Pattern Recognition

Pattern recognition seems to be a big part of chess and something I'm trying to do better in.  I've done well over 1000 puzzles and a tonne more if we're counting learning puzzles, puzzle rush, battle ect.  Does anyone know of any activities outside of chess that can be done online that can help with chess in an indirect kind of way?  Or is it better to just keep doing what I'm doing and do puzzles?

a good memory helps. in my case, it was my memory that got me through school as i never really studied just sort of remembered the time the teacher said this or that.

Tumpai - 100% agreed on that, keeps your brain thinking and mind active.

MrLance - Yeah, my memory is average not great but not poor.  Somethings I can memorise well, chess patterns not so much.

Just continue with the tactics and play play play

Hi Steve. If you've done over 1000 puzzles but only have a puzzle rating of 792 then look at your technique. How long are you spending on each puzzle and are you looking at all forcing moves? Are you familiar with basic tactics? IMO your rating should be higher which suggests something with your technique isn't quite right. If you can identify and fix it, the improvement will flow into your games.

Yes, but you also need to have a collection of most important games you have played and go over them multiple times. Then it gets into your Long Term Memory.

Well said!

Hi steve, as an example, I've done roughly 1400 puzzles this year. I started playing chess in January. My puzzle rating is around 1500. I aim to get them right first time in my head by calculation and visualisation before moving any pieces. In practice I get about 80% correct. It often takes me several minutes. I tend to give up after 20 minutes and try an educated guess. I start by checking all forcing moves (captures and checks) and the puzzles likely reply, even the daft ones where I exchange the queen for a pawn. This is to get my subcontous working on the problem. Then I look at solving the puzzle by calculating candidate moves. This is one place the pattern recognition kicks in, as there may be some moves that I intuitively feel are the solution. Sometimes my intuition is correct and it just needs the right move order. Sometimes it is wrong and I try another candidate.

Hi Mark,

Thanks for you replies.  Yes, I believe my rating should be higher in puzzles based off how many I've done.  It's possible I'm not spending enough time to solve the problems (usually I spend up to 1min before I make an educated guess).  I checked you're puzzle times and you spend slightly longer than me although you're doing more complex puzzles.

I do understand basic tactics for sure.  The calculation and visualization of the pieces moving is the part I find most difficult.

The calculation and visualisation requires constant practice. For me it has been 8 months of daily puzzles (roughly 5 to 10 a day). Normally in the evening, with a cup of tea, after my kids have gone to bed. I'd say timing reflects ability not puzzle difficulty. When my puzzle rating was 1000, these took me several minutes, now I'm 1500, these take several minutes and I'm quicker at the ones I found impossible 3 months ago. This is partly improved pattern recognition, calculation and visualisation. The pattern recognition eases the burden of calculation but try to always verify your intuition with calculation. One area pattern recognition may not help is accounting for defensive resources. So all three skills work together: pattern recognition, calculation and visualisation.

Hi Mark,

Thanks, i'm probably 2 months in with doing puzzles.  I also do them everyday.  Rated/puzzle rush/puzzle battle, i'll do learning as well say once a week.  I do them mornings and evenings.  I feel like I might be rushing through them a bit quick going off your times.  I'll slow down and do like you said and  look at several moves before making a choice.

Thanks for your advice.

Like when you "think" for 7 seconds (!) and make the wrong move. Or when you think for 20 seconds and make the wrong move instead of a mating in 1. Your history is full of those examples.

"I do understand basic tactics for sure. "

😅 Point taken

I do understand basic tactics 100% , finding these tactics on the board is another story!  I'll spend more time per puzzle see how I go 👍

Awareness marks the biggest difference between tactics puzzles and over-the-board tactics. When you solve a tactics puzzle, you are 'told' by the puzzle that there is a tactical shot awaiting your execution. However, over the board, there's no one there to tell you when a tactical combination is available. You have to train your intuition through play, and critical analysis of your games. Your ability to find tactics when told that one exists needs to go hand in hand with your ability to sense the presence of a tactic during a real game

I've done about 3000 tactics and is 2600 tactics rating.

@BlitzStreamz is the best tactics person i know. He has only done about 250 puzzles and has a rating of 3700

I would suggest buying a tactics book and doing patterns this way. Keep repeating them till you quickly recognise them and also absorb & understand the ideas behind them. That will help a lot

And starting out playing blitz is not going to help you, it's going to hurt you.

If you can't "blitz" the puzzles, how can you blitz a game?

Just because you can "blitz" the puzzles, doesn't mean can blitz games with same results.

Blitz/bullet is is ruining it for many people new to chess. Are you going to let it ruin your chess?

<edit>

Quoted you (because I liked what you said), but comments were for the OP.