Answers.Body: <p>My performance rating was four to five hundred points above my actual rating in tournaments where I prepared primarily with calculation/visualization exercises; while tournaments without tactical training showed a performance rating closer to actual.
  So, I would say these exercises definitely make you sharper.  There are permanent gains over time but I think you have to continue to use the ability or it will atrophy to some extent.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2018-02-27T17:15:20.743Z
Answers.Text: That's very interesting! May I ask what rating range we're talking about, approximately?
Answers.UserDisplayName: acye
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2018-02-27T17:45:14.753Z
Answers.Text: When I was USCF ~2050.  Within a year I was over 2200 mostly from working Informant puzzles until my head hurt.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Ywapom
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2018-02-27T19:19:59.760Z
Answers.Text: That's very useful and encouraging to hear. I too feel that this is my the absolutely prime factor holding me back. Basically, I understand pretty well what needs to be done, but then there are mistakes in execution, mostly due to missing move, say 8 ply down the road, and not necessarily a major tactic.. I will also dedicate serious energy to this.
Answers.UserDisplayName: acye
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2018-02-27T15:55:24.270Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2018-02-27T15:55:24.270Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Ywapom
Answers.Body: <p>I have heard that solving chess puzzles is not exactly the greatest thing to do to help improve your chess game. That being said though, I myself have seen a major improvement once I started working puzzles on a regular basis. I would say that some of this is talent-based, however you can teach yourself pretty much anything you put your mind to.</p>
  
  <p>My advice is this: Don't work yourself too hard with puzzles, if you do, you'll start making mistakes and bad habits. If you over do it, then you will become bored quickly, do just enough so that you improve a little, but don't try to make a giant leap in improvement in a short amount of time.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2018-02-27T17:20:44.903Z
Answers.Text: Did you do exercises specifically geared towards improving visualization, or regular tactics puzzles?
Answers.UserDisplayName: acye
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2018-02-27T17:31:43.657Z
Answers.Text: I am not exactly sure what puzzles were tactical or viz, because I chose them at random. However tactical puzzles do require a certain amount of vizualization.
Answers.UserDisplayName: TMcSquared
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2018-02-27T20:18:53.097Z
Answers.Text: If you work your brain too hard, you will start not thinking things through fully and thus make bad mistakes. If you do that often enough, then it becomes a bad habit to not think through a position fully. Usually these bad habits can be dealt with quite easily by pacing your self or by taking 5-10 minute breaks every 20-30 minutes of doing the puzzles.
Answers.UserDisplayName: TMcSquared
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2018-02-28T17:18:20.387Z
Answers.Text: True, but I have to make one correction `Don't play chess for too long at a time` But to your point, yes, this idea can be put to use in lots of places not just in chess. I was making an observation on how tactics are learned and memorized. Your brain will memorize patterns no matter what you are doing, That's what it does. If it happens that you are getting tired and not making the best decisions, then your brain will conform to those decisions as well as the ones that you know are the best. In blitz games you need your brain to have the best habits possible because of the time limit.
Answers.UserDisplayName: TMcSquared
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2018-02-27T14:26:45.180Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2018-02-27T14:26:45.180Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: TMcSquared
Body: <p>I would like input from actual experience of improving calculation and visualization: can anyone testify to achieving actual and significant improvement in ability to calculate and visualize as a result of deliberately doing exercises set to train this skill? If so, if you could describe the delta of improvement (before, after), and the time it took, that would be appreciated.</p>
  
  <p>My own definition of significant improvement would mean going from missing move possibilities that lie 4-5 moves down the road, to actually seeing them as almost as easily as if the position was on the board now.</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2018-02-27T13:58:11.970Z
Comments.Text: Do you have a special kind of exercises on mind ? I would think that solving any type of chess exercise helps your visualisation.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Evargalo
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2018-02-27T14:23:36.487Z
Comments.Text: I mean exercises specifically designed to train calculation, such as where you're given a few moves to visualize and from that point find a tactics. I, too, would imagine it helps, but I'm interested in hearing feedback from people who've experienced actual improvement due to such exercises. What lies behind this question is ascertaining to what extent this is indeed a trainable skill and to what extent it's talent based.
Comments.UserDisplayName: acye
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2018-02-27T14:26:31.367Z
Comments.Text: I see - I don't think I ever encountered such exercise, but it makes sense. Maybe you should add this description of "visualisation-oriented" exercises in the question; for me at least in was not obvious what it was.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Evargalo
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2018-02-27T21:05:13.857Z
Comments.Text: From exercises I've gained a sense of patterns and positions, I haven't been able to double my capacity to calculate, but I've recognize certain areas that may seem promising.
Comments.UserDisplayName: TheAutomaton
Tags: <training><calculation><visualization>
Title: Calculation and visualisation exercises - do they work?
ThreadText: # Calculation and visualisation exercises - do they work?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2018-02-27)
  
  I would like input from actual experience of improving calculation and visualization: can anyone testify to achieving actual and significant improvement in ability to calculate and visualize as a result of deliberately doing exercises set to train this skill? If so, if you could describe the delta of improvement (before, after), and the time it took, that would be appreciated.
  
  My own definition of significant improvement would mean going from missing move possibilities that lie 4-5 moves down the road, to actually seeing them as almost as easily as if the position was on the board now.
  
  **Tags:** training, calculation, visualization
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: Do you have a special kind of exercises on mind ? I would think that solving any type of chess exercise helps your visualisation.  
  > **username_0**: I mean exercises specifically designed to train calculation, such as where you're given a few moves to visualize and from that point find a tactics. I, too, would imagine it helps, but I'm interested in hearing feedback from people who've experienced actual improvement due to such exercises. What lies behind this question is ascertaining to what extent this is indeed a trainable skill and to what extent it's talent based.  
  > **username_1**: I see - I don't think I ever encountered such exercise, but it makes sense. Maybe you should add this description of "visualisation-oriented" exercises in the question; for me at least in was not obvious what it was.  
  > **username_2**: From exercises I've gained a sense of patterns and positions, I haven't been able to double my capacity to calculate, but I've recognize certain areas that may seem promising.  
  
  ---
  
  ## 2 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_3 on 2018-02-27. Score: 6
  
  My performance rating was four to five hundred points above my actual rating in tournaments where I prepared primarily with calculation/visualization exercises; while tournaments without tactical training showed a performance rating closer to actual.
  So, I would say these exercises definitely make you sharper. There are permanent gains over time but I think you have to continue to use the ability or it will atrophy to some extent.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: That's very interesting! May I ask what rating range we're talking about, approximately?  
  > **username_3**: When I was USCF ~2050.  Within a year I was over 2200 mostly from working Informant puzzles until my head hurt.  
  > **username_0**: That's very useful and encouraging to hear. I too feel that this is my the absolutely prime factor holding me back. Basically, I understand pretty well what needs to be done, but then there are mistakes in execution, mostly due to missing move, say 8 ply down the road, and not necessarily a major tactic.. I will also dedicate serious energy to this.  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_4 on 2018-02-27. Score: 2
  
  I have heard that solving chess puzzles is not exactly the greatest thing to do to help improve your chess game. That being said though, I myself have seen a major improvement once I started working puzzles on a regular basis. I would say that some of this is talent-based, however you can teach yourself pretty much anything you put your mind to.
  
  My advice is this: Don't work yourself too hard with puzzles, if you do, you'll start making mistakes and bad habits. If you over do it, then you will become bored quickly, do just enough so that you improve a little, but don't try to make a giant leap in improvement in a short amount of time.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: Did you do exercises specifically geared towards improving visualization, or regular tactics puzzles?  
  > **username_4**: I am not exactly sure what puzzles were tactical or viz, because I chose them at random. However tactical puzzles do require a certain amount of vizualization.  
  > **username_4**: If you work your brain too hard, you will start not thinking things through fully and thus make bad mistakes. If you do that often enough, then it becomes a bad habit to not think through a position fully. Usually these bad habits can be dealt with quite easily by pacing your self or by taking 5-10 minute breaks every 20-30 minutes of doing the puzzles.  
  > **username_4**: True, but I have to make one correction `Don't play chess for too long at a time` But to your point, yes, this idea can be put to use in lots of places not just in chess. I was making an observation on how tactics are learned and memorized. Your brain will memorize patterns no matter what you are doing, That's what it does. If it happens that you are getting tired and not making the best decisions, then your brain will conform to those decisions as well as the ones that you know are the best. In blitz games you need your brain to have the best habits possible because of the time limit.  
  
  ---
  
  