^ its my fault for slacking off and not bringing my tactics up to scratch despite many ppl giving me advice to for years, i deserved it

day 23

idk if i should count today, did like 15 puzzles only, at exercise 1000 now

Despite being neither a good player nor good at tactics I was able to get a 2200+ rating at chess.com. That rating is greatly inflated. I have yet to get above 1800 at chess24 for example.

^ yea, it's greatly inflated, a strong player should be getting near 3000 on tactics trainer

day 24

at exercise 1028, the puzzles are getting insane now, i can see the initial ideas, but i'm always shocked by a counter resource or variation that I did not initially consider when i see the solutions. I'm getting mindf**ked over and over again. I'm going to try to power through the remaining 100 puzzles in the weekend!

day 25

at exercise 1042, the questions are getting ridic, like aargard book level, spent like 2 hours and only did bit more than ten, thinking after this cycle im taking a bit of a break

Day 26

Up to exercise 1088, not able to solve most of them...

day 27

up to exercise 1108

day 28

Finally done all 1128 exercises of the woodpecker method! Took 4 weeks basically... So this completes the first cycle of the exercise, I will have to redo them in half the time in the next cycle, not sure if I'm looking forward to that... But for now I will take at least a week break

How many hours did it take you to complete the exercises? Did you already notice a difference in your tactical ability between when you started and now? Are the exercises hand-picked for the Woodpecker method or do you think it works with any tactics puzzle collection?

^idk, I hope I got better, I think you can do it with any set of exercises

clearly my tactics are trash here:

https://www.chess.com/live/game/3501502605

I just lost to an online game to the 1100 in our weekly swiss, he played at 95.43 CAPS and destroyed me

I think 95 caps would equal a 2350 player. Sounds suspicious!

Haha yea well nothing I can do, it's just one game, and a badly played one by me, so I can't prove anything :P

Off to do the rest of my wood pecker cycles

Sorry for not updating, back after a while. On the tactics grind (Chess.com TT @2500, Puzzle rush highscore 33 after 104 attempts).

Resources I'm interested in: Improve Your Chess Tactics by Neishtadt and of course Aargards GM prep


Gonna try to use this tactics solving method I devised after listening to a few advice:



PHASE ONE: IDENTIFICATION


1. Count Material: Always this step first

2. Identify weaknesses to exploit: Hanging Piece, Trapped Piece, Weak King, Weak Backrank

3. Identify any mate threats/immediate threats against us: to watch out for counter resources




PHASE TWO: CALCULATION


Piece Priority (which piece we use):

- Queen (most options usually)
- Rook
- Bishop
- Knight
- Pawn


Calculation Steps

- Checks (most forcing)
- Mate Threats
- Capture/Sacs
- Threaten their queen


Look for opponent's resources

- Counter checks
- Recaptures/Sacrifices
- Watch out for intermezzo ideas!
- Sacrificial interceptions
- Moves that ignore our sacs

Daily Goals

Tactics

Chess.com Tactics Trainer - 30 min
Chess.com Puzzle Rush - 10 min

Calculation

Aagaard Calculation Book - 20 min
Woodpecker Method Cycles - 40 min

Play and Analyse

Rapid game - 40 min
Analysis of opening line and practice (may include studying a model game) - 40 min

Extra learning

Can be anything (video, book on pawn structures, endgame work etc.) - 30 min

You plan to spend that much time every day? I'd recommend setting aside something more doable as your actual goal - e.g. 1 hour of the most important studying. Everything else would be bonus.

^ The most important study goal would be minimum 1.5 hours of tactics a day imo

Tactics + calculation? I'd agree with that but still would warn you to set a more doable goal so the training doesn't end up feeling like a big gorilla on your back.

Did most of the stuff today, definitely feeling better about my tactics, got my tactics rating up to 2568 at one point, so its in the right direction.

https://www.chess.com/live/game/3776...5p-Xq4zr7TFU7c

This was my rapid game today, I mouseslipped when I tried to deliver checkmate :P

Its an offbeat unambitiously line by white, does anyone know what the name of it is?

I might spend the next few days looking at this line, because it looks promising. Despite not having many games in the database, it's seen used by a few super GM including Carlsen. The play seem to be quite easy for white actually and has a few tricks for white, black was worse off right off the opening in my game.


https://www.chessbomb.com/arena/2014...r-Geller_Jakov

This might be a good model game for me to look at, the f6-e5 plan looks logical, might study the structure abit more because it resembles some of the exchange slav games I might get.


Also interested in this line from the white side: http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1883851 Seem to have alot of different possible plans for white.

Looks like The London System to me.

I thought London always came with c3, maybe this is some sort of sharp Neo-London scheme.

Apparently it's part of some new sideline theory called Jabova Attack. https://www.chesspublishing.com/content/8/jul13.htm

Just got advice from someone a lot stronger. Not gonna waste my time on that line as white, not really a great line just mildly interesting. Sticking to main lines but looking at ways to refute it.