Tasc Chess Tutor - report

I'm going to use this post to keep my score while I make my laps trough the Steps Method using Tasc Chess Tutor (TCT).

There will be a link to this post at the sidebar.

Last update: Wednesday, 21 October 2009.

The Steps Method, TCT Plan
Round 01: Step 1 & 2
Round 02: Step 1, 2 & 3
Round 03: Step 1, 2, 3 & 4
Round 04: Step 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5
Round 05: Step 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5
Round 06: Step 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5
Round 07: Step 2, 3, 4 & 5
Round 08: Step 3, 4 & 5
Round 09: Step 4 & 5
Round 10: Step 5
notes: The plan may be subject to change and will be put on hold every once in a while for other chess study (SCT, SCM, LC). I have to find a way to also fit the Steps Method books in here.

Report
Round 01
First lesson: Friday 05 September 2008
Last lesson: Sunday 18 October 2009
Result step 1: Average score 96 %
Result step 2: Average score 82 %
notes: I had a decline in scores at the end of step 2, this was most likely caused by the time between the lessons and the repeat exercises. That time increased due to a break from chess.

Round 02

First lesson: Monday 19 October 2009

CTS at 78%

Hi everyone,

I've been taking a break from chess for a couple of months due to other priorities, but I'm slowly becoming active again and I've started reading blogs as well, soon I'll drop you guys a line at your blogs.

At the moment I'm working on TCT and CTS. The plans are unchanged, I'm still working in Step 2 and after I finished Step 2 I will work my way from Step 1 up to Step 3 in TCT. As for CTS, I still want to reach a succes rate of 80+%.

Today's result are promising, after a session of 25 exercises with only one failure, these are my results.

Handle mentat
Country Netherlands
Rating 1153
Current RD 46.6
Highest Rating 1247
Date of HR 2008 Jul, 03 - 10:38
Tries 3775
Success 78.0 %

Latest action 2009 Oct, 12 - 15:38
Latest RD 46.6
State active
Until 2009 Nov, 17 - 20:30
Pieces standard

It was quiet on the Kingside, but boy did I win

The story

A few days ago after a lousy session on CTS and after some fine training in Tasc Chess Tutor, I decided to give the easy mode of online shredder a go.

The first game I not just lost, but I was really shot to pieces, but to my astonishment I won the second game. This is the first game I ever won a game against this engine!

Quite unfortunately the web page doesn't save your moves and I didn't keep notes. I tried to recreate the game, using the take-back button, but that didn't work either. So I'm afraid this achievement won't be more everlasting than bronze, but just forgotten.

The game

What I do remember is that I opened with 1.e4 and the program responded with 1... e5, this allowed me to start playing with basic opening principles. However, soon I found myself pausing my development and start attacking the engine with threats and tactics, this kept Black busy and allowed me to continue development with threats. This fully stopped Black's development and crippled his Queen-side: it lost its Queen, some pawns and some minor pieces. Its King side was just as it was when the game started, my back rank was empty with the exception of my Rooks and uncastled King. Instead of also taking its Rook, I mated Black on the 7th or 8th rank.

The lessons

1. I should play more often. This will also show me with trial, error and analysis how to deal with different opening moves;
2. I actually do stand a chance in simple low level games, just play "real chess";
3. I should follow opening principles, but if I can win material and stop the opponent from developing that can work as well.
4. Attacking (overwhelming and crushing) the opponent is fun! Maybe I should do it more often but it's also a bit of a risk.

The meantime

1. CTS at least 25 problems a day, 5 times a week, My focus is still on a
   80+% score, today I had only 2 mistakes;
2. TCT at least a lesson a week, currently working on Step 2.

The plan

1. Getting CTS above 80% and either keeping it there while my rating should rise* or changing to Chess Tempo, Chess Tactics for Beginners, Chessimo, Back to basics: Tactics;
2. Finishing TCT's Step 2, and then repeating Step 1 & 2 and starting with Step 3. (In the Steps method books I have I've almost finished Step 3);
3. Playing at least one game as White and one as Black a week, against easy machines, human opponents or on FICS, but with a not too fast time control (at least G15/15), no doubt slower is better, and analyse those games;
4. Some sort of analysis of 3 games a played a while back;
5. Continuing the game on my phone;

The longterm

1. Getting better and better, (success and rating) at CTS
2. Working trough Gillam's Tactics and Mates books (SCT, SCM).
3. Finishing growing "circles" of TCT and doing shrinking "circles"
4. Playing at least two games a week and analysing them

The order in all but the Lessons-list give some indication of the order of importance to me. I used the "numbered list", but somehow the numbers aren't displayed and we have to do with some chrysanthemum like bulleted lists.


* I will be focusing on correctness rather than rating, but I have found that focusing on correctness doesn't need to have a negative effect on my rating, although there is not the steep rise one gets with playing on time.

A New Toy

This week the TASC cd 2 arrived containing TASC Chess Tutor (Henceforth known as TCT) and Chessica (a chess playing program). Chesstiger is currently using the very same program.

TCT is based on the Steps Method and as some of you might know, I got stuck in Step 3 of the Step Method working from books. I did start all over again earlier this summer, but this now got easier using the TCT on the computer.

Currently I'm working my way trough Step 1, and I'm making some mistakes every now and then. I really need to take my time doing the exercises! I have to remind myself constantly that it's okay to take more than 10 seconds if I need them, but I'm getting better at it. It's a bit the same as with CTS, forget about the time.

Currently I'm working my way trough each chapter. Reading trough the instructional text and doing the exercise sections. Before moving on to the next chapter I redo the sections in which I didn't score a 100% and the I redo those in which I still don't have a 100% score until I do.

This is level one people, even I should know this by now! But these are exactly the things that should be practiced "until I can't get it wrong"

What Step to take? Baby Steps!

"To proceed with the third step the knowledge from step two is indispensable, but apart from that step three is not really difficult."

The above quote, straight from the Steps Method site made my decision on how to proceed with the Steps Method an easy one. If I have so much trouble with Step 3, than I must have missed something from Step 2, or it slipped away in a few months. I have restarted from square a1, or h8 if you have to play the black pieces.

After reading trough Step 1 I did the first exercises of Step 2, those are a test on Step 1 anyway. Now I'm working my way trough Step 2 again and only after finishing that one I'll restart in Step 3.

Hidden Leaf recommends
I would like to use this moment to recommend the puzzle section on the Steps Method site. It has daily and weekly puzzles on all levels. They don't have an archive, that I could find, so you'll really have to try them weekly.

Help feature
If you're really lost you don't have to use trial and error all the way: the question mark button will highlight the piece that has to be used. Also, it's good to know that when you make a wrong move in a combination, you don't have to go back all the way, another possibility exists: just click the last correct move in the notation.

Challenges on all levels
Whilst looking at some of the Endgame puzzles, clearly above my chess ability, I realised the truth in the quote: "Studying openings teaches you openings, studying endgames teaches you chess." I can see how, by studying the endgame, one learns the true nature (I couldn't resist this one) of the pieces and how they cooperate.

You can find these amazing puzzles on all levels by either clicking on the link in the sidebar or by clicking here.

I've shamelessly borrowed, copied and stolen quite a lot of links from other blogs and sites, but I haven't seen anyone linking (directly) to this one. I hope at least a few people will enjoy it and find it useful in their quest for chess improvement.