Temposchlucker

  I found the original tree of scenarios with the 23 scenarios. Time to rebuild it and make it more practical. We now know that a branch must be triggered by a salient point that is seen in the position. Let me reshuffle matters a bit. Trap/killbox related actions pry the box open squeeze the box squeeze the box until the target pops out onto a line of attack chase the target into the box plug a hole in the wall of the box salient cue: the killbox Tipping the balance add attacker plan adding attackers in the future clear the line of attack with tempo (= add attacker) eliminate defender cut off future defenders salient cues:  B.A.D. (Barely Adequate Defended) target overloaded defender pinned defender Gain a tempo double attack discovered attack fork skewer trade defender salient cues: insufficient defended target high value target low value attacker defender under attack Maintaining the initiative move with additional punch postponing move Salient cue: the need for a preparat...

 I have the feeling that we are really on to something. That focusing on the salient points slowly builds some feeling for salient points. But not every salient point is immediately visible for the mind's eye.  You need some logic to make them visible. The problem is, that each node initiates diversity. Like a tree fork from where new branches are sprouting. I advocate to ignore the complexity that sprouts from the nodes in favor for the most simple and logical continuation until the big picture emerges. Only when the big picture is clear, you go back for working out the details of the nodes. Black to move 2r3k1/2r2ppp/1p1b1n2/pP1Bnq2/8/PP2B1P1/3R1PKP/1N1Q1R2 b - - 0 1 [ solution ] There are three salient points here that aren't immediately visible before the mind's eye. Bd5 doesn't look B.A.D. (Barely Adequate Defended). Rd2 doesn't pop out as a critical defender The diagonal d5/g2 looks taboo for the black Queen Logic must reveal these salient points and make them...

 I proposed a brain system 3 which task it is to keep system 1 and system 2 in check. Although that was partly with tongue in cheek, there is a point I want to make. We might identify ourselves with one of the two systems. But observation seems to reveal that both systems have a lot in common. In a sense they both work the same way. System 1 handles everything that happens in the now . Hence it must be fast. The future and the past is meaningless for system 1. While system 2 is able to handle the future and the past. Of course there can't be no hurry in handling the future or the past. Both systems work on the same level and in the same way. They are part of Manas. Manas is a Sanskrit word which is not so easy to translate. Manas often indicates the general thinking faculty. It is characterized by activity of the mind. Manas offers the results of his activity to the Buddhi, which is the center of discrimination, of judgement. If Buddhi is awake, he decides on whether the results ar...

 I gazed a lot at positions in the past in an attempt to make the eagle SEE some salient cues. But usually the cows came home long before a cue reported itself. GM Bent Larsen learned me that the eagle needs a little guidance. Black to move 1rb5/2P2pk1/3pp2p/qN2b3/2Q1P3/5p1P/4BPP1/2R3K1 b - - 0 1  [ solution ] We tell the eagle to look for targets.   These are the salient cues the eagle might come up with: Targets for black Nb5 B.A.D. (Barely Adequate Defended) Be2 I.D. (Inadequate Defended) Targets for white Rb8 We tell the eagle to look for defenders.  These are the salient cues the eagle might come up with: Defenders of Nb5 Qc4 Be2 These are the salient cues that are pretty easy to SEE . Just tell the eagle what to look for. Guidance of system 1 by system 2. We tell the eagle to look for tempo moves.  Here it becomes a little vague. The logic starts to intermingle with the salient cues Be2 is under attack (threat) Rb8 is under attack (counter threat) Qd2 is ...

 I consider chess to be the art of making multiple purpose moves. A nice example is the Reti manoeuvre. In the endgame, you are often on the lookout for moves that bring you closer to two targets at the same time. In the middlegame, you look for moves that accomplish two things at the same time. At least, that is how it should be. In tactics, you have motifs that are solely based on dual purpose moves, like a double attack or a discovered attack. These tactics have in common that they provide good visible salient cues. You can see them by just zooming out. But there is a category of moves that are more difficult to SEE . I dubbed them the tempo moves For instance: exchange additional punch stepping out a threat stepping into a threat trading off a hostile piece that is threatening you Let's have a closer look to find out whether these moves are heralded by salient cues too. The list is in no particular order, I'm just brainstorming. Stepping out of a threat What is the differen...

In order to iron out the wrinkles in my thinking, I might reshuffle the categories a few times. Please bear with me. Targets B.A.D. (Barely Adequate Defended) piece Insufficient defended piece B.A.D. (Barely Adequate Defended) invasion square Insufficient defended invasion square Status of defense Pinned  Overloaded   Elimination of defense Annihilation of Defense Blockade  Clearance  Deflection  Decoy  Interference blocking  Tactical motifs with tempo Discovered attack  Double attack   Preparatory move with tempo clearing  chasing  targeting All the above areas can be improved by just making sure you see the salient cues. Just guide your attention to it, and the eagle does the rest. You can SEE : whether a piece is BAD entering an invasion square will cause havoc the status of a defender a tactical motif like double attack etc. a preparatory move I made these lists with salient cues where it suffices to zoom out and let the sh...

 What is paramount now is the hunt for salient cues. We can divide a combination into sections. The cleaner we SEE the separate sections, the better. From the sections, I try to abstrahere the salient cues that give away the existence of a section. Currently, the problems I use are rated between 1700 and 1900. At average, the problems have 3 or 4 sections, although the amount can vary from 2 to 6. The sections are divided in a few departments: targets defenders/attackers tactical motif preparatory move tempo move White to move 6k1/3pp1bp/1p3r2/1P3p2/1P1n1P2/4Q3/2B1KR1P/3R3q w - - 1 1 [ solution ] There are the following sections of the combination: Targets Opponent Insufficient defended pieces. Qh1 Nd4 B.A.D. (Barely Adequate Defended) invasion square b3 Mine Qe3 Ke2 Bc2 Tactical motifs Opponent discovered attack from the battery Bg7 - Rf6 against d4 pin with Re6 against whites Qe3 and Ke2 Mine pin with Bb3 against Re6 and Kg8 Tempo moves Opponent Nd4+ Re6+ Mine Bxe6+ with addition...

Diagnosis  I focus on tactical positions that are solvable with the aid of the tree of scenarios. To keep matters simple for now, that excludes counter attacks, promotion and traps. Those will be treated later.  The first step is the diagnosis of the position: Investigation of the targets (on both sides) Investigating the defenders (and the attackers) Investigation of the targets What are the targets on both sides . Potential targets are: B.A.D. (Barely Adequate Defended) pieces Insufficient defended targets Invasion squares  BAD pieces are interesting because there is a lot of tension around the targets. The attackers and the defenders are in a delicate balance, and the more defenders there are, the greater the chance to tip the balance by compromising one of the defenders. Insufficient defended pieces usually come with some hidden mechanism in puzzles. Sometimes you cannot take them because of a counter attack. Sometimes you need to take a preparatory measure. Sometimes...

 Back in 2017 I concocted the tree of scenarios. It was, as usual, a big effort of system 2. I never have been able to make it practical. The past days I stumbled again on the tree of scenarios by accident, but now spiralling in from a totally different angle. The framework I was looking for the past days already has been concocted, waiting to be used. In 2017, I had no idea how to do that. But currently I have quite a lot of fresh ideas. It makes a big difference whether you are still in the process of inventing or that a whole tree lies there, ready to be used. It is not rocket science: Identification of the target. B.A.D. (Barely Adequate Defended) Not/insufficient defended piece Invasion square Identification of the action eliminate the defender add attacker Identification of the tempi double attack exchange additional punch step out of a threat Identification of the FUNction defender overloaded pinned Other Neutralize counter attack Trap Promotion And that is about it!

  black to move [ solution ] Zoom out Salient point: double attack 1.Qxd4 >>Ne5 AND >>Ra1  Zoom in Logic: How can white defend that? 1. . . . Bc3 defends both targets Zoom out Salient point: Ne4 is B.A.D. (Barely Adequate Defended). Zoom in Logic: Can I harass one of the defenders? No. Can I add an attacker with tempo? Zoom out Aha! The double attack adds an attacker with tempo! Connection between two little straight sequences! Zoom in Logic: Work out the details with that scary looking rook at a8 and the right additional punches at the right time and all the move order stuff. Play the move. System 2 to move

 I'm working on this one already for a few hours. I feel that this puzzle is ideally suited to develop some consistent logical thoughts about tempi. White to move r2qr1k1/pp2nppp/1b6/3pn2b/8/1NPBBN1P/PP3PP1/R2QR1K1 w - - 1 1 [ solution ]  I expect it will take me quite some time. UPDATE Feb 7th, 1.Bxb6 What does this move do, tempowise? Be3 plus Re1 form a battery. So a discovered attack is executed. Two tempi for the price of one. The black Queen is attacked. I used to call this "with additional punch" So black has three tasks to fulfil: take his piece back, save his knight and save his Queen Hence white's move is a 3 purpose move. 1. ... Nxf3+ This: Saves the black knight Takes a piece back Attacks the white King by an "additional punch" Essentially it saves two of black's three problems. He has equalized the discovered attack with a 2 purpose move. His Queen is still under the attack of an additional punch. Normally, that shouldn't worry black too...

  I have always been surprised that my usual logic was not applicable to chess. One of the main reason for that is that I am inclined to keep all options open. With too many options, my mind is easily overwhelmed. The chess world is flooded with good advice. During a game you have very little time to think, though. So everything that is not automated is going to hinder me. All those checklists and thinking models just confuse my mind.They eat up too many mental resources, and there is no time for that. In 23 years I mainly have been busy to separate the weed from the chaff. It turned out that the knee deep good advice was for 90% just utterly nonsense. And the 10% that wasn't nonsense was totally inadequate. I had to find out myself under which precise conditions the advice works.  It has mainly been a process of elimination. That created a lot of room in my head, and since about a year I have been able to begin with adding some logical thinking to my chess. I consider my ches...

 We are totally capable to distinguish between male and female faces. Yet we don't know how we do that. From an evolutionary point of view, it is probably handy to know the difference between men and women. On the other hand, I have no idea what a female kangaroo looks like. Nature is very frugal with skills, since they eat up mental resources. From a surviving point of view, it is not necessary to know the difference between male and female kangaroos. I suppose male kangaroos have no pouch. As usual, I have no idea where my post is going to beforehand. The task of system 2 is, maybe among other tasks, pruning. When I am just modeling clay, I have to wait until some female characteristics appear accidently. That took about six hours when I tried it for the first time. When Robert provided me with a website about the eight differences between male and female faces, I knew where to look, and the next time it took me only one hour to model a face that looked somewhat female. System 2 ...

 A year ago I discovered what the task of system 2 should be. Its task is to guide system 1 with logic. Without logic, system 1 flounders around with trial and error. I thought that this would be the trick which I was after for 23 years. The trick that makes child prodigies grandmaster within 10 years. But careful examination of my latest losses showed there that still had to be something else. Logic tells you what to do, but not how to do it. The good news is that I'm closing in: The area of concern is the tempo battle The complexity of the puzzles must be as simple as possible The rating of the puzzles must be around my rating The focus should be on perception: how to recognize the salient cues take the hours or days that are needed to fathom the essence This diagram is part of a problem on ChessTempo: White to move 5bk1/4Q2p/p2p2p1/P1pbp3/2N1P3/2P5/6PP/1r3BK1 w - - 0 1  It is not the original problem. It is after white made the wrong decision. And even in this position, whi...