Applying Dan Heisman's Guide to using Chess Tactics for Students

Hi everyone, 

Based on recommendations by Dan Heisman (https://www.danheisman.com/recommended-books.html), I purchased a copy of Chess Tactics for Students by John Bain and worked through the puzzles.  In the article, Dan strongly recommends the idea of "repeatedly going through the book faster and faster until you can get 85%+ within 10-15 seconds". 

So, I did exactly that, and here is where I stood after 7 rounds: 

I have to say that this process made a significant impact.  Being an amateur, I noticed that my OTB performance (I rarely play online) jumped significantly. I started "getting it" and I was spotting tactics that I previously would miss.  I also found that I've been able to play much better against opponents that were stronger than me, even winning some matches against opponents 300-400 points higher.  Analysis of prior games was also suddenly a lot easier too.

I'm not yet done with this set however as I'm going to keep working on it until I get the time and error rate down even further.  Then I'm going to do them again in random order until I get similar results.  

The book, while really great, wasn't the thing that made the difference.  I've done a lot of puzzles here and elsewhere but something felt missing. I would do the calculations but it would take a long time and if I got it wrong I couldn't always understand the "why".

I forget exactly where I read it but Dan compares doing easy puzzles repeatedly until they don't require much effort similar to learning multiplication in that it is easier to do high-digit multiplication if you aren't still trying to remember how to do 4x5.  The focus on simple pattern recognition using this approach was quite an eye-opener. 

I'm convinced on the benefits of this practice method and will be doing it with every book I work through. Maybe others might find it useful too.

Did you set a time limit per puzzle and have that decrease that per round?

How did you track your time?

Hi @NotThePainter,

No, I didn't set a time limit per puzzle and then decrease it every round. The times recorded were the times that it took without any sort of imposed time limit. The color coding I used were just targets I set based loosely on Dan's recommendations.

As for tracking my time, I wrote a basic web page that let me load in a PGN of the puzzles and then practice them. I broke it into a PGN per chapter (so I could then see where my biggest weaknesses were) and just did each one in order.

When I completed a PGN, I had the page show me how long I took and how many errors I made. So I just copied that info into Excel in order to make the charts to track my progress.

That's awesome, can you sell it to chess.com so we can all do it?

Hi @NotThePainter,

I published the page and source code on Github so feel free to use it if it works for you.

To use the app, I just click on "Open PGN File", select a PGN file, choose any options you want, and then click "Start". No signups, no profile/account creation, no data mining, no ads.

In addition to the ability to randomize the order, I added a "flipped" feature that forces me to play the same puzzle/opening but from the perspective of the opponent which allowed me to learn to "see" when a given tactic/opening was used against me. I also added the ability to play moves for both sides if you wanted to practice that too.

Just know that:

1. It is a quick-and-dirty page with few frills. I just wrote it to do what I wanted and little more. The app is basic, but suited my needs. Bonus points if it works for others.
2. It is still a "work in progress" as I clean/optimize the code, add other features I want and fix bugs.
3. The app doesn't do any analysis or have any intelligence/engine at all. It just sets the board up as per the PGN and then compares your moves to the PGN's moves. That's it. If you don't play the same move, it is marked as an error. If you do make the move in the PGN, the app then plays the opponent's next move as per the PGN (unless you checked the play both sides option).
4. Variations are NOT supported, just the main move set. If you want to practice variants, just add another copy of the puzzle in the PGN with the variant move sequence.
5. I am NOT a professional software developer or web designer, just a hobbyist. This means that it doesn't look pretty and may have bugs.
6. I wrote it for a desktop computer experience on Chrome. I had no thought to other browsers, mobile devices/touch screens/etc. as this is all I needed. Again, not a software developer

If, after all that, you still want to play with it, head over to https://github.com/rodpolako/Chess-PGN-Trainer

That's awesome. Thanks so much.

I'm a retired software engineer. I've download it and will play around with it.

Hi, @Citric0740Very cool and thanks for sharing. Did you create the PGN files from the book? Or are they downloadable from somewhere after you buy the book? I havent bought the book yet but plan to.

fine

Hi @Loupermann,

Glad to hear you like the app, I've definitely enhanced it since the initial release and now I also use it to practice openings and defenses.

As for the book, I couldn't find an official PGN for download. I had started by creating each puzzle manually via the analysis board but then found the PGN online via googling which was definitely a time saver. It worked in this case but for other books (like Everyone's First Chess Workbook) I've had to go the manual route and create the PGN from scratch but I viewed that as part of the learning process with the resulting PGN becoming my "notes" which I can then review/practice using the app.

Hey @Citric0740

Many thanks for sharing this great little app :-)
I've been looking for a way to create a set of tactics puzzles from the Blunders & Misses I've made in my own games and then be able to practice them (based on principle that it's ok to make a mistake once, but try and learn not to repeat it!) and this app looks to be just the ticket!

If I upload it to a webserver i no longer can open a pgn file .... the button doesn't respond anymore. Does someone have any idea what may cause this and how it can be solved?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Hello @HvdL,

Do you have Javascript disabled or some script blocker plugin running? Do you see any error messages if you open the console? I'd recommend going to the Github page and open an issue and let's see if we can't figure out what is going on.

Hello @HvdL,

Thanks for helping find a bug! It's now resolved and a new version is on the Github.

Dan Heisman's approach of repeatedly going through tactical exercises until they become almost automatic is a powerful way to develop pattern recognition and improve tactical vision.

This is literally just the Woodpecker method. If we are to give credit to where credit is due, we should credit Axel Smith and Hans Tikkanen with inventing this training method.

Regardless, in my opinion, there is no real benefit to quantifying the process; it's just too much effort with little to no gain. Personally, when doing the Woodpecker method, I just solve the puzzles normally, and then I repeat, until I've practically memorized them.

Hi @ItsHegelTime,

Not to be pedantic, but according to the book's publisher the Woodpecker method came out in 2018. Dan Heisman's "The guide to chess improvement" came out in 2011, seven years earlier. Also, the blog post reviewing the technique is also from March 2011. I never claimed Heisman invented this method, simply that I read about it from there.

Perhaps be certain of your facts before criticizing.

Further, if you don't find the info here useful, then don't use it. I simply related my experience since I found it useful and thought others might find it also.

Actually, the first time Axel Smith wrote about this method in a full-length book, was in Pump Up Your Rating which came out in 2013, but the method was invented years before that, well before 2011. I am very much certain of my facts.

I'm not sure why you are being so defensive here, are you Dan Heisman's alt or something? All I did was point out that this method is already widely known (at least amongst serious players). How is this criticism?

I am not the one being defensive here. You were the one that said:
"If we are to give credit to where credit is due, we should credit Axel Smith and Hans Tikkanen with inventing this training method."

However, 2013 is still two years later than 2011.

I don't know where the method originally came from although I agree that the method likely predates Dan's writings.

Nevertheless, my point was to share my experience using this method. As I first learned about it from Dan's writings, that is why I mentioned it as my source. You can call it the Woodpecker method if you want.

Look, all I said was that the method that you described was the Woodpecker Method; there is no reason to get so worked up about it.

Like I said, you can call it the Woodpecker Method if you want. The process works regardless.