I know what you mean. When will someone implement the Positional Chess Server?

Wouldn't you know it, I am getting addicted to chesstempo! I found a way to do tactics that I really like, and it turns out the difference maker for me are the user comments. It really helps me from kicking myself over mistakes to see others did the same thing. I think this goes a long way toward improving my attitude towards failure at chess. My stats this week:

User: jwhis

Total Solving Time: 7.5 Hours (excluding outliers)

Star Ratings Made:0
Comments Made:37
Tags Added:0

Stats for standard tactics
Rating: 1761.6 (RD: 34.32) (Best Active Rating: 1766 Worst Active Rating: 1582)
Active Rank: 1181/4097 (Better than: 71.19% Best Active: 964 Worst Active: 1554)
Problems Done: 415 (Correct: 286 Failed: 129)
Percentage correct: 68.92%
Average recent per problem time spent 68 seconds

Hi,

I was wondering if you have thought about going to the Las Vegas tournament that plays right after x-mas? I am planning on going and trying to see who else is going that I might know a little about online. Going to try to start up training again, been slacking off on chess the last year or so. Good to see you are still keeping up on your journal.

Cheers,

Sorry Mustang, I cannot afford to travel anywhere. I had to bail out of my tournament plans for last weekend, couldn't do the hotel cost Vegas would be out of the question, fantasy-land for me ;D

User: jwhis

Total Solving Time: 17 Hours (excluding outliers)

Star Ratings Made:1
Comments Made:66
Tags Added:0

Stats for standard tactics
Rating: 1780.3 (RD: 34.56) (Best Active Rating: 1800 Worst Active Rating: 1582)
Active Rank: 1149/4327 (Better than: 73.46% Best Active: 964 Worst Active: 1554)
Problems Done: 824 (Correct: 539 Failed: 285)
Percentage correct: 65.41%
Average recent per problem time spent 94 seconds


I've really been slacking on the training journal. I played a 30 0 last week that I was gonna annotate but never got around to it. My chess studies have been a bit more sporadic lately, not as much time, but heavier focus on master games and tactics. I've been at this plateau for a while now, and feel like I should break through a bit maybe 50-100 pts wise within about 6 months or so, just a hunch. Also, my OTB games are starting to resemble chess with a lot fewer blunders. Here are 3 games I thought were particularly interesting that I just played on FICS, the last one in particular I think I counter attacked well when I should have been lost. You can definitely see the impact that all the tactics training is having on my game. I am getting too combinative and less focused on the position, so as soon as my brain is able to meld the tactics into my regular play, I feel like it will be a good improvement. Also, I have had a few long thinks about psychology and competition and my attitude toward my opponent, and made some 'inner progress' as well, for what that is worth.

Did about 95 problems on CT last night. I got really tired toward the end but I had nothing better to do, and I missed a bazillion in a row and dropped 50 pts LOL. It is ok tho, cause I got some that were high rated correct, and started out pretty strong. Still, I want to go back over 1800 and maintain it there. Slowly but surely, climbing the old tactics ranks. I'm getting a good feel for how long I can concentrate and think accurately, it is still only about 2 hours then my chess goes real bad. Over the board, I can play maybe 3 hours before fatigue really sets in.

User: jwhis

Total Solving Time: 20.5 Hours (excluding outliers)

Star Ratings Made:1
Comments Made:75
Tags Added:0

Stats for standard tactics
Rating: 1757.5 (RD: 35.52) (Best Active Rating: 1812 Worst Active Rating: 1582)
Active Rank: 1286/4426 (Better than: 70.96% Best Active: 962 Worst Active: 1554)
Problems Done: 967 (Correct: 627 Failed: 340)
Percentage correct: 64.84%
Average recent per problem time spent 87 seconds

Sinking down down down again (>>>

It always gets worse before it gets better.
Trust me when I say that when you're rating is falling you're learning. Just keep playing and in a few weeks you'll get a new all-time high.
That's how it always goes with me.

Hope to play & study some more together on Babas some time

Did 66 tactics problems today. I am still playing chess like an idiot. I had a game yesterday that went 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nc3?? Nxd4. Go figure. Anyways, I figured I'd hit the tactics again and try to get back to my normal self again. After about 30 problems I started to realize what is happening. As I've done more tactics the past couple months, I think my sense of intuition is getting a bit better, and therefore, I've become lazier in my calculations and relying too much on the 'vibe' of certain lines. Toward the end of my tactics session, I started to think more concretely and clearly, and had a nice string on solutions. Still my completion rate should be about 10 percent higher if I didn't rush through the follow up. I've had numerous problems where I got the main move correct, but missed the follow up. I hope to get up and maintain over 1800 on CT (I broke it once, but fell back down), and try to slowly work my way into the top 500, then the top 400, etc etc. Here are my current stats:

User: jwhis

Total Solving Time: 26.2 Hours (excluding outliers)

Star Ratings Made:1
Comments Made:87
Tags Added:0

Stats for standard tactics
Rating: 1782.9 (RD: 35.14) (Best Active Rating: 1812 Worst Active Rating: 1582)
Active Rank: 1164/4960 (Better than: 76.55% Best Active: 962 Worst Active: 1554)
Problems Done: 1223 (Correct: 793 Failed: 430)
Percentage correct: 64.84%

Just a little update, did a few tactics tonite, nothing crazy, I am very tired from the work week (new job situation means no more days off till christmas, then no more days off till easter, etc), poured myself a bacardi and coke (my favorite) and settled in to do a few tactics very casually, and slowly etc. Did pretty good, I got 16/19. 2 of the ones I missed were candidate moves I analyzed incorrectly and therefore rejected, the third I just straight up missed.

User: jwhis

Total Solving Time: 26.7 Hours (excluding outliers)

Star Ratings Made:1
Comments Made:91
Tags Added:0

Stats for standard tactics
Rating: 1801 (RD: 34.3) (Best Active Rating: 1812 Worst Active Rating: 1582)
Active Rank: 1090/5045 (Better than: 78.41% Best Active: 962 Worst Active: 1554)
Problems Done: 1242 (Correct: 809 Failed: 433)
Percentage correct: 65.14%

So, from last time, I bumped up around 20 pts and gained 74 spots on the ladder. That means I am in the middle of the pack I think, and the higher I go from here I should quickly move up to my goal of top 1000, then top 900, etc. I stopped cause I went over 1800 and I wanted to bask in that glory for a little while.

Did another tactic session today. Broke new record. Overall +14 from last time, and soooo close to making top 1000. If I can keep going up I will separate from the herd soon. As you can see, 14 points here got me 82 places in the charts, so it is an almost 10% jump up the charts for only solving 6 or 7 problems correct in a row or some other way to gain 15. I must be on the right side of the bell curve now to make such a large jump with so little progress. YAY

User: jwhis

Total Solving Time: 27.3 Hours (excluding outliers)

Star Ratings Made:1
Comments Made:94
Tags Added:0

Stats for standard tactics
Rating: 1815.3 (RD: 34.3) (Best Active Rating: 1815 Worst Active Rating: 1582)
Active Rank: 1008/5134 (Better than: 80.38% Best Active: 962 Worst Active: 1554)
Problems Done: 1255 (Correct: 818 Failed: 437)
Percentage correct: 65.18%

TACTICS TACTICS TACTICS

The study continues! Spent some time this week going over master games, in particular double king pawn games, looked at the Rubenstein and main line 4 knights as an approach against the Petroff, which a few guys in the club are starting to play. Rewatched Katars e4 e5 scotch video. And...

GOAL #1 REACHED! CELEBRATION!

I am in the top 1000 standard tactics ranks which has been my first milestone on chess tempo. Next goal, top 900. I did very well the last two sessions, with very good solution rates in the 75-85% range, including a few 1900 level problems. Not feeling that I am calculating the lines any better particularly, but that my sense of creativity is maybe increasing, or looking at unfeasible moves. Also, I feel like I may have improved a hair at quickly spotting the 'heart of the issue' in the position presented. I haven't had a tactics problem in 3 sessions that made me feel clueless at first sight. I've always had the target piece or mate pop up in my mind right away, which makes me feel good about the effort. Anyways, current stats:

User: jwhis

Total Solving Time: 27.7 Hours (excluding outliers)

Star Ratings Made:1
Comments Made:98
Tags Added:0

Stats for standard tactics
Rating: 1834.2 (RD: 34.31) (Best Active Rating: 1834 Worst Active Rating: 1582)
Active Rank: 925/5188 (Better than: 82.19% Best Active: 929 Worst Active: 1554)
Problems Done: 1267 (Correct: 828 Failed: 439)
Percentage correct: 65.35%

After getting completely destroyed on FICS by IMGooeyjim a week ago (which is totally cool, I just like playing cvtv guys for some reason), he said I suck at tactics and need to work on that big time. So I am gunning for him now. I am only 20 pts behind gooeyjim on chesstempo and looking to surpass him some time this week. I broke top 900 YAY. And for once, I am actually enjoying working on tactics. I realize my training journal has been nothing but tactics updates lately, sorry about that. I am also continuing my work on double KP games, reviewing master games. Probably I will meet a friend for a 30 or 45 min otb game on Monday, if so I PROMISE I will annotate this time and post. When I first starting my training journal I annotated a lot of my games, but it is a tedious process, I don't really like doing it, but I intend to start up on that again. I started a "Study Buddy" training journal strictly for my tactical work on the ChessTempo forum. There I will be posting particular problems that really confused me or that I just didn't "get" and posting what my analysis was, and my thought process regarding the tactics. Also, I am beginning to think about how to prepare for the big tourney at the end of January that I am going to play in, should I even bother trying to learn an opening? Chow for now!

Had a good christmas. Low key, nothing spectacular, played some chess. It was nice to have a day off. Anyways, I broke my third goalpost in the process of just doing a few (5) problems on chesstempo before work today. I have to go soon, but I wanted to do a few since it has been several days since i did tactics. Anyway, I bumped myself up into the 700s, which is pretty crazy. It is getting to where every 10 or 20 points I go up, I jump like 50 spots on the rankings. The problems are getting a lot harder. Today I was served up 4 consecutive 1800+ problems and the last one was over 1900. I got em all but missed the simple pin idea in the last one. Also, I downloaded and started reading that Hastings 1895 book I linked to in Steve Farmers game analysis thread, it is an awesome book. I like how they also talk about the organization, prizes, arrangements of tables, etc. The details interest me. I wonder how much it would cost to take the pdf to a print shop and have it done up in a binder? Prob cheaper just to buy a copy, but they are going for 60 bucks on amazon which is a bit ridiculous. Anyway, here are my current tactics training stats:

User: jwhis

Total Solving Time: 30.2 Hours (excluding outliers)

Star Ratings Made:1
Comments Made:107
Tags Added:0

Stats for standard tactics
Rating: 1869.8 (RD: 41.25) (Best Active Rating: 1874 Worst Active Rating: 1582)
Active Rank: 766/5450 (Better than: 85.96% Best Active: 746 Worst Active: 1554)
Problems Done: 1325 (Correct: 871 Failed: 454)
Percentage correct: 65.74%

Congratulations on the standard tactics improvement. Do you mind i I ask what your average problem solve time is though?

When I solve on CT standard, I try to go into the problem with the idea that I have at least 30-45 minutes to solve it. Since it's a "critical position" from a real master-level game, that seems reasonable to me. Of course "we" as tactic solvers know for certain there is a tactical solution to the position while the masters playing the game did not.

Still, I've definitely sat infront of the monitor on many occasions for 2+ hours just to solve a problem. The most difficult part of solving for me besides the actual calculation is not knowing in advance what the tactic problem is rated.

Sometimes when you're solving difficult problems CT likes to throw in a really easy one We find the solution very quickly, but don't believe it ourselves until we agonize over it for some time.

Anyway, nice to see you totally dominate your opponent in that end-game yesterday on FICS. Cya around.