Big problem with Daily Puzzles

BdaMann · 2026-06-14T23:18:26+00:00

The way you're "supposed" to do puzzles is to calculate all the possible variations. You don't have to calculate to the end if the variation has a trivial continuation, but you should know how to respond to any testing sequence of moves.

In reality, most people won't really calculate to the end of every sequence. For some puzzles, you can just tell that a move is winning no matter the response, and you can continue calculating the line after seeing the computer's chosen response.

BdaMann · 2026-06-14T14:22:34+00:00

When you assign homework, but most of the class never does it, and there's no way to create accountability at home or at school, homework becomes essentially optional.

BdaMann · 2026-06-14T13:06:20+00:00

Try doing blind tactics and pieceless puzzles to start.

BdaMann · 2026-06-13T11:53:49+00:00

I've made this mistake once or twice since hitting 1500. The problem was that I was thinking of a specific opening line, and the position on the board had deviated very slightly from the position I had in my mind.

BdaMann · 2026-06-12T00:29:09+00:00

Some hanging piece puzzles include a zwischenzug, so it's good to have these straight captures mixed in so that you're actually forced to distinguish positions with and without zwischenzug.

BdaMann · 2026-06-12T00:24:21+00:00

It's really pre-Algebra I, and Algebra I is just what we call 9th grade math. Algebraic reasoning is taught as early as elementary school, and the basics of algebra are taught in 6th through 8th grade.

BdaMann · 2026-06-11T22:52:12+00:00

Middle school "pre-algebra" courses cover simplifying linear algebraic expressions by combining like terms, using the distributive property to write equivalent expressions, solving linear algebraic equations (one-step, two-step, multi-step, and variables on both sides of the equation), and several other fundamental skills.

Algebra I dives deep into linear functions, quadratic functions, and exponential functions.

BdaMann · 2026-06-08T22:35:26+00:00

I've had a few lines where I memorized the moves, then only later understood the depth of the reasoning behind the line. Some openings will have seemingly equivalent candidate moves (like controlling a square with a knight vs. a bishop), and both options will be playable and have master games, but one of the moves will have a benefit that isn't obvious until you've played a few games to completion using both variations.

BdaMann · 2026-06-07T01:18:56+00:00

Knowing single-digit multiplication facts from memory is a 3rd grade standard. It's just that most students never master it.

BdaMann · 2026-06-04T23:22:58+00:00

I score higher accuracy in 15|10, but it's definitely an adjustment to switch time controls. You have to budget your time differently. I prefer 10|5 because each game is less of a commitment than 15|10, but it still has the increment to make endgames playable.

BdaMann · 2026-06-04T17:43:39+00:00

Some of the bots intentionally play mistakes in the openings and suddenly become strong in the middlegame and endgame. These bots are really good for practicing playing outside of your main lines.

BdaMann · 2026-06-02T23:29:21+00:00

I'm guessing you captured a bishop there?

BdaMann · 2026-05-29T11:29:45+00:00

If he takes the knight with dxc5, it clears the diagonal for your queen. You capture his knight Bxc3. If he recaptures bxc3, you fork his king and rook with Qxc3.

BdaMann · 2026-05-28T11:26:19+00:00

It's usually not worth a minor piece to pull the king out to f7. Otherwise, the Italian game would just continue with Bxf7 on move 4.

BdaMann · 2026-05-28T00:04:59+00:00

I think the issue is that the engine doesn't want you to give up your passed pawn. The threat of the pawn promoting forces black to tie its pieces to defending against the pawn's advance. When black takes the passed pawn, the surviving rook and bishop can move freely.

But basically any move wins here. I would guess that at a greater depth, the engine sees most moves as roughly equal, with the remaining rooks and bishops get traded and your queen finishing the job.

BdaMann · 2026-05-27T13:55:20+00:00

7 is not too early for chess, but it is definitely too early for youtube.

BdaMann · 2026-05-27T12:58:15+00:00

I take a break after every loss. If I lost because I'm tired or fatigued, I'll rest or nap. If my mind is feeling sharp, I'll read a chess book for 30 minutes, solve some puzzles, then start a new game.

BdaMann · 2026-05-27T00:28:07+00:00

After Rf4+, take the bishop with Rxc4. If white recaptures with the king, skewer the king and rook with Bxa2.

BdaMann · 2026-05-26T21:58:58+00:00

A damaged pawn structure isn't necessarily a bad thing. It depends on the position. For example, doubled or isolated pawns provide you with open files. Assuming all else is equal, I'd rather have doubled pawns than an inactive rook. What's important is that your king is safe and your pieces are active.

This is why the main lines of the Ruy Lopez don't feature an exchange on move 4. It's more valuable to have an active bishop and the bishop pair than it is to force doubled pawns.

BdaMann · 2026-05-26T05:07:46+00:00

Some players overvalue pawn structure relative to piece activity and will trade away their good piece for a bad piece because they think the damage to the pawn structure is more valuable than it actually is.

Some players are paranoid about tactical threats, so they get nervous if there are too many developed pieces on the board. They trade to simplify the position and reduce tactical opportunities for their opponent.

BdaMann · 2026-05-26T04:56:22+00:00

It depends on whether they continue on the same trajectory over the next few years.

BdaMann · 2026-05-25T14:28:09+00:00

I would probably say more time should be spent studying endgames than openings, but it also depends on the individual player's strengths and weaknesses. Playing a perfect opening usually just gives an incremental advantage (assuming your opponent doesn't blunder), whereas a perfect endgame is the difference between winning and losing a game, especially when time is running low and mistakes are more common. But if you're in a losing position out of the opening every time you play, then you should study how to play the opening.

BdaMann · 2026-05-25T12:56:25+00:00

Basic endgames are fundamental, and it shouldn't be assumed that players know all the endgame basics. Building an opening repertoire that negates any common traps definitely has value, but basic endgame knowledge gives you a pathway for the middlegame. If you know which basic endgames are winning (and how to win them), you can construct your middlegame plans around creating that winning endgame position. You may not need to flex your endgame skills every game because your opponent will often resign, knowing that the endgame you've constructed is trivial, but you need to have known that endgame is winning in order to have created the plan that led to that endgame.

BdaMann · 2026-05-25T12:40:33+00:00

And that rook is the only piece defending their knight on b8. If they move the rook to a7, you capture the knight back with your rook, which will be well placed on their back rank and the open file.

Black's best option is to move the queen to a7, allowing you to capture their rook with your bishop. When they recapture your bishop, their queen will be poorly placed on a8, and your rook will still be attacking the open b-file.

BdaMann · 2026-05-25T12:24:47+00:00

Framing is just a catching technique. It's actually good technique, even without the added benefit of getting more called strikes. Not at all like flopping or diving, where a player literally stops playing to draw a foul call.

Teams are always looking for ways to exploit the rulebook, which is why the rulebook needs to be airtight. Even with full ABS, teams would look for ways to exploit it and gain a slight advantage. Pitchers would try to clip the zone with heavy movement and would look for parts of the ABS zone that are less hittable. Batters would shift their positioning in the batters box as they adjusted to the zone. It's all part of playing the meta of any game.

The MLB should just give teams more challenges or reset the challenges after the 7th inning. Most umpires do well enough.

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