Temposchlucker

I finally seem to have created some basis for future developments. In the past 24 years I have paid little attention to other parts of the game than tactics. Now I seem to book some results in that department, the omissions start to show themselves. I work like a madman to repair the holes and to get the water out. Of course it is an insane idea to throw all your openings out of the window and to replace them all at the same time at once. Especially when you do that so rigorously that you start all over again when an opening doesn't work out as you thought it would. Throwing an effort of two years out of the window. That happened quite a few times. Opponents seem to have a nose for the holes in my repertoire. Or they avoid the main lines that I trained, or they throw obscure gambits at me that take too much time to learn the theory. Or they play rare openings that I only encounter once every five years. The past two years I encountered the Dutch Defense six times, while a friend of

 I'm easy to surprise. And then again, I'm surprised that I am so easy to surprise by something that actually isn't surprising at all. It feels as is I'm rather naive, chesswise. It reminds me of an old post about focal gamma bursts . Where brain scans of amateurs showed that the they see every position as new, while in grandmasters the Long Term Memory and the region of complex motor skills showed much activity. White to move 3r2k1/ppq2pp1/3Np1b1/1N1nP2p/3Q4/Pn3B1P/5PP1/4R1K1 w - - 0 1 [ solution ] Treating it as a tit-for-tat problem, the first move was not difficult to find. 1.Qxd5 But I was surprised by the answer of black 1. ... Qa5 Yet this is completely logical. I continued against Stockfish. 2. Qd1 Bc2 And again I was completely surprised. 3.Qe2 Bd3 And again I was completely surprised. What does this show? Apparently my trial and error habit is very strong. I only focus on my own moves and am completely blind for what my opponent can do. Despite that my tree of

 In the begin position of a problem I see certain salient cues. I know that there are salient cues that are not readily be  seen , but which reveal themselves when you apply some logic. On the other hand, there are salient cues that are perfectly see able already in the begin position, but which I do not see because I'm not looking for them. Those salient cues are the ones where I can make progress because they form my blind spots. Black to move 2r3k1/Q4n1p/p2Brpp1/1p1R4/4P3/2q2P1P/6P1/3R3K b - - 1 1 [ solution ] What I did see: target: Bd6 defenders: Rd5, Rd1 overloaded Rd1 => Bd6 AND back rank What I did NOT see: double attack Qe5 => h2 AND d6 back rank defense by Qg1 counter attack white Qd7 => Re6 AND Rc8 Scenarios Exchange on d6 until a LPDO is left Chase K to h2 Prevent Qa7 from interfering With hind sight , my blind spots are staggering and amazing. A training method must focus on these blind spots. I can't see what I'm not looking for. Initially, logic sho

 A lot of the combinations in my database exist of two tactical elements which intersect. The elements make themselves manifest by salient cues. While the intersection is revealed by asking the right questions. Black to move 4r1k1/p2r3p/2q1p1p1/2P3N1/8/P1BnQ1P1/4R2P/3R2Kb b - - 1 1 [ solution ] There are two tactical elements here. Discovered attack Salient cues: Target: Rd1 Attackers: Rd7, Nd3 Mate in one Salient cues: Target: Kg1 Attackers: Qc6, Bh1 Defender: Re2 Intersection How do the two tactical elements interfere with each other? The sheer seeing of the salient cues is the main skill what we should care about. Once that skill is obtained, the next step in our learning process will present itself. I assume.

 Sometimes the salient cues are easy to see. The diagnosis seems to be more or less clear. But to see the remedy, you must first ask the right question. Which is a task of system 2. White to move r1q2rk1/p4pp1/2B1nb2/2N1p2p/2Pp4/P2P2PP/4PP2/R2QK2R w KQ - 1 1 [ solution ] The static salient cues of both sides' targets and defenders are clear enough. White's targets: Ra8, Ne6 with additional punch Rf8. Fighting the defenders Qc8, f7 Black's targets Bc6, Nc5, Rh1 It might not be immediately clear what to do after 1.Bxa8 Qxa8 That is the moment to ask the right question: Is there a move that can save both the knight and the rook? It turns out that there is a dual purpose move that does that very same.

 There are static cues which are geared around the line of attack: State of the target balance of attackers and defenders invasion square killbox around the target present wrong target (need exchanges first to get the right target into position) State of the defender pinned overloaded has the wrong properties (must be exchanged for a defender with the right properties) State of the line of attack blocked target not on the endpoint yet attacker not on the beginpoint yet pivot point present LoA can be closed by defenders State of the attacker not on the beginpoint yet It doesn't make a difference which cue pops up first. It is a matter of getting a complete picture of the line of attack from attacker to target. Each static cue triggers the related standard scenario. And then there are the dynamic cues. Dual purpose move 2:1 double attack discovered attack fork skewer capture the defender A dual purpose move alters the state of a target. It tips the balance. Single purpose move 1:1 &