How to use Tactics Trainer effectively?

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StevenBailey13

Hi, I want to improve my tactics and I don't really know how to use TT effectively for the best improvement? ( like how many puzzles to solve or what to take from each one?) Does anyone know?  

Scottrf

Honestly, with the way the TT here is set up, I think it lends itself best to a brute force approach. i.e. attempting as many as possible rather than trying for 100% accuracy.

Play by the clock and if you don't see the idea pretty quickly, make what seems like the best move to you.

The ones I get right it's because I see the pattern almost immediately, and it's just a case of checking for any defensive resources the opponent might have and making sure I have the right move order (if two moves look like they may be interchangeable, make the effort to find why one may fail).

If you do fail, play over the moves and check that you understand it, and why your move doesn't work, if necessary looking at the analysis and source, the user comments or as a last resort an engine. It's amazing how much you just pick up the patterns you get wrong, my progress there has been mainly trial and error.

Use books to practice tactics you don't already know, use TT to reinforce the ones you do. Not everyone agrees with this, a lot say ignore the clock but I think you need a mixture of long study of tactics to learn new concepts and quick tactics just to reinforce, which I think the system here is better suited to.

StevenBailey13
Scottrf wrote:

Honestly, with the way the TT here is set up, I think it lends itself best to a brute force approach. i.e. attempting as many as possible rather than trying for 100% accuracy.

Play by the clock and if you don't see the idea pretty quickly, make what seems like the best move to you.

The ones I get right it's because I see the pattern almost immediately, and it's just a case of checking for any defensive resources the opponent might have and making sure I have the right move order (if two moves look like they may be interchangeable, make the effort to find why one may fail).

If you do fail, play over the moves and check that you understand it, and why your move doesn't work, if necessary looking at the analysis and source, the user comments or as a last resort an engine. It's amazing how much you just pick up the patterns you get wrong, my progress there has been mainly trial and error.

Use books to practice tactics you don't already know, use TT to reinforce the ones you do. Not everyone agrees with this, a lot say ignore the clock but I think you need a mixture of long study of tactics to learn new concepts and quick tactics just to reinforce, which I think the system here is better suited to.


Thanks, I've heard a lot of people say that taking your time and slowly analyzing afterwars the few puzzles you did to get the best out of it, but a lot of people who say the same as you...