Spinach
The PoPeye system we are developing for the education of system I has already a fundament of two firm pillars.
Themed problem sets
I use Chess Tempo to make themed problem sets like all double attacks with a rating between 1600 and 1650, all discovered attacks with a rating of 1700 to 1780 et cetera. The problems are only two moves deep. That diminishes the complexity of the problems. Albeit solving a 2200 rated problem can still take you quite some time.
The diminished complexity usually reveals itself especially in the stage of the post mortem analysis.
By reducing the complexity during analysis afterwards, system II is no longer confused or overwhelmed by occupying all Short Term Memory slots. When system II is confused, system I will not store information to the long term memory. For safety reasons, possibly. Or economic reasons.
Highlighting
Robert introduced the highlighting of the points of pressure and the lines of attack. I added the highlighting of function to that. With the aid of macro's I copy the board to Paint. With lines and shapes of different colors, I can highlight any aspect of PLF (PoPLoAFun), duplo attacks and so on. It seems that the act of highlighting is a way of absorbing knowledge by system I. Robert pointed out the importance to use what is in the here and now on the board, in stead of using mental (verbal) constructions of system II which might represent a possible future.
Third pillar
Today I pondered what the third pillar of the PoPeye method for education of system I might look like. I think that it is based on the discovery of new patterns by system II. By simplifying matters by pillars I and II, system II is more at ease, and more sensitive to new ideas. Because of the themed problem sets, the frequency of reoccurrence of patterns with similar structures is much higher than it would be otherwise. That way your chance to encounter a similar structure before you forget the previous one is much higher.
Take for instance the diagram above. Qg4 is a duplo attack. Target 1 is Rf5, target 2 is Qe2.
The move Qg4 is loading the battery against Qe2.
The loading of a battery as part of a duplo attack is a new structure that you encounter time and again when you are working on the themed problem set "discovered attacks". The focus of attention and a system II that is not overworked seems to be the ideal conditions for system I to work its magic.
- Themed problem sets
- Highlighting the PLF (PoPLoAFun)
Themed problem sets
I use Chess Tempo to make themed problem sets like all double attacks with a rating between 1600 and 1650, all discovered attacks with a rating of 1700 to 1780 et cetera. The problems are only two moves deep. That diminishes the complexity of the problems. Albeit solving a 2200 rated problem can still take you quite some time.
The diminished complexity usually reveals itself especially in the stage of the post mortem analysis.
By reducing the complexity during analysis afterwards, system II is no longer confused or overwhelmed by occupying all Short Term Memory slots. When system II is confused, system I will not store information to the long term memory. For safety reasons, possibly. Or economic reasons.
Highlighting
Robert introduced the highlighting of the points of pressure and the lines of attack. I added the highlighting of function to that. With the aid of macro's I copy the board to Paint. With lines and shapes of different colors, I can highlight any aspect of PLF (PoPLoAFun), duplo attacks and so on. It seems that the act of highlighting is a way of absorbing knowledge by system I. Robert pointed out the importance to use what is in the here and now on the board, in stead of using mental (verbal) constructions of system II which might represent a possible future.
Third pillar
Today I pondered what the third pillar of the PoPeye method for education of system I might look like. I think that it is based on the discovery of new patterns by system II. By simplifying matters by pillars I and II, system II is more at ease, and more sensitive to new ideas. Because of the themed problem sets, the frequency of reoccurrence of patterns with similar structures is much higher than it would be otherwise. That way your chance to encounter a similar structure before you forget the previous one is much higher.
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| White to move |
The move Qg4 is loading the battery against Qe2.
The loading of a battery as part of a duplo attack is a new structure that you encounter time and again when you are working on the themed problem set "discovered attacks". The focus of attention and a system II that is not overworked seems to be the ideal conditions for system I to work its magic.
Great example, Tempo!
ReplyDeleteThere are some points about the process that (I think) need to be emphasized.
The overall purpose is to become quickly aware of weaknesses (PoPLoAFuns) and how to take advantage of them. SKILL, NOT KNOWLEDGE: Never lose sight of that end goal!
The focus must be on VISUALIZATION, NOT verbalization. As adults, we have been trained to learn via "left brain" (logical, verbal) methods. An integral component of that is to verbalize as a means to create and connect cues to LTM memories. The words become the focusing/retrieval device. Unfortunately, as we focus on words, we lose "sight" of the nonverbal patterns which must be retained. For this process to be effective for pattern recognition via System 1, the focus must be shifted away from verbalization. I know that flies in the face of several recommended memory retention practices, but it is what works in practice that counts.
In every case, the emphasis is on finding some type of duplo (double) attack. It does not matter if that double attack occurs immediately or is delayed some number of moves into the future. It does not matter what form the double attack takes. As Tempo has noted many times, creating a situation where you make moves that have two (or more) goals while the opponent has only one reply is a surefire recipe for a winning sequence.
It is NOT necessary to be anally fixated on marking every single PoP, LoA, and Fun in a given position. To attempt to be thorough and complete is to become so focused on the individual "trees" that we lose sight of the "forest". The focus is NOT on the PROCESS of marking diagrams; it is on SEEING what is contained in the position AS IT IS.
Only on rare occasions has it been helpful to mark the opponent's potential responses. (I use squiggly lines for the opponent's critical possibilities, but that detail is unimportant.) FIRST try to "SEE" all of the possibilities for the side to move. (Note: this is NOT the same as the "ONLY" thing to try.) This is just as applicable while playing a game as it is when trying to solve problems. We tend to minimize the importance of "who has the move" but it's very important: it may mean the difference between winning and losing. Only after getting a good "feel" for what's going on can you consider what possibilities there are for the opponent to thwart your intended action(s). If ideas of the opponent's possibilities for "throwing a monkey wrench into the works" occur as you visualize the PoPLoAFuns, then simply note it and come back to it AFTER "seeing" what is available for YOU. Often times, this will give you a "built-in" set of candidate moves/variations that have already been visualized at least partially.
Please note: all of this is GENERALIZATION, so don't get fixated on it. Be flexible in applying these ideas; nothing (or, at best, very little) is gained by trying to make the PROCESS "fit" 100% of the time. We're NOT trying to create a perfect process; we're trying to increase our skill level! See what works for YOU and then apply it; discard whatever does not work for YOU.
Most importantly, HAVE FUN!
Curiosity: Do you have a list of the Chess Tempo tactics themes with corresponding rating ranges?
ReplyDeleteWhat criteria are you using to determine the specific rating range for each category of tactics problems? Is it based on observation that a lot of the problems in that range are two-movers?
Thanks!
As gold member you can filter on amount of moves. The rating range is applied by me to limit the amount of puzzles in a set to about 70. Less makes it a memory exercise, more diminishes the frequency of reoccurrence of a pattern too much.
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