Temposchlucker

 Yesterday I participated in a simul. There were 14 participants and the simul was given by a Fide Master. I didn't exactly measure it, but at average he needed 4 seconds per move. Which meant that I had to make a move every 56 seconds. I could keep up into the middlegame, until I was compelled to shift gears from System 1 to System 2. All of a sudden, 56 seconds was not enough to make a reasonable move anymore. So when he stood at my board, I was obliged to play a move which I knew wasn't good. It costed me a pawn and it caused weaknesses in my position. His plan was simple: in the opening: develop and do nothing weird in the middlegame: trade everything that is dangerous wait for my mistake trade off every piece and convert the game to a win When the first participants began to drop out, matters start to become worse. He needs lesser and lesser time before he stands in front of you. A master is somebody who can play the one- and two-movers in every part of the game. An expert...

 The method I advocate to absorb logical patterns is based on understanding. Make every move logical, and System 1 will connect the pattern to the logic. Like the image of a word is connected to its meaning. Once you develop an eye for it, you will discover a whole host of one- and two-movers that garnish your combination. Take the following example: Black to move 4r3/1p3k1r/p1P2bp1/3p4/PP1PqP2/1N2RRP1/4Q3/6K1 b - - 0 45 Turov, M. vs. Movsesian, S., Wijk aan Zee 2013 The most principled variation goes as follows: 45. ... Qb1+ 46. Qf1 Reh8 47. Qxb1 Rh1+ 48. Kf2 R8h2# The PoPLoAFun system is ideally suited to identify defensive resources. Because defence is about interrupting the LoA (line of attack). Let's see. White to move after 45. ... Qb1+ By focusing on the LoAs you can  immediately see all ways that white can try to dodge the bullet. 46. Kg2 46. Kf2 notice the difference. On f2 the king has no contact with the invasion square h2 46. Rf1 46 Qf1 46. Qe1 46. Qd1 just giving ...

 I miss a lot of one-move tactics. That may sound silly at first. Yet pay attention! We can easily construct the solution of one-move tactics with System 2. So easy, that it might look as an area that poses no problems. The point is, that there is a difference between a constructed solution and an absorbed solution. A solution constructed by System 2: eats memory resources like time, energy and memory slots is error prone takes time to construct An absorbed solution retrieved by System 1: doesn't need memory resources is SEEN can be used in a visualization sequence takes no time Long variations consist of many one-movers. If you need resources for these one-movers, you will hit the limits of construction soon. The problem with examples is that they show  my limits. It is tempting to conclude that you have no problems whatsoever. But it is an invitation to have a look at your own limitations. First, solve this problem. Feel free to use Stockfish: White to move 5rk1/5ppp/p1q1P3/...

 This problem is from the chapter in-between-moves of GM Frank Ehrwich's course at Chessable 1001 Chess Exercises for Advanced Club Players. In my opinion it is the most important chapter of the course because it focuses on the tempo battle. Little is known about the tempo battle besides the crude CCT adage. The tempo battle is based on the stealth properties of the pieces that hide that they are severely limited in their possibilities due to their function. If you can develop an eye for these properties it would make a huge difference. White to move (!) 5bk1/5pp1/3q1P1p/4Q3/3N2P1/8/7P/1r2R2K w - - 1 54  What should be your main takeaway from this puzzle? (it isn't a puzzle anymore since the move 53. ... Rb1 is already played) White to move Red circle: pieces are overloaded due to their function Blue circle: passive targets. Notice how it doesn't make a difference when the knight goes to f3, thus providing extra coverage for the queen and the rook. The knight would be ove...

 Robert provided me with 10 PGNs of the tactical problems I'm currently studying. I wanted to see whether it is necessary to study the moves that lead to a combination. The answer is "yes, but not now". The study of those moves is not necessary to understand the logical mechanisms of a combination. And you must learn those mechanisms first. I'm inclined to say that about 2000 puzzles, tactics and mates, would be sufficient. The next step would be to do the same, but then for positional problems. Think of the woodpecker 2 puzzles and the positional puzzles of CM Can Kabadayi. Then you need a set of endgame puzzles, like the series from Perlo for instance. It are tactical puzzles too, but the geometrics of the endgame differ vastly. And you need indeed to study moves that precede combinations. Or actually every move that causes Stockfish to swing the eval bar with >2.0 points. I guess you can summarize that under the noumer "study master games". Is my first...

 When you ask yourself "what is this position about?" you might get a logical answer. This is your salient logical cue. Triggered by the logical pattern that you recognize. For instance: Black to move 4r2k/1p4bp/p2p2p1/3P4/P1R2p2/1P3Q1P/3qNPP1/6K1 b - - 0 28 Lalith, B, vs. Rathnakaran, K., Sharjah 2017 The problem is, you would love to grab Ne2 which is BPDO (Bad Pieces Drop Off). But you have a vulnerable backrank. So the logical question arises: can I take Ne2 in such way that I keep my back rank protected? As you see, the logic prunes your tree of analysis before you even start to think about moves. The move you are looking for must have an "additional punch" or in other words, must come with tempo. That is CCT, but now restrained beforehand by the logical conditions you have set. 28 ... Qe1+ puts the queen on the e-line, thus protecting e8 from a distance. And the check is the additional punch. Notice how much more fun solving puzzles has become!

 Back in 2000 I realized that when a 14 year old kid starts to beat up chess players who have 50 year or more experience under their belt, there must be some sort of trick that they apply. When Susan Polgar set her simul record in 2005, I did the math and came to the conclusion that whatever the trick was, it had to be subconscious. She used 2.6 second per move at average, including walking from one table to another, and there is no way that someone can think in such short amount of time. Hence I started my blog in 2005. Many red herrings were thrown at me by all kinds of chess authors, and I catched them all. In 2023 I ran out of red herrings, and I concocted some sort of method to educate my subconscious. It kind of worked, although it was obvious that it was far from efficient. At May 5th, 2026, finally all pieces of the puzzle fell into their place. In order to obtain the trick, you must absorb the logical patterns of a position, not so much the geometrical patterns. Since logi...