complaint about tactics trainer

Remove the time limit, and almost everyone becomes better. But it doesn't mean they will get the really hard ones right. 20 years, and they will still miscalculate some of it wrong. In fact 20 years, and they may still never find the correct 1st move. I'm low enough rated and done enough Yusupov to be pretty sure of this.

i have had two minds regarding “how to tactics trainer”

after training 1001 chess exercises for beginners, using an online resource, i have come to side on im pruess (check his youtube tactics tutorial videos) in that one strives to answer tactics trainer problems quickly

not rushing, to be sure, but recognizing patters that the answers will jump out at you without effort

the way to get better at tactics is to have more patterns/chunks of patterns in your mental database

going through a good tactics book (1001 exercises starts out with mate in 1, 2, each tactical motif, mixed motifs, mates in 3, 4, extras)

this online resource then, after learning the puzzles the first time, will schedule you to repeat the puzzles with ones you missed getting top billing

you essentially get your own personalized “tactics trainer” hammering tactical fundamentals

unlike the c.com tactics “tester” you dont have “gotcha” puzzles- the old “just kidding- not a tactic but just a move that solidifies position” move, the favorite “there has to be a mate here but really just snag the hanging knight,” wtc

the puzzles are good to test tactics but not train them

in im pruess’s tactics videos he suggests solving rapidly not more than a minute (he might even say 30 seconds) and then when one is failed- you go through the solution 3 times and visually solve it 3 more times

repeat this process until you have 3 failed puzzles and “corrections” then one is done for that session

he also suggests training by rating level- so you set up those conditions in settings- this is basically getting your own free tactics book

find a level where you are missing problems and hammer them until you get them all

i used to take as much time as needed to solve puzzles and could get myself to the 1500’s but i would also have days where i dropped to 1100’s if i didnt calculate or was on tilt

after learning some much needed tactical chunks i am in the 1600’s but my bottom floor is 1550’s

so if you are in a tactical rut i would suggest a tactics book or do what im pruess suggests

one caveat- im pruess does mention the difference between solving on pattern recognition and more intensive calculations

i’m only 1600 at chess.com but im sure one can maybe get to 2000? tactics trainer on fast pattern recognition alone

I guess you know you don´t have to calculate every move when there are forced lines, you just make the move and then start thinking