Buddhist monks engage in a form of meditation known as visualization, where they focus on a single mental image that serves as a focal point for their practice. This mental exercise not only enhances their mindfulness but also deepens their clarity of focus. I use a similar technique to focus on solving chess puzzles whileContinueContinue reading “Betcha Can’t Solve this #Chess Puzzle! 80”
Tag Archives: chess calculation
Chess Position Worth Sharing 158!
Mate in 5 puzzles can be rather intimidating to approach. Not only are solvers asked to calculate much deeper than a Mate in 2 but, oftentimes, composed chess puzzles feel like attempts by the composer to trick the solver. In contrast, the Mate in 5 puzzle below is a rather straightforward chess problem that canContinueContinue reading “Chess Position Worth Sharing 158!”
Betcha Can’t Solve this #Chess Puzzle! 79
I solved the puzzle below by using the brute force method of calculating all possible moves three steps deep to find the checkmate in two moves. This method is oftentimes a more appropriate choice than the “Checks, Captures and Threats” system because composers of mate in 2 puzzles commonly start with a “quiet move” toContinueContinue reading “Betcha Can’t Solve this #Chess Puzzle! 79”
Chess Position Worth Sharing! 154
While scrolling through Facebook, I noticed one of my favorite chess authors posting an endgame study created by one of my favorite chess composers. In a rather fortunate coincidence, this particular king and pawn endgame study fits nicely into a progression of studies I have been giving students to exercise their calculation skills. (See ChessContinueContinue reading “Chess Position Worth Sharing! 154”
Chess Position Worth Sharing 153!
Today’s chess position is wonderful little pawn endgame study by master composer Josef Holumbirek. It has been stated that “The easiest endings to win are pure pawn endings”(Richard Shorman, 30 Rules of Chess) but certain pawn endgames do require deep calculations to uncover the long variation that leads to victory. The endgame study below certainlyContinueContinue reading “Chess Position Worth Sharing 153!”
Chess Position Worth Sharing 152!
I like to use pawn endgames to stretch my students calculation ability. This process makes sense because precision is imperative in pawn endgames and the only way to determine if a candidate move is accurate is to check it through deep calculation. My readers are aware that I recently discovered the master composer Josef Holumbirek.ContinueContinue reading “Chess Position Worth Sharing 152!”
Chess Position Worth Sharing 139
Mentally visualizing possible chess positions while calculating accurately is an essential skill for chess players to possess. Since, the ultimate goal in chess is to checkmate, it therefore makes sense to incorporate checkmating puzzles into chess visualization training. A good training puzzle for this purpose should challenge the solver’s ability to properly visualize the squaresContinueContinue reading “Chess Position Worth Sharing 139”