Category: Puzzle

So one nice thing about finding myself with some extra time on my hands is that I have been able to fairly easily keep to a training schedule.

What I’m mostly hoping for with the tactics work I’m doing (15 minutes a day of simple tactics – i.e. not logging in and using chesstempo) is to get faster.

Much faster.

Here are the three days I’ve done so far…

Date	Day	Correct/Missed
7/1/2018	Day 1	16/5
7/2/2018	Day 2	16/6
7/3/2018	Day 3	22/4

As you can see, not logging in means that the tactics I’m getting fed are quite simple.  However, this is very useful for increasing my speed at simple tactics.

Here is an example of one of the problems that I’ve gotten when not logged in.  I’ll give the solution at the end of this post.

Everything in this puzzle is a forcing move.  There are no quiet moves or intermezzo’s to worry about.  For those types of moves endgames studies are the way to go!

Til Next Time,

Chris Wainscott

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The solution to the puzzle above is 1.Nxg6+ hxg6 2.Rf5+ gxf5 3.Rxf5#

Since I started working on solving studies on a more regular basis I have noticed that I often pick up on the themes, but that I have a tendency to not get the move order correct in a meaningful way.

Take this study by Kubbel for example.

It’s White to move and win.  Feel free to set a clock for ten minutes as I did and try to work through the solution.

Quite often in these drills I find the same thing repeating itself.  I will start at the position for some time trying to figure out the nuances, then just as I start to make sense of the position I’ll only have a few minutes left and so I rush through working on a solution and I’m not getting it quite correct.

My assumption is that if I just stick with it eventually I’ll see the ideas quicker and be left with more time to calculate without getting into such “time pressure” and missing stuff like this.

Here is the solution, including the failed move order I selected:

Til Next Time,

Chris Wainscott

If you like this blog, please consider becoming a Patreon supporter.  Any money I raise will go towards lessons and stronger tournaments.

If you can spare it, please click here and become a supporter.  Even $1 a month can help me achieve my dream.

The subject says it all!  After several attempts over several days I finally got a study completely correct!

Here it is…

You will find the solution at the bottom of this post, but I encourage you to spend ten minutes on it first, just like I did!

Since I heard Andrzej Krzywda on Perpetual Chess recently I have been following his advice and solving studies.  Really the idea is just to immerse yourself into a position for a length of time (in this case ten minutes) and work on calculation.

I wrote about it a few days ago with this: https://ontheroadtochessmaster.com/solving-studies/

At that time, and until now, I hadn’t solved any completely correct, including any side variations, but finally that’s a thing of the past!

Let’s hope that this continues.

Til Next Time,

Chris Wainscott

If you like this blog, please consider becoming a Patreon supporter.  Any money I raise will go towards lessons and stronger tournaments.

If you can spare it, please click here and become a supporter.  Even $1 a month can help me achieve my dream.

Solution…

1.Nf7 Ba1 2.Kb1 Bc3 (or d4, f6, g7) 3.Nd6+ Kxc7 4.Nb5+ (or whatever square will fork the king and bishop depending on the alternate moves listed above…)

1.Nf7 Bd4 2.Nd6+ Kxc7 3.Nb5+

 

For the past several days I have been working on solving at least a few studies each day in order to work on improving my calculation.

I have been taking Andrzej Krzywda’s advice and using Kasparian’s Domination in 2,545 Endgame Studies book.  I give myself ten minutes on the clock and then I start calculating.  When the ten minutes is up then I stop and whatever I have for the solution is what I go with.

I have yet to get a single one completely correct (meaning main variation and any sidelines), although in many of them I have at least found the main idea.  I’m assuming that as I spend more and more time on this that the accuracy will eventually come.

Here is my favorite one so far!  Have fun!

It should be noted that the studies in this book are designed to be relatively simple rather than insanely hard.

Til Next Time,

Chris Wainscott

If you like this blog, please consider becoming a Patreon supporter.  Any money I raise will go towards lessons and stronger tournaments.

If you can spare it, please click here and become a supporter.  Even $1 a month can help me achieve my dream.

German GM Huschenbeth shows the correct approach to take to solving.

I really enjoy watching strong players show their approaches to calculation.

Til Next Time,

Chris Wainscott

If you like this blog, please consider becoming a Patreon supporter.  Any money I raise will go towards lessons and stronger tournaments.

If you can spare it, please click here and become a supporter.  Even $1 a month can help me achieve my dream.