Chess Tactics Training - Day 2
OK…with truckloads of writing jobs from clients (I’m a freelance article writer you see), I almost missed day 2 of the 64-day tactical training cycle. But I didn’t.
Alright, with the 35 problems, I got everything correctly, which I think is a little improvement over yesterday’s results. Although I must admit that there are these moments that I have almost consumed the alloted time for the exercises.
Hopefully my tactical vision gets sharper and faster as the days go by.
TheWanderingPen
Chess Tactics Training - Day 1
Alright! Finally, I got my chess tactics training going today…following the method outlined by M. De la Maza in “Rapid Chess Imrpovement”.
The first 35 problems from Killer Moves by George Renko are very easy. However, I still managed to make 2 mistakes (duh!). It just shows how rusty I got through the years.
But hey, that’s the idea of tactical training! To sharpen my rusty tactical vision. Let’s see what happens tomorrow.
TheWanderingPen
Chess Tactics Training – How?
“Your first name is tactics, your middlename is tactics, and your last name is tactics!”
- FM Ken Smith
There’s no doubt about it – if you’re a class level player, you’re better off studying different tactical motifs and combinations rather than reading through reams of opening and endgame theory.
Now I’m not saying that these facets of chess are not important…they are! It’s just that in club level chess - he who sees tactics and combinations better has the upper hand. The question is – how do you train your tactical eye?
I think there are 3 effective methods for training tactics –
Method 1
First on our list is the conventional way of training tactics – going through tactical exercises repetitively and constantly. But there is another question that branches out of this – what type of tactical exercises should one study?
Are we looking at simple 3-4 movers? Or should one focus on complex tactical exercises that span 10 or even a dozen moves?
Unfortunately, there’s no unified answer. Some like NM Dan Heisman stresses the importance of focusing on basic and simple tactical patterns, which are the building blocks of more complex tactics.
On the other hand, there are some like Michael De La Maza, the originator of ‘7 Circles Of Tactics’…a method for studying tactics, thinks that covering and studying both simple and complex tactical exercises.
Method 2
If you don’t know how to incorporate your newly acquired tactical knowledge and skill into your chess games, then it’s useless. The next method is more of like an extension of the first one…allowing you to exercise and use your tactical vision in real over-the-board games.
Play moves and openings that create tactical opportunities!
Matter of fact, it’s advocated that amateurs and club-level players play gambits. This definitely helps in creating tactical situations on the board where one should be alert all the time. Of course, you should analyze your games afterwards to get the most out of it.
Method 3
Last but not the least; one needs to study games of great attacking and tactical masters like Tal, Kasparov, Alekhine, etc. Personally, I love looking at games of old masters like Anderssen, Morphy, Steinitz, Spielmann, and others.
True, the defensive technique back then may not be as good as it is today, and these games may be riddled with errors. However, what I like about studying these games of old masters is that the strategy and tactics they employ are clearly seen.
How should one go about studying these tactical gems?
In my opinion, just playing through the games and reading the annotations isn’t enough. Instead, I gather the raw game scores, cover and predict the moves…think how I would think in a real game, and write down my analysis.
Only after going through the game with the steps outlined above will I consult the master’s annotations and notes.
BAD NEWS! My Chess Books Are Missing!
Now unlike many of you, I don’t have myriads of chess books in my library. I don’t have compendiums of opening manuals that cover every variation of the Sicilian Defense, Ruy Lopez, or French Defense. Matter of fact, I don’t have any opening book or manual!
HOWEVER, I can proudly say that the chess books I’ve chosen are of great quality and they provide hours of priceless chess instruction to the serious and improving player.
Re-Assess Your Chess Workbook – Written by world-famous International Master Jeremy Silman, this book will teach you Silman’s well-known imbalance-based way of thinking in chess.
After all, it’s a thinking game. Knowing how to make decisions and think right will make you a far stronger player than reading reams of opening theory.
How To Be A Deadly Chess Tactician – This one is written by a non-master but very strong tournament player David LeMoir. This one has helped me view a chess game and spot tactics and combinations like I haven’t before.
Attack With Tal – Tal has a special place in every chess player’s heart – master or amateur. This guy showed how to play daring, exciting, and speculative chess with his ‘unsound’ sacrifices which dismantled even the almighty Botvinnik! This is your chance to learn how to play and attack like Tal.
I can still remember reading through the games and the corresponding analysis and annotations without a board. It really strengthened my tactical vision and calculation skills.
How Good Is Your Chess & Test Your Chess – In my opinion, these 2 books focusing on move-prediction written by Grandmaster Daniel King go hand-in-hand with Silman’s workbook. These books will challenge you to predict the moves made by the likes of Kramnik, Kasparov, Korchnoi, Svidler, and others masters.
I went through the challenges of this book after getting used to Silman’s way of thinking. It helped me get about 80% of the moves and an overall increase in my playing strength!
These 5 books are all that I have in my VERY small chess library…and they’re all lost now unfortunately. How will I train and improve in chess now that my chess books are gone without a trace? That’s the BIGGEST question.
