I see three tools being listed for spaced repetition but I think there's one very important omission: play a lot of games. This is perhaps a presumed prerequisite, but I think *many* players forget this part matters more than anything else (more than solving puzzles, more than studying endgames and of course more than studying openings). I'd say it's Step 0.
Yes, rated timed games aren't a formal spaced repetition system but with enough games played, you'll naturally encounter some things more frequently and some things less frequently - in effect, it's a natural form of spaced repetition training. I don't think the fact that it's not as targeted or structured is a bad thing, but very complementary to more targeted training.
I've recently noticed several children in my city now holding Candidate Master titles and have wondered how they train - I highly suspect that Step 0 for them is to play a lot of games. Everything else after that is a bonus, but it's not the foundation that gets them going and keeps them going.
There's also Chess Position Trainer, which is not free, but has a basic version for download with quite a few features. I purchased it many years ago and it appears that any support for it is non-existent (I opened a support ticket in April and haven't heard back since), so buyer beware.
@lollycopter said in #11:
> I see three tools being listed for spaced repetition but I think there's one very important omission: play a lot of games.
Yes i think you are right. for my general learning spaced exposure to same material making the spaced recall task to be of a long term memory association cleanup value (pruning spurious associations from example). probably having had experience is better to populate the gaps from designed learning examples, in many different directions, so that the next recall task, needing correct pattern execution to pattern perception, has some more apparently confusing things to process in subconscious, for the recall success to do what that "épuration" of associations hypothesis is about.
as the successful recall would happen after the reflex learning would have had more incoming different experience that might make recognizing the past pattern less sure, something like that. i have hunching right now.
épuration might be pruning, in English.. i don't know why i am not using pruning. maybe already strong echo in other chess things.
I have asked for a spaced repetition functionality on the lichess puzzles -so when you go back to reviewing the puzzles you got wrong, you see them in a different order, ideally, seeing the ones you get wrong again a second time at the end of the list (right now you see them at the begining of the list). I see the request has been closed though the feedback I got from one of the programmers was fairly positive. I wonder if they'll put this feature in one day.
This a great article. In my own experience and as a beginner, I have found knowing the simple tactics very well, has helped me to miss fewer simple tactics or simple combinations during live games. That's why as a beginner I have tried to concentrate mostly on the simple tactics using spaced repetition. I feel that when it comes to tactics for me, learning the simple tactics through space repetition and then applying that knowledge through tactic trainers and playing games has been very useful. As a beginner, I am less certain about the role of space repetition for combinations and more lengthy tactical motifs.
Although it's not perfect, we can use the following method.
Create a study ("failed problems" for example)
Include failed problems, day after day (it all depends on how many exercises you do per session!)
After a while, the study will contain a certain number of chapters, and it will be time to work on them.
The method consists of solving each problem and creating a rule such that
1. easy solution: shift the problem by 20 places (click and drag)
2. solution found but not easy: shift the problem by 20 places
3. Solution not found but simply because of a display error (e.g. you forget that "pinned piece"): move 10 places.
4. Difficult solution: move 2 places.
For example, if the first exercise has been solved but with difficulty: move it to 21 places (between the presently 20 and 21)
an other way : using Lev Alburt 300 positions.
Create only 300 chapters, each chapter refers for one exercice in the book (do not put the position in the study unless you have a lot of spare time !!)
Chapter one : look exercice one in the book.
Solve. Look at the book.
Use your rules to put the chapter (=exercice) at the right place
Not sure i'm clear enough. Ask me ;-)
