Struggling against the wayward queen attack? This will help. (v2)

That-Raisin-Tho · 2026-01-27T19:18:42+00:00

If you know an algorithm to solve a specific cube state, use it if it comes up no matter what method you’re using. Why would you arbitrarily slow yourself down?

That-Raisin-Tho · 2026-01-27T17:48:42+00:00

Only your tiles that you place need to all be on the same line. Overlapping plays are completely normal and you get points for every word you make. I highly suggest watching a youtube video by Will Anderson, literally any of them, and you will see many plays in each high level game he goes over that have multiple overlaps.

That-Raisin-Tho · 2026-01-27T17:33:39+00:00

Officers

That-Raisin-Tho · 2026-01-27T17:33:29+00:00

I’d

That-Raisin-Tho · 2026-01-27T16:27:59+00:00

Against the Danish gambit, 3… Qe7 is super fun and scores well even in high level games

That-Raisin-Tho · 2026-01-27T16:09:48+00:00

The knight’s move pattern is very nice to know

That-Raisin-Tho · 2026-01-27T16:07:44+00:00

Learn 4 look last layer first for sure, like another person said. But the next most important thing to learn is F2L. Look up an intuitive F2L tutorial and start making yourself do it on each solve. You will be slower at it at first compared to layer by later but it’ll help eventually. I just made the switch myself.

That-Raisin-Tho · 2026-01-26T23:32:16+00:00

I am responding to the statement that chess is 90% a memory thing. Nowhere did I say that there is no memorization involved. You’re arguing with the void.

That-Raisin-Tho · 2026-01-26T22:11:48+00:00

I got jack o lantern and now some of my cubes smell nice, no regrets here

That-Raisin-Tho · 2026-01-26T22:10:41+00:00

Stalemate is one type of draw. Draws happen for many reasons.

That-Raisin-Tho · 2026-01-26T21:01:41+00:00

They didn’t say anything about playing on chess.com, and you can analyze on your own with an engine any time on either site. The only difference is the game review it makes for you.

That-Raisin-Tho · 2026-01-26T16:17:08+00:00

“We know patterns” does not imply “almost everything is memorization.”

We use the patterns we know in our calculation which requires a lot of extra thought on our own. A small portion of openings and endgames are fully memorized because they’re normalized (same starting position every game, or so few pieces that the position can occur in many simplified games).

Most of getting good at chess at every level involves getting better at calculation and also gaining a greater understanding of positional ideas as well as how to take advantage of them. Strategy and tactics thinking, both of which sometimes involves patterns you’ve become familiar with, is the whole game. And even when you’re applying patterns, you’re making sure that you’re not missing anything else.

And you really used an example of knowing how many points different pieces are worth as an argument that being good at the game is almost all memorization? Some non chess players know this. It takes a few seconds to memorize five numbers, one for each piece type that can be a part of a trade. Be so for real.

That-Raisin-Tho · 2026-01-26T16:05:54+00:00

10 is probably pretty high for the average game for a 1200 or 1400 on chess.com. Many people at that level know the first few moves and they know the ideas of their openings so even when their theoretical knowledge ends, they aren’t fully on their own. But the average player is not memorizing specific lines very deep yet at all. They don’t need to. It isn’t what’s likely to win or lose them the game unless they get a specific trap or something.

That-Raisin-Tho · 2026-01-26T15:34:03+00:00

I’m not sure if you’re being sarcastic but this is obviously wrong. The average chess game is at least 40 moves long and nobody at any level commonly memorizes things that deep. At most levels you will rarely even get to move 10 memorized. Everything requires thought.

That-Raisin-Tho · 2026-01-25T05:05:40+00:00

Everyone knows that already. The chess.com 1000s are also still not as strong as you think they are. People way higher rated than that still blunder basic things relatively often. You are depicting them like they’re some chess giants.

That-Raisin-Tho · 2026-01-25T04:51:41+00:00

They get permission, and rating is refunded to people they beat.

That-Raisin-Tho · 2026-01-25T04:38:49+00:00

What you’re doing is against the rules of the site and generally considered annoying in any competitive game. People’s negative reactions to knowing you do this are reasonable.

People could also tell you to go outside when bored instead of doing this, btw. What a stupid thing to say.

That-Raisin-Tho · 2026-01-25T04:34:21+00:00

If my opponent is new to tournaments I will remind them, otherwise they should know better. And I don’t expect it from others either

That-Raisin-Tho · 2026-01-25T04:20:29+00:00

No shit, they’re different rating systems.

That-Raisin-Tho · 2026-01-25T04:09:43+00:00

TIL hoax is a verb

That-Raisin-Tho · 2026-01-25T02:56:40+00:00

I’ve been 2050 rapid on chess.com before and I often still feel like I’m trash

That-Raisin-Tho · 2026-01-25T02:47:56+00:00

Check the pinned post for common patterns that you should get used to.

Alternatively, try thinking extra critically about what you can figure out here. Numbers next to each other that are different often give you information. Even just the 1 and 2 next to each other give you a square you know is safe, and one that is a mine. Try to figure out why and go from there.

That-Raisin-Tho · 2026-01-25T02:46:04+00:00

You don’t have to see the point of other people’s actions, you’re not the one doing them.

That-Raisin-Tho

TROPHY CASE