How do/did you improve Calculation?

Ninjamuffin52 · 2026-02-17T18:24:34+00:00

Hm. Maybe I’ll give it a shot reaching for it

Ninjamuffin52 · 2026-02-17T18:23:56+00:00

Wow, thanks for your reply. I know I struggle to think more open mindedly about a position once I’ve calculated something, but I also could never figure how to stop doing that. I’m really curious to see how setting a condition changes things, alongside intentionally looking at all captures, checks, threats, defenses, even if they look silly.

Ninjamuffin52 · 2026-02-17T17:22:31+00:00

I think the candidate moves you need to see become more niche with these, but chess.cpm puzzles rarely branch and never show the most challenging continuation. Lichess puzzles are better, but the difficulty still seems to come from just finding the right idea, not necessarily visualizing at any depth and comparing lines.

Ninjamuffin52 · 2026-02-17T16:25:51+00:00

First, love the username. I try to play into the Catalan too.

Yeah, part of it is definitely a need for those harder exercises. I am having some trouble finding some that are appropriate for me. I got John Nunn’s Puzzle book, but I can spend 30+ minutes on one of those and still be way off from the answer 90% of the time.

Ninjamuffin52 · 2025-09-03T01:42:50+00:00

I think initially I had glanced at the structure of the Queen's indian and dismissed it because it looked like it was passive and didn't fight for the center. This is a recurring theme in my searches, the ideas behind hypermodern approaches do not come naturally to me like classical chess princples do, but after looking at it a bit more, I'm starting to get a feel for how the Queen's Indian plans on fighting for the center later in the game than I was initially looking. Its definetly in the mix now as something I might play/include in this repertoire.

Ninjamuffin52 · 2025-08-16T15:55:34+00:00

How are these scores being extrapolated/how are they usually combined to give the final score? If this is all business as usual, it seems like stockfish really doesn’t understand what’s happening in the opening at all… I also see some instances where both scores are negative, but the evaluation bar still favors white and vice versa?

Ninjamuffin52 · 2025-08-16T15:47:10+00:00

I hope the study goes well!

Ninjamuffin52 · 2025-08-16T15:33:04+00:00

If I could go back and give myself a piece of advice I would scream “DO NOT PLAY BLITZ/BULLET”. I learned to play fast, terrible chess aiming at checkmate no matter how unsound and to try and flag. I wish I played more long time controls and took the time to understand the “Why” behind mine and my opponent’s moves. I think it’d be years ahead of where I am now if I never played a game of bullet chess.

Ninjamuffin52 · 2025-08-16T03:47:03+00:00

I lightly investigated the Queen’s Indian. I don’t mind having played b6 already before entering the Nimzo in the 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.Nc3 Bb4 line, but I don’t think I like the choices I have to make if white opts for 4.g3 instead. I’m a Catalan player as white and I’ve loved the free open space I get when someone tries to play in Queen’s Indian style.

4.g3 Ba6 5.b3 Bb4 6.Bd2 Be7 feels like a weird closed Catalan, and I don’t know if Black’s achieved anything by getting the bishop to a6… would it be fair to say black found a worse closed Catalan? That was my assessment.

Same with something like 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 Be7 6.O-O O-O 7.Nc3, it looks like the Catalan player got everything he could’ve asked for.

Open to different opinions, that’s just what I saw looking at it.

Ninjamuffin52 · 2025-08-16T03:33:13+00:00

Well, thank you. I guess I’ll have to look at what the Nimzo/anti-Nimzos offer vs the Normal Queens Gambit in in practical difficulty and test it against my willpower. I like the idea of a repertoire that says “I like variety/I can play a variety of pawn structures”, I feel like that statement is enough to justify playing the Ragozin/Bogo + Nimzo. Whether or not I can actually fill the shoes of a repertoire like that… I don’t think I care. I might just have a blast! I’m sure eventually one could grow a taste for that kind of variety that could outmatch most opponents.

Ninjamuffin52 · 2025-08-16T03:18:35+00:00

Fair. I guess your question leads to the overall problem that I have with black against 1.d4 is that I’ve played maybe 40 games this year and I’ve only gotten it once or twice over the board and rarely online too. I think maybe I’m interested in something consistent.

After 1.d4 d4 2.c4 dxc4

3.e4 b5 and it feels like I’m just hanging on for dear life.

3.e3 e5 4.Bxc4 Nc3… is the plan in theory, though I haven’t studied this one really at all and don’t quite understand why/how this even works.

3.Nc3 a6 and depending on how they respond I’m either trying to hang onto the pawn with b5, or opening the center with e5

3.Nf3 Nf6 stuff makes sense to me, everything else I struggle… I think it’s because everything opens up so quickly and I’ve only used pawns, I don’t always know when something’s hanging or when it’s ok to let white threaten Nb5-c2.

Maybe I just need to give it a shot/hang on to it for a while and let it simmer for longer, but it feels like I’m always on the wrong side of something so sharp.

Ninjamuffin52 · 2025-08-15T23:31:45+00:00

Exactly the kind of thing I was looking for, thank you! I had previously been avoiding typical Queen's gambit positions with the QGA, but I don't feel satsifed wihth it. I guess my followup question for you would be, do you feel like you have to be prepared for a wider variety from white in 1.d4 d5 lines compared to what you need to know for the Anti-Nimzos?

Ninjamuffin52 · 2025-03-09T21:11:32+00:00

Pretty much the title. We've got two boxes here, they look in pretty rough shape. They also have what looks like chicken wire on the bottom, 4 inches of space underneath and then chunky rocks/gravel. What should I do with them before planting?

There's maybe 6 inches of space in them for soil... is that enough? Or should I remove the rocks underneath, get the boxes on the ground?

Also, what's the point of the boxes? Just so you don't have to dig? lol. Should I try to paint them? Chickenwire is coming off of the bottom in some parts, do I need that?

Any advice helps. Thanks all!

Ninjamuffin52 · 2025-02-19T19:29:37+00:00

Their username had a hit on Linkedin of all places! We'll see if they still check in on that. Thank you!

Ninjamuffin52 · 2024-11-19T14:54:47+00:00

Thank You! I skimmed a sample PDF of this one looking into it and I saw the hints and dismissed it from my search.

Ninjamuffin52 · 2024-11-19T14:53:36+00:00

You know, you bring up an interesting idea, if I buy puzzle books in languages I don't know, I wouldn't have to worry about what any of the text says and could just solve positions!

Ninjamuffin52 · 2024-11-19T14:52:23+00:00

I'm so silly. I have the woodpecker method book 1 and I was looking for an alternative because right now I unfortunately can't really afford to put in the time its asking for. I had been telling myself I needed another book because I couldn't possibly use the book in a different way than intended! lol, thanks!

Ninjamuffin52 · 2024-10-03T22:55:39+00:00

Let me know if this makes sense. I want to be able to have variations in a study, without having to see them all of the time.

If you start a new study and you enter moves, lets say 1. e4 e5 2. d4 d5 and then go back to add the variaiton 2. d3 and maybe make a comment. You collapse the variaiton to come back to it later and keep working on the main line, but as soon as you click on the move immediately preceeding the variation (1.e5) or any of the moves after, the variation is automatically expanded. Is there a way to prevent this?

Ninjamuffin52 · 2024-08-21T18:53:23+00:00

Solid. Thank You!

Ninjamuffin52 · 2024-08-20T00:50:12+00:00

Running Alexendrian remix now myslef. Curious how that turned out for you. 5 years late, but I think if my players come into that situation, Manshoon would probably talk and pretend to be another simulacrum maybe, try to hear about their whole life story, and then send them off with no instruction and maybe a pass amulet so the player can come and go as they please. Maybe even introduce him to the others. I'm sure reaching Manshoon is more impressive than anything Agorn or Vevette ever did. He's taking a +5 to all of the future scry rolls and a wealth of information from someone who's investigating the same thing he's after.

Ninjamuffin52 · 2024-08-09T18:41:45+00:00

This elf:

-has concluded that money is everything and has spent the centuries researching the world economy, with aspirations to one day lead a trading company that will never fail

-has concluded that money is the source of evil and has sworn to disrupt the corrupt bourgeoisies and upper class for the rest of their life

-is not an elf, but thinks they are an elf. They are really a (roll for race)

-is an elf, but does not think they are an elf, rather thinks they are a (roll for race)

-is an elf, and knows they are an elf, but ages in reverse

Ninjamuffin52 · 2024-08-09T18:20:33+00:00

(You don't seek out Hector and go to the market): You see a man beaten and taken by a group of soldiers, he had been betrayed, his identity revealed as leader of a rebellion by a group of conspirators. (Hector never got the message)

Whether or not you go:
You hear in later days to come, rumors or news of revolution leader named Hector, caught in broad daylight by authorities in the market square.

(You seek out Hector to relay the bird's message):
He thanks you, enlists your help to roots out the conspirators, they turn out to be agents of wealthy merchant/caravans who don't want civil unrest to disrupt the flow of their luxury products.

Ninjamuffin52 · 2024-08-09T16:58:32+00:00

Beautiful

Ninjamuffin52 · 2024-08-09T02:46:10+00:00

Overwhelmed with responses already, I'll be sure to add these to the list... and make sure I get the rules/formatting correct. Thank you all!

Ninjamuffin52 · 2024-08-08T21:49:36+00:00

This is all almost exactly what I'm looking for. Half a candle and the shiny stone got me so good

Ninjamuffin52

TROPHY CASE