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Showing posts from November, 2020

The expectation paradox

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 300 million years of evolution has equipped us with the skill to predict the future. To a certain degree. During our lifetime, we gather expectations of what we might meet next. These expectations help us to anticipate the future and to react lightning fast. These expectations are in the realm of system 1 (unconscious brain activity). We expect where the ball is heading, and we can hit it back before system 2 knows what is going on. In discussions, we learn how arguments can be met by counter arguments, and when we have enough arguments gathered, we can discuss fast, and without thinking. Most of these expectations are gathered during our youth. At a certain age, your database with automatic expectations seems to be fully filled. Or you just run out of new patterns. It is easy to see, that the art of anticipation makes us lightning fast. By anticipation, you eliminate the need for using system 2. Which is notoriously slow. The two drawbacks of anticipation Anticipation has two drawbac

Final conclusion

 After a tactical training of 150 days straight in a row, it is time to draw some conclusions. The most obvious: Mr. Glicko sniffs at me. Yet not everything is doom and gloom. We can communicate with system 1 (unconscious brain) via squares, arrows and colors There is a difference between new patterns an familiar patterns system 1 works its miracles when we encounter a new pattern. It leads to the euphoric feeling that everything works. I struggle with familiar patterns, though Familiar patterns seems to interfere with each other. When one pattern draws the attention, the other relevant patterns seem to drown in the noise. Feedback is the nec plus ultra method to educate system 1 Autopilot is the enemy of feedback During training, the role of system 2 must be minimized During feedback, the role of attention must be maximized Seeing surpasses thinking The PoP's of the PoPLoAFun method are differentiated as LPDO, BAD piece and attacking square the PoPLoAFun method is expanded with th

Shifting holes

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 Robert pointed out, that the metaphor with the holes in the bucket isn't applicable in our situation. Maybe it has some merit for patterns you have never seen before, but that represents only about 2-5% of the patterns, maybe. For the remaining 95% he is absolutely right. Look at a problem I solved. In 2012 I solved it in 12 seconds In 2013 I needed 3 min 46 seconds In 2014 I failed it after 2 minutes 23 seconds In 2015 I failed after 34 seconds In 2016 I needed 28 seconds In 2017 I needed 12 minutes 16 seconds to get the right solution In 2020 I got it right after 51 seconds Somehow there is no system in this. As if I have a bucket with totally different holes each time. Why does the past doesn't give clues for prediction of the future? The pattern in the problem is very familiar. So where do the fluctuations in solving time and correctness stem from? Presumably, the fluctuations are caused by the course that system 2 (thinking) is following during the solving time. And appar

Slow blitzing

 I have trained 138 days in a row now. So where am I standing? Evidently, my used method didn't get the stamp of approval from Mr. Glicko. Now what? I found the following: system 1 is susceptible for geometric patterns only 5% or less of the problems were holes in my bucket the remaining 95% being familiar patterns with a system 1 being drowned in the noise of system 2 no need for a thought process no need for themed problem sets no need for repetition of problems What to try next? Here must lie the accents: the quality of feedback (= attention vs autopilot) replace calculation by seeing whenever possible replace thinking by seeing whenever possible Solving a problem has three stages where I can work on educating system 1: pondering the problem with the aid of the vultures eye drawing squares and arrows of the solution imagining the helicopter view of the solution before the minds eye So I'm doing problems in blitz mode, but I do it slow. Implementing the three stages above.

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