Priorities
Often tactics and positional play are regarded as opposite.
That's utterly nonsense.
Tactics extend the possibilities in any given position.
Say you think it would be a good idea to get your knight to the outpost d5.
But it isn't possible because it can be captured there.
Suddenly you see a tactical trick.
Because of this trick it is possible to bring the knight still to d5.
If black captures it, he will loose a piece due to the trick.
So what first seemed impossible, is now possible with the aid of tactics.
No matter if the positional idea to post the beast there sucks, you found a brilliant way to do it.
Tactics are only the tools that enhance your possibilities.
What is opposite in the story is the element of time.
Time you use for studying tactics, can't be used for studying strategy and vice versa.
If you study both, like Margriet and I do, your garden will look like this:
Update:
That's utterly nonsense.
Tactics extend the possibilities in any given position.
Say you think it would be a good idea to get your knight to the outpost d5.
But it isn't possible because it can be captured there.
Suddenly you see a tactical trick.
Because of this trick it is possible to bring the knight still to d5.
If black captures it, he will loose a piece due to the trick.
So what first seemed impossible, is now possible with the aid of tactics.
No matter if the positional idea to post the beast there sucks, you found a brilliant way to do it.
Tactics are only the tools that enhance your possibilities.
What is opposite in the story is the element of time.
Time you use for studying tactics, can't be used for studying strategy and vice versa.
If you study both, like Margriet and I do, your garden will look like this:
Update:
| TCT | # prbs | circle 1 | circle 2 | circle 3 | circle 4 | circle 5 | circle 6 | circle 7 |
| Stp3 | 540 | 96% | 97% | 97% | 99% | 99% | NA | NA |
| Stp4 | 560 | 94% | 95% | 95% | 97% | 99% | NA | NA |
| Stp5 | 580 | 75% | 84% | 110 done | - | - | - | - |
Yet another reason why it's important to conquer tactics first. Tactics, as difficult to master as it is, is considered one of the easiest areas of chess study.
ReplyDeleteMy plan is to work the 7 circles with my Strategy 2.0 software after I complete my tactical circles. Then, I'll branch out into endgames with Chess Endgame Training...then openings....
....and then do the garden. Plants can take care of themselves.
ReplyDeletePS
Exactly my view. And if you would look at my garden ...
ReplyDeleteWhat is the best software for studying openings? I just discovered last night that Chessmaster has a bunch, but the interface sucks.
ReplyDeleteFor TRAINING openings I use Bookup lite (freeware, www.bookup.com ). There's another great freeware program for training openings from which I have the name forgotten. Perhaps one of the other Knights can help me out. The system is: I buy a book with an openingsrepertoire, I mouse the varations I want to learn into Arena (freeware, any chessprogram will do www.playwitharena.com ) and export them as PGN-files. Use no more than about 14 variations per PGN-file. These PGN-files I import in Bookup. And so you can train.
ReplyDeleteBookup seems pretty darn good. Is the opening book thorough? Does the full (rather than demonstration) version have more discussion in the text box (e.g., does it name the variants)?
ReplyDeleteBlue, as I tried and failed to explain, I don't make use of the openingsbook of bookup. I make my own from repertoire books. Because I like to have grip on it. I use bookup only to train my own openingsbook. I don't know what the quality is of the openingsbook of Bookup.
ReplyDeleteI am looking for the lazy man's way. I don't want to have to enter a bunch of stuff in manually (or mouse-ually). I'll let you know more about the opening book as I find out.
ReplyDeleteI'll also keep my eyes open for good opening Cds, such as perhaps this one.
Here is a great site with a database of chess openings. The program is called Chess Openings 3.1
ReplyDeleteHey, what were you doing in our garden?
ReplyDeleteI just told Dulcinea last night that I think the dandelions on the front lawn were massing for an assault. I'm glad someone else ignores their gardening chores.
ReplyDeleteI got the ABC of Chess Opening CD, linked in my post above. So far I am very unimpressed. It starts with some cheesy motivational video, but then just has a few games to play through with a little commentary. Not particularly systematic, and the software doesn't have any instructions on how to use it. I figured it out after some trial and error, but jeez, at over $20 you'd think they would put out a more professional product.
ReplyDelete