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Chess tactics explained

chesstactics.org

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Re: Chess tactics explained

#141

Post by nineplay »

k__ wrote: post #51
Normille wrote: post #2

I wondered if the popularity of 'The queen's Gambit' would lead to a brief infatuation with chess in the popular imagination. The fact I've seen about 3 chess related submissions on HN recently, where I don't recall ever seeing one before, suggests it does. I used to enjoy a game of chess back in the day, although I was never very good. And I always imagined myself playing chess with a remote opponent by post when I…

[Spoiler Warning] As a person who can barely play chess The Queen's Gambit was a good show not because of the chess, but because it was a show about a women where everything went well. There was foreshadowing and all, but all went well in the end. It was very wholesome. Sure, it was about chess, but it could have been any sport, really.

Interesting - I thought it was about a damaged woman who had a period of sobriety and was able to win a championship.

I suppose it depends on what we imagine happens after the series ended. I don't see her going back to Kentucky and making red headed babies with the creepy journalist.

Re: Chess tactics explained

#142

Post by antaviana »

whammywon wrote: post #112
Raphael_Amiard wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a completely opposite experience (on chess.com). Playing a lot of games lately at a low level, never stumbled upon a cheater.

I would imagine those that cheat at online chess wouldn't stay at a low level for very long.

I play only anonymous games not rated in lichess.org as. I like that it takes virtually one second to find an opponent match in my time control (5m+0).

My play level is around 1800-1900 FIDE (last Classic game played some 10 years ago though), and it is true that I win a lot more than I lose (so I guess that the crowd in Anonymous mode must be somewhere 1400-1900 FIDE), but I still enjoy the games. You can tell by the moves that opponents are more often than not club-level players, and I like not having any idea of what level my opponent has, so I focus on what happens on the board.

What I do not like is that, at least in anonymous mode, some players abandon the game without resigning, sometimes just a few moves still in the opening if they get a slightly worse position. Also for some reason some players play deliberately bad in the opening. Maybe they like the idea of a comeback, but I don't like it when it happens.

Re: Chess tactics explained

#143

Post by rgoulter »

fileeditview wrote: post #8
rgoulter wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

chess.com's messaging is the opposite of "chances are slim". but they emphasise that they take the issue seriously, albeit with a low false-positive rate. https://www.chess.com/article/view/online-chess-cheating From the comments, it seems there's also the risk that you'll think cheating occurred, when instead you just missed stuff.

Interesting article. They do however say nothing about the rating of said cheaters (or I missed it). What I stated before was that it is unlikely in the lower rating levels and I stand by that. If someone cheats he will gain rating fast and leave the lower rating groups. And yes people also tend to accuse other of cheating if they lose. :) As long as you are not a competitive player the best you can do is to just pla…

Ah, I meant that while they could have said "we're confident only x% of games have cheating, it's not as bad as you'd worry it is", they 'own' it and say "we know it's a problem, we all know a cheater, we try hard to stomp it out".

Re: Chess tactics explained

#144

Post by grantismo »

tromp wrote: post #19

Train your chess tactics at https://lichess.org/training/ For me, the challenge is solving 15 consecutive problems correctly to turn the bottom bar all green. I also enjoy the 5 daily problems at https://www.chess.com/puzzles/rated

chesstempo.com has the best library of free tactics puzzles IMO. They also support alternate puzzle modes like blitz (time to solve affects your rating) and mixed (some positions require finding the only defensive move which doesn't lose).

Re: Chess tactics explained

#145

Post by YetAnotherNick »

billfruit wrote: post #83
mci wrote: post #16

> This site teaches chess in words. > It assumes you know only how the pieces move and builds step-by-step from there. Do not get me wrong: TFA is a fine and useful book for an intermediate player but the above claims are overselling it. They are equivalent to telling you that learning the x ^= y; y ^= x; x ^= y; trick will make you a better programmer while being silent on what copy-and-paste programming, magic cons…

Coming across the theory of Steinitz from [0] has made me look at chess in a different manner: at most levels of play rather than it being tactics or strategy, it is more about avoiding mistakes and waiting, prolonging play till oponenent eventually makes a mistake. My experience in over board play has been in concurrence with that view, one plays carefully parrying the opponent's move, while waiting till they make a…

> till oponenent eventually makes a mistake.

Any person(including world champ) makes lot of mistakes and that's why they get badly beat by computers. The thing to know is when the opponent made a mistake and knowing how to attack it to advantage(that is basically called tactic). I wouldn't recognize the mistake of players rated 500+ point above me but a GM could and would punish them.

Re: Chess tactics explained

#146

Post by grantismo »

mci wrote: post #16

> This site teaches chess in words. > It assumes you know only how the pieces move and builds step-by-step from there. Do not get me wrong: TFA is a fine and useful book for an intermediate player but the above claims are overselling it. They are equivalent to telling you that learning the x ^= y; y ^= x; x ^= y; trick will make you a better programmer while being silent on what copy-and-paste programming, magic cons…

Tactics are more essential for initial improvement than strategy for the simple reason that you cannot execute sound strategic plans if your execution contains tactical flaws.

Re: Chess tactics explained

#147

Post by geebee »

yodsanklai wrote: post #26
Normille wrote: post #2

I wondered if the popularity of 'The queen's Gambit' would lead to a brief infatuation with chess in the popular imagination. The fact I've seen about 3 chess related submissions on HN recently, where I don't recall ever seeing one before, suggests it does. I used to enjoy a game of chess back in the day, although I was never very good. And I always imagined myself playing chess with a remote opponent by post when I…

> I wondered if the popularity of 'The queen's Gambit' would lead to a brief infatuation with chess in the popular imagination It did for me. Hadn't played chess for decades. After watching this show, my gf wanted to learn and it renewed my interest in the game. Not sure I want to go down this rabbit hole though... > It's a shame that the advent of the internet has simultaneously increased your chances of finding som…

I'm definitely down that rabbit hole now. Online chess has cut into the time I used to spend reading and playing music, but I'm an amateur at all those things. Plus, I've started playing more with my kids in the evening. I'm sure I'll get back over to music and the "long novels I need to read" project eventually, and no real harm.

Brief infatuations can have a lasting tail, and I hope that's what happens here, for chess, which really is a phenomenal game. Kind of like archery and "the hunger games", the initial bump isn't sustainable, but there may very well be a lasting increase in interest.

Re: Chess tactics explained

#148

Post by woko »

joelthelion wrote: post #63

If you prefer learning by practicing, Lichess has a great introduction to most tactical patterns: https://lichess.org/practice Once you start mastering them, you can try real problems on Lichess as well ( https://lichess.org/training ), or try solving as many as you can in five minutes ( https://chesscup.org/ ), it's a lot of fun!

I think the chess puzzles are what could shine in this book:

http://www.chessproblems.org/ (it is the Chess Quizzer from the OP)

I have tried a few, and I enjoy the explanation of the solutions in plain English. Short and clear.

Re: Chess tactics explained

#149

Post by nezirus »

saeranv wrote: post #70
telesilla wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This absolutely rekindled my interest. I used to play as a young girl (pre-teen) and enjoyed it but as I got older didn't feel welcome in the chess club. It's nice how they show on TV that girls who wanted it just got in there and be involved but the reality was not as easy.. (hopefully it's easier now, the 80s was not kind to girls with a nerdish bent). I've started reading chess openings and tactics as a way to sen…

Try chess.com or lichess.org! You're automatically matched with someone of your skill level, and can play games from 1 to 10 minutes (each).

I can also vouch for lichess.org

It's free software (https://github.com/lichess-org), and you only need web browser to play [1]. Even Magnus Carlsen and many other top Grandmasters play there.

As for cheating, all games are checked for computer play, so even if you can occasionally lose a game or two from a cheater, he will be caught, and you will get back your rating points (if you care).

[1] Dunno what they are using for latency adjustments on lichess, but it seems to work fine. No external software necessary, unlike chess servers of yore: https://www.freechess.org/Help/HelpFiles/timeseal.html

Re: Chess tactics explained

#150

Post by thereisnospork »

antaviana wrote: post #142
whammywon wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would imagine those that cheat at online chess wouldn't stay at a low level for very long.

I play only anonymous games not rated in lichess.org as. I like that it takes virtually one second to find an opponent match in my time control (5m+0). My play level is around 1800-1900 FIDE (last Classic game played some 10 years ago though), and it is true that I win a lot more than I lose (so I guess that the crowd in Anonymous mode must be somewhere 1400-1900 FIDE), but I still enjoy the games. You can tell by th…

>and I like not having any idea of what level my opponent has, so I focus on what happens on the board.

You might like lichess's 'zen mode' in non-anonymous play, which hides everything except the board (inc. opponent name and rating) while you are playing.

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