I’ve always taken exception to the fact that so many tactics trainers are timed.
Yes yes, in a game it’s you vs. the position *and* the clock.
When training, however, I think that it’s much more important to work on absorbing the patterns. The downside to the clock is that it practically eggs you on to make rash decisions which you haven’t properly calculated, thereby missing out on the opportunity to learn new stuff.
So how does a pro approach solving?
Let’s take a look at IM Andrey Ostrovskiy, who has many wonderful videos as well as an excellent Twitch channel.
As you can see, IM Ostrovskiy is not rushing to solve these positions. He’s taking his time and properly calculating everything prior to selecting a move. It’s also interesting to note how he flits between candidate moves the way that all of us do, rather than clean calculations to the end ala Think Like a Grandmaster.
Subscribe to Andrey’s YouTube channel here.
Follow him on Twitch here.
Til Next Time,
Chris Wainscott