How to study problems

[Armlock]

I got Gould's book of problems which is the same one studied by the late Tinsley in his early years.

However there's conflicting approaches as to how to study problems. Some say to not look at the solution for as long as possible and others say that you should just look at the solution after a certain amount of time because you may not yet possess the ability to solve the problem.

How about setting the problem up with checkerboard and try to solve it there and Kingsrow or Cake will help when you need them. After a while, you would be able to sightsolve the problem after working on the solution and it's mechanics.

So...what does Grandmaster shr and other experts think of this?

[Alex_Moiseyev]

You are on the right way, man ! I always stated that problems books are MUST for any level player, but especially for the beginner. Usually - I don't use boards, because diagram is enough source and I can see the same things.

Try to solve it on your own, w/o using programs or book solution. For the first attempt by reading book - you can move pieces on the board if you need. Don't spend more than 10 minutes, and if you can't solve it - look for solution in the book. After then go to the next problem and so on.

When you finish the book, you have to repeat everything after 2-3 months, but this time - don't move pieces on the board.

If you can solve 75% problems in this book w/o moving pieces in less than 10 minutes - you are Master.

Regards,

Alex

[Armlock]

So if you can solve 75% of the problems in this book within 10 mins without using a board, "you are Master".

Approximately what ACF rating will that be about, 2200, 2300?

[Ingo_Zachos]

No, you can obtain "master" level only by playing, not by solving problems.
The problem-solving serves three important features:

1. Knowledge.
Part of any player's strenght is his knowledge.
Checker players can only solve problems on the checkerboard they saw at least once in a silmilar situation.
The study of the problems give you a set of tactical devices and motifs in certain positional structures that you keep in your mind, most of the time in the un-concious part of your memory as a pattern and the respective solution is linked to it.
So if you realize the motif you instantly remember a solution.
This works even if you look up at the solution without trying to solve them.

2. Speed
With the use of a time limit and by trying to solve the problem without knowing the solution you serve another purpose :
You train your mind, especially the "un-countius" memory.
It works better and faster if you repeat that task frequently.
That means you can spent less time on calculating in a position where the solution is already known to you in a serious game, and you can focus on the "real" hard moves in situations unkown to you.
You also won't get into time-trouble, or if, you will find tactical traps of your opponent or own possibilities like a monster with a hundred eyes.

3. Tornament preparation.
On the board you have a different situation then at home:
Limited time, psychological pressure, situative factors like heavy smoking, noise, time trouble on the neighbouring board etc.
By using time limit (clock) and maybe solving the problems with noise, in the smoking area of a pub or with loud music you can simulate these situations.
In chess I always try to solve problems every day with a clock at home at least one week before the tournament started, with approximately the time rate they use, i.e to solve 10 problems in 30 minutes, as 3 minutes per move is the average time rate at the next tournament.
Also, you can visit your local club and solve problems or analyze heavy tactical games that r annotated in a tournament book if they play their tournaments, even if you don't participate, for the athmosphere is similar to a tournament room.


All problems can be used like that, not only Gould's Problems.
Look if there is a part of your favorite checker magazine devoted to tactics or problems, and use them.
Pike's "Little Giant Encyclopedia" or "101 checker puzzles" or the problems in beginners books like Hopper's will also work and may be better if your level is not that high, and from time to time you should also work again through books and magazines you already "outsolved", for you most likely forgot many of the solutions, and you can find out which one you forgot, and "memorize" them again.

In Janos Flesch's brilliant work "Schachtaktik f

[tommyc]

My theory on this is in the real situation you must sight-solve it as if you were in a game but.....as Ingo says you must have a certain amount of PRIOR knowledge to do this. So for beginners that wouldnt apply.

I would try so sight-solve it for as long as possible then if I didn't get it i'd look at the First move and try again and so on.

Of course problems that have been made - up not real problems with like 20 pieces on the board id ignore completely.

Best of all is to get a problem Theme book like Bolands Themes which actually builds the problem up from scratch and starts off as a 2x2 then presents the same problem in a 6x6 format and the same rational which uses the same base solutions and the same THEME to get the answer ,this is like first year in school where you add 2+2 and built that process up.

Use of a prog is a waste of time b/c it may solve it the "longest way around" as it usually does when there is a shorter human way,the prog can see many ways and one draw or win is as good as another to the programme.

Problems containing any more than a 4x4 or 5x5 are most likely not practical.

Themes are the building-blocks way and best get Bolands.

[Alex_Moiseyev]

Tommy, you are perfect and ideal buyer for my next book (!) - "PPP", which stands for - "Practical Problems and Positions". This book will include approximately 3000-5000 positions with no Kings and material vary from 3x3 up to 9x9.

This will be a sort of positions happened with every player every day in every game. And any position which you see in this book will force you to say: "Hence, I already played this before"

In other words - it will be "Midgame landings".

Another good thing is ... due to my hard experience with English editing SIXTH, new book will not have any single English word at all !

I already published some position from my collection on this forum and contributed to the Ohioan Yearbook, but there will be much, much more there.

Is that what you wanted and expect ?

In addition, there will be no positions in my book with sort "25 mans (!) on the board". Only positions with practical value.

Regards,

Alex

[tommyc]

Great stuff Alexx ........thats just da job...but i must have a copy of 6th first if yu kno wat i mean!! First things first.

[Alan Millhone]

Hello Checker/Draughts Players:

Reading the interesting articles on problem solving made me realize something. At Medina,Ohio Nationals those who attend will have the unique opportunity of being able to purchase 3 recently printed books on our game!!

1. 1939 Games at Flint by RLF and Mr. Jim Loy. (a few copies left)
2. OHIOIAN by Dr. Richard Beckwith and others ( limited publication)
3. SIXTH by our current 3-Move World Champion, Mr. Alexander Moiseyev.

I wonder if ever in Checker/Draught history that this unique opportunity has presented itself to the players ?

Sincerely:
Alan Millhone, President
American Checker Federation
" LEAVE NO BOOKS BEHIND "
===============================================
" Should have my own copy of SIXTH any day now:-) "
===============================================

[Armlock]

I can solve most of the problems in the little encyclopedia if I remember correctly but will look at it again next time at the book store, maybe starting out with the easy problems first is better.

Boland's familiar themes is a hard book to find...