I'm spending far too much time on some problems and not enough on others. At this stage, it's not necessary to find the perfect solution before going to the back of the book, it is enough to have at least found the key ideas in the difficult positions. In some of the simpler problems, I have found the correct solution but missed a defensive idea for being too certain I recognise that pattern. It is necessary to take a little more time looking around the whole board in those positions. The objective at the moment is to acquire a database of those 1001 combinations, and be able to visualise their solution at a glance. The next step will be to apply that learning to positions I haven't seen before and produce perfect results every time :)
I'm still mostly playing unrated blitz games (bad!) but I am looking at the board and thinking "what are the targets?", "which pieces are unprotected?", "identify the tactical motifs... pin there, barrage there, fork possible here..." (good). The internal dialogue is still messy, I need to more clearly define the method.
This was a blitz game played at 5 min + 5 sec increments. One of those Lopez Exchanges, where Black plays Bg4 and dares White to open the h-file against his own King. I left the offer open for 11 moves before it was finally accepted - there's a time when you can do it, but the details can be complex to calculate in a blitz game!
RandomGuest vs SimianChatter (blitz)Black to move
White's back rank is weak. Nc4 prevents the queen penetrating at d2 to cause death and mayhem. I'm going to send in a decoy! 1. ... Rd2 2. Re2 Rh1# if 2. Kg1 I get to sac the other rook 2. ... Rh1+ 3. Kxh1 Qh4+ 4. Kg1 Qh2+ 5. Kf1 Qh1# 2. Nxd2 Qxd2 3. Resigns.
The first noticeable result from what little tactics practice I've done so far is that I'm starting to find clean, clinical finishes. There's a long way to go yet, but just maybe I'm beginning to see the board like a Chess player again.
No comments:
Post a Comment