To win a chess game one needs to have not just a bedrock of chess knowledge, but a strong psychological demeanor. Every sports arena has examples of players who could not overcome a terrible loss and lost their composure in the rest of the games. No wonder they would be at a loss trying to figure out what went wrong.
As a well-known translation of Sun Tzu puts it, “all warfare is based on deception.”
In our Online Chess classes at Golden Chess, one of the tools I used to check the chess kid’s progress is to see if he has any psychological weakness.
For example, when I play an online game at the end of my Online Chess classes, I use a technique, like a grimace or a simple frowning sound, to make my student think I had made a bad move. I am sure lots of fellow coaches do the same too! The student gets excited and gets lulled into a false sense of complacency. This makes him play without proper calculations and make a mistake after that.
Over the board, the psychology of body language also plays a major part, like for example, how you are seated, how you look at the board, how you move the chess pieces, how fast you play, how long you think (my favorite trick), staring at your opponent, etc.
If you feel confident, then you make your opponent feel uncomfortable. And one way to ooze confidence was to come late to the game board.
Fischer often came too late at the board if he knew his opponent was not strong mentally. I know of one Indian IM who would always come 30 minutes late and play fast, rattling his opponent.
Another glaring example of the use of Psychology of Chess Weaknesses is a famous game between Karpov and Miles which went 1. e4 a6.
Karpov must have felt strangely coerced to punish this move, as no chess player had played this move. Not even an amateur forget about grandmasters played this move. Result? Karpov stretched, overplayed, and lost.
Of course, a6 is very inferior to mainline defenses, but it’s not something a player of Karpov’s stature would have lost sleep!
In really fast time control chess games online, one psychological trick is to play very fast.
4 Tips on overcoming the psychology of chess weaknesses
1. Cover your shortfalls.
Find your most insecure area of knowledge and place all of your efforts into transforming it into a powerful force.
For example, if your greatest weakness is the inability to do deep calculations and analysis then this shortage affects both the tactical and analytical requirements in OTB gameplay.
And unless you improve these skills first, any future chess improvement will be difficult and results will be inconsistent.
You avoid or delay improving on your blank spots and this is the main reason you stagnate since you are not eliminating the problem that keeps giving you trouble on the chessboard.
Our prime focus in online chess classes for kids is to keep checking for the blank spots in the kids’ chess knowledge.
2. Your weakness will be your opponent’s strength!
Whatever your weaknesses maybe if you don’t turn them 360 degrees into your strengths they will be a constant source of pain.
Here are some approaches to converting your weakness into strength:
Unwavering Focus – Give priority to your chess training, and eliminate diversions when training.
Daily Practice – Practice regularly and daily. Keep a diverse training schedule that provides you with a fresh outlook every time you train. Your practice should be focused primarily on your blank spots. In our chess classes for kids, this is our prime focus.
Make it interesting. One day could be solving tactical problems, the next day could be endgame ideas. Choose as per mood, time, and energy.
Stretch your training – Always give the fullest involvement during every practice session, and do not hesitate to stretch yourself, during the chess training session. Each session should build upon the last while constantly revisiting the old lessons learned.
Having a serious game – Playing serious games at the academy or home (with a family member) allows you to reinforce the concepts and ideas picked up in your training environment to match play.
Integrate conceptual conscious thinking and note-taking into your daily practice.
3. Finding Your Weaknesses
The following tips might help you to isolate the weaknesses in your chess game:
Review your games, preferably with a coach or a stronger player. An experienced coach will immediately see the mistakes and separate the wood from the trees. This perspective though not free will help save a lot of time.
Ask your coach to regularly evaluate your skill sets by curated tests, to find your weak areas. We at Golden Chess Centre regularly conduct evaluations in our Online Chess Classes via Skype or Zoom.
4. Create a Training plan (with your coach if possible)
A good coach will create a plan based on his assessment of your strengths and weaknesses and this will help you in saving time and climbing faster.
Continue solving puzzles and tactics.
Another technique we use in our Online Chess classes is to play over master games using an analytical method.
Never try moving the chess pieces when analyzing or solving problems. Must treat training as a tournament scenario.
Conclusion
With your self-confidence boosted by regular online chess practice, you will slowly realize that Psychology of Chess Weaknesses will not pull you down.
Whatever efforts you put into mastering the game, the same quantum of self-confidence will be your strong point.
What are the questions that come into the minds of chess players as they reach out to move a chess piece?
Asking yourself the correct questions at the appropriate time helps to eliminate blunders and improve your chess game.
One of the key factors which differentiate a strong player and a beginner is in asking these questions in the mind.
Mere awareness of this way of thinking is the first and simplest step.
The next step is to practice these questions while in a training match – at every turn.
Regular practice of these questions will definitely slow your game down but is one major factor in getting better at the chess game.
Let us get to the questions.
These questions are only a small ready-reckoner chess hack guide – along with the regular questions that you will be asking.
Before moving the Queen
is the timing correct? In other words, have the minor pieces all been developed?
Is the direction correct which means the side of the board that I am launching the attack?
Can my opponent attack the Queen easily and gain free tempo or tempi?
Before moving the Rook
Is the Rook moving towards an open file?
Is it possible to move the Rook to the seventh rank?
Is my Rook behind the passed pawn (if there is a passed pawn)?
Before moving the Bishop
Is my Bishop moving into an open diagonal?
Is my Bishop controlling a lot of squares?
Is my Bishop performing the role of a good Bishop or a bad Bishop?
Before moving the Knight
Is there the possibility of a Knight fork (Double attack)
Can my Knight return safely from enemy territory?
Did I calculate two moves ahead for my Knight?
Before moving the Pawn
Am I moving to a safe square where it cannot be captured?
What new squares I am controlling, and what old squares have lost control of?
Is there a possibility to create a passed pawn?
Before moving the King
Is my King safe?
Is my King going towards the center in the endgame phase?
Is the King move legal?
What is the purpose of these 3 Questions To Ask Before a Chess Move?
This is a set of basic questions that need to be asked by beginners, especially kids, to hone their thinking skills in their chess game.
Thinking techniques can be simple like this one or complex as you progress in chess.
But these basic questions will guide you while you are clueless as a beginner, for a long time to come.
How does it help?
Many chess players are clueless about the choice of moves to be made.
Here at Golden Chess Centre, we conduct online chess classes with an emphasis on simple techniques – like the one in this article – to understand the choice of best moves that need to be considered.
And taking responsibility for the moves teaches them to become more conscious while in the early stages of their Chess career.
This is the necessary trait seen in almost all growing chess players.
This helps in reducing errors and thereby improving the games.
Will the knowledge of the Questions To Ask Before a Chess Move help me?
Depends.
It is mainly geared towards younger students who can’t understand too much of the theory.
Once they master this form of deliberate thinking they will cross over to the next level sooner than before.
And in my experience (of two decades) I can say that those students who take the initial effort is not just knowing the (Questions To Ask Before a Chess Move) method, but use them consciously, make huge jumps in their chess prowess.
