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Vince Panzano's avatar

Excellent! Thanks!

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Nick Visel's avatar

Excellent post Nick.

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Michael Shpizner's avatar

Hey, I love both of you Nick V.'s!!

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Jeff K's avatar

Thanks Doc for another great post/bit of information to help improve. Doc, you & others have mentioned there being a difference between 'tactics'& calculation'. Could you provide your definition between the two and more importantly what are you using to study the two. I assume the 'Step Method' is your preferred choice for tactics but what about calculation?

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Jeff K's avatar

Thanks Doc, as usual very concise and clear answer, give me food for thought.

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Nick Vasquez, MD's avatar

Sure! Great questions which I will use Ben Johnson's book (Perpetual Chess Improvement) to answer the second part. So tactics is different from calculation only because the tactic ends after you win a piece or get mate. Tactics are short term, finite. Calculation is the skill needed to decide what the best move it. This is ongoing, and really does not have an end. Once you see a tactic, that will dominate since chess is unforgiving. Calculation is the process you use to find the best move, especially when you don't have a tactic.

What I use to study calculation is playing games. It forces me to find the best move all the time. But if I were to recommend a book, it would be Practical Chess by Ray Cheng. It's all "find the best move" puzzles of many different types

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Southernrun's avatar

Another great post. Some solid input that I hope to add to my thinking process in games. Thanks!

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Michael Shpizner's avatar

Loved this blog post; thank you! King/piece safety is something that I also think about/struggle with in my games. (I'm a bit lower-rated than you are.) I appreciate your analogy to looking over your shoulder before changing lanes. An even stronger driving-related analogy for me is putting on my seat belt. I'm old enough to remember the time when wearing a seat belt was a new thing. It was an annoyance, and I (and everyone else) had to consciously think about buckling up before putting the car into Drive. Today, I wouldn't dream of driving without a seat belt -- just the thought makes me uncomfortable. Ah, to reach that level of "unconscious competence" regarding safety on the chessboard! I agree that it takes (1) practice, practice, practice until a full safety check becomes routine on every move, followed by (2) more practice, until that safety check becomes instinctive and reflexive. Thanks so much for sharing your chess growth so clearly and candidly!

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Nick Vasquez, MD's avatar

I’m glad you’re enjoying it. I enjoy writing but also very much want to figure out my chess. Best of luck!

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