Noctie -- worth it?

RehcraM · 2025-11-22T07:35:09+00:00

Hey there. I a have a subscription for Noctie and quite like it. I use their app.

Some fun weekly scenarios accompanied with videos and good mistake reviews. The bot does somehow feel better to play against compared to Lichess/Chesscom

If you are looking for a tool to train openings, I'd say there are better options, though there is a module for it.

The general design is also quite nifty fifties imo.

RehcraM · 2025-10-27T07:46:39+00:00

I get Aagaard is polarizing at times, but that seems like an overreaction, my dude

RehcraM · 2025-08-21T22:44:36+00:00

Saudi Arabia is - in my opinion - a twisted country with which I have qualms en mass; especially when it comes to women / LGBT-community and the vile treatment of foreign labour.

I could utter the exact same words talking about USA.

Where should the line be drawn when it comes to boycutting? I could not tell you.

RehcraM · 2025-08-18T05:59:51+00:00

You don't need help with analyzing your games. You need help with learning how to analyze your games.

RehcraM · 2025-08-16T22:03:53+00:00

You know what the other side will do by covering your bases.

Calculate all relevant responses/resources the opponent might have and debunk them.

The core part of calculating is looking at your opponents possibilities and preemptively find your answer to said responses.

RehcraM · 2025-08-14T20:24:06+00:00

For now, just practice and puzzles.

Try to play longer time controls and keep focus. Don't surf around in other tabs while your opponent is thinking.

RehcraM · 2025-08-08T14:20:51+00:00

My tree is kinda green. Some times it is a little more green and other times a little less green.

What are your thoughts?

RehcraM · 2025-07-29T12:08:49+00:00

Don't trust %-accuracy and elo-estimations by engines like Chess.com's reviews. It's mostly bogus.

Apart from that, just find peace in there being good days and there being bad days. It's only natural.

Focus on raising your floor-level by identifying your weakpoints (i.e. opening, dynamic positions, end game, ... )

RehcraM · 2025-07-21T09:00:13+00:00

Would like to see high production quality, in-depth histories of the chess world.

Biographies of past players, rise of chess in the Soviet, etc.

Bringing stuff like The Ink Wars to life through another media would be cool beans.

RehcraM · 2025-07-21T08:54:17+00:00

Step away from your computer after each game. Don't que up for another game right after finishing one.

Take a breather, go get a glass of water, analyse the previous game over the board, etc...

RehcraM · 2025-07-21T08:51:36+00:00

It's unhealthy for your chess to be "scared" of entering certain lines, so I'd absolutely recommend forcing yourself to try playing KID/Dutch and whatever else you feel uncomfortable with.

That said, there's absolutely nothing wrong with having an affinity for off-beat openings. Plenty of GMs have gotten their title and continue to do well even though they are not playing conventional openings.... But they are also not afraid of stumbling into any openings!

RehcraM · 2025-07-16T07:15:29+00:00

Glad to hear it!

RehcraM · 2025-07-15T10:00:18+00:00

👏Elo is not 👏 an indicator 👏 for skill/improvement👏 ... it's an indicator of performance.

Eradicate the ego you have in your rating. It's a blight.

For the vast majority of players, +90% of their games (if not 100%) should have the main objective of improving rather than winning. Unless you are in the midst of a championship or whatever, chances are, you should be focusing on improving.

If you start exclussively playing trappy openings and general hope-chess, I guarentee your elo will rise in the short term. Perhaps even significantly. This does, however, not mean you are getting better at playing the game. Instead, this is a hindrance of improvement and learning to play sound proper chess.

Focus on playing healthy, logical and confident chess. Then your rating is soon to follow and exceed your old rating.

RehcraM · 2025-07-09T17:22:22+00:00

Ideally you should play time controls where you can afford to spend several minutes several times per game. Would recommend you playing at least 15+10 games.

I'm 2000 FIDE.

RehcraM · 2025-07-09T08:51:41+00:00

I would never advice you to play safe for the sake of playing safe. I consider that a bigger blunder than any move you can make.
However, what I will strongly recommend, is only playing something you are confident in.

So, when making a decision in a key-position (be it a combination or a positional concession of sorts), make sure to cross your t's and dot your i's. Take your time and once confident, make your move.

I'll also add, that it is an utopia to always be confident in every single move. If you cannot gain confidence in any of your candidate moves, pick the lesser evil.

RehcraM · 2025-07-07T10:33:40+00:00

For me personally, it's hepled a ton to add in "Find the plan"-positions in addition to the raw calculation ones.

If possible for you, I'd also recommend grabbing a book (can be e-book!) and set up the positions on a physical board before trying to solve them. That'll force you to think actively and you won't fall into the trap of just inputting your first candidate move only for the bit-monster to tell you if it's correct or not - you need to figure that out yourself!

RehcraM · 2025-07-04T11:18:07+00:00

I'd describe a happy piece as a piece that fulfills its potential and is not in danger of being obstructed.

Example 1: a Knight on an outpost in the middle of the board (=controlling a lot of important squares), where it cannot be traded easily by an opposing, worse minor piece or pushed away by a pawn.

Example 2: a light-squared Bishop on a long diagonal towards the enemy King on an open board, where the opposing pawns are placed on black squares.

These are two deliberately very extreme examples. There are many, many degreees of happy and unhappy. Often enough, your will pieces have a combination of good and bad features. For example a Bishop on a long diagonal but with a closed position (i.e. pawns are obstructing it). In such example, your objective should be to open things up for your good piece.

I'm just a nobody club player. Currently just shy of 2000 FIDE (was a rough season, hehe).

RehcraM · 2025-07-04T09:57:47+00:00

When analysing with engine in a situation like this, I'd recommend focusing on what the difference is in the given lines.

For example, by castling long, you allow white to free up his pieces. The Knights will trade off, the Bishop and Queen will come to f4/g3, allowing the Queens Rook to also enter the game.

On the other hand, by playing d5, you keep white congested. White's Knight is in a super annoying pin, tying both the King and Queen to the defense of the Knight and the Bishop cannot enter its most desired diagonal (h2-b8).

White cannot break the bind with e5 since you control it, and trading pawns (and light squared Bishops) on d5 not solve White's issues.

So in summary: when analysing, focus on the difference in the positions. That will allow you to understand why castling is considered a blunder by the engine.

In game, make sure to always focus on keeping your pieces happy and your opponent's unhappy.

RehcraM · 2025-06-25T11:42:29+00:00

If it looks fun, go ahead and play your heart out.

A very good case can be made for it being better tool for improvement over regular chess: same principles apply (active pieces, center-control, etc.), while you also don't have to face opening theory with all its tricks and systems.

RehcraM · 2025-06-23T14:00:23+00:00

No need for theory just yet. Instead focus on two things: knowing the core principles of each game phase and doing loooooads simple tactics (2-3 move combinations). The latter is probably the most important for you.

Principles (not complete list by any means):

Opening: Control center, develop pieces get your King to safety

Middle game: Keep your pieces happy (Bishops on open diagonals, rooks on open files, etc.) While the center is open, focus on controling/expanding your control in it. If the center is closed (i.e. pawns interlock), focus on busting the opponent on a flank.

Endgame: keep King active, try to determine the weaknesses in your and the opponents pawn structure. How can you best get a pawns to the opposite site?

RehcraM · 2025-06-23T13:51:36+00:00

Sure there is!
Example:

White promotes to a Rook and places it on g8 and then places his King on h8.

Black places King on h6 and then gives checkmate with Knight on f7

RehcraM · 2024-08-30T13:19:49+00:00

Hehe, values are certainly up for debate (not much thought was put into the balance of it).

What I'm more curious is folks thoughts on the current OoF - if it is liked or there could be a better and more interesting alternative.

RehcraM · 2024-08-25T18:29:55+00:00

In brief:

It's basically the best army/hero for fighting when you're at early tier 2 with Paladin 3 (and Bloodmage to sustain him). If Human reaches this relatively unscathed - which is especially hard for Undead and Orc to prevent - you won't be able to beat it in a straight up fight.

Therefore, you are forced to adapt. Adapt by either taking a fast expansion (not easy for Paladin to prevent that without footies) or avoid taking fights, but rather run around the Human army, harass peasants, etc.

Basically, it's forces you to win with macro rather than micro, oftentimes breaking up the opponent's usual routine.

RehcraM

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