It is essential to play longer games to build your intuition and calculation skills. You will also need something substantive to review afterwards. In general, blitz/rapid games are far less useful for maximizing long-term improvement. You must use at least 50% of your base time for the game to count. For example, under 800 must use at least 15 minutes and 1600+ must use at least 30 minutes.

Minimum Time Controls:

• Under 800: 30+0
• 800-1200: 30+30
• 1200+: 45+30
• 1600+: 60+30
• 2000+: 90+30

These are our minimum suggested time controls. You can also play an alternate time control as long as the base time + increment adds up to the same or higher number that we've suggested. E.g. for 60+30 (which adds up to 90), 45+45 would also be acceptable, as well as 75+15, 85+5, etc. as long as you have a minimum starting time of 30 minutes (you cannot play 1+90).

Tips & Instructions:

• Use your time
• Don’t get distracted (no phone, multitasking, tweeting, chatting)
• Do not use assistance of any kind (books, friends, courses, databases, etc.)
• Focus on the game. Full effort.
• After the game, offer to do a post-mortem to your opponent which can be done via Discord, Zoom, Skype, etc. A solid post-mortem will serve as a basis and start for your game analysis.

Analyzing your games is an art form that takes time to master. Your goal should be to find the critical moments of the game, to find mistakes that you and your opponent have made, and to make evaluations on the key positions of the game. Game analysis is essential for figuring out one's personal strengths and weaknesses.

Submit each game to the Dojo Database to share your analysis with your cohort and the rest of the Dojo.

Tips & Instructions for Game Analysis:

• Identify the critical moments of the game.
• Pinpoint mistakes from both sides and offer improvements.
• Annotate mistakes/strong moves with informant symbols (!!, !, !?, ?, ??, etc.).
• Add a comment explaining why you gave the move that symbol.
• Make evaluations of key positions (White is better, Black is better, unclear, etc.).
• Use words to explain your understanding of the dynamics of the position.
• Try to note the clock times/time spent on each move, especially key moves.

A post-mortem is an analysis/discussion of a game conducted by the two players right after the game has ended. The goal is to analyze the game as objectively as possible, and to gain a sense of how your opponent saw the game. What did they think the critical moments were and how did their evaluation of key positions differ from yours?

In general both players should be respectful of one another and seek their opponent’s perspective. A post-mortem is also a great opportunity to find possible ideas/resources that were missed during the game. The process can take anywhere from 20 minutes to several hours, depending on the length of the game, if there is another tournament round coming up, etc.

There’s no such thing as a “perfect post-mortem.” The idea is just to hear what your opponent was thinking (as this can point out deficiencies in your own understanding), and to get a jump-start on your eventual game analysis.

How Postmortems Work:

• Both players should analyze on the same board, using either a physical board or shared online analysis board on Chesscom/Lichess.
• If conducted online, the players should also initiate a voice/video call using Discord/Zoom/Skype etc.

Key Questions to Ask:

• Who won the opening battle—did White get an advantage or did Black manage to equalize?
• What were the key mistakes of the game?
• Which moves would be better?
• Were there any key alternatives that either player considered during the game?

Postmortem Etiquette

• In general, either player is "allowed" to ask for/decline a post-mortem. However, some players may get upset after losing a game or drawing from a winning position, and might not be interested in discussing the game at that point.
• In tournaments, there is often limited time between rounds and some players would rather just rest up for the next game, which is perfectly reasonable as well.
• Between strong players, a post-mortem is often done without a board but rather via blindfold discussion, especially when there is limited time.

IN SHORT, GETTING BETTER AT TACTICS IS ALL ABOUT: Learning new tactical themes (pattern recognition) and practice (tactics/calculation training).

There are many websites/apps to find good tactical problems. Our suggestions include:

• Chess.com
• Lichess
• ChessTempo
• ChessKing Apps (Apple/Android)
• Elementary Chess Tactics I (0-1200)
• Elementary Chess Tactics II (0-1200)
• Chess Tactics For Beginners (0-1200)
• CT-ART 1400-1600
(1200-1400)
• Manual of Chess Combinations (1400-1600)
• CT-ART 4.0 (1600-2400)

Tips for solving tactics:

1. Don’t guess! You should be reasonably confident of your solution before inputting a move/checking the solution. If it feels like you’re missing something, you probably are! Stop and look for more alternatives for both sides.
2. Spend ample time on each problem. For easier problems, use between 30 seconds – 3 minutes before checking the solution. For more challenging problems, spend 3-5 minutes before reviewing the answer. As you get more advanced, you should be able to spend more and more time (up to 20-30 minutes) working on an individual problem.
3. Always review the solution. Even if you got the problem right, there may be relevant details/variations that you missed, which would be worth playing through.
4. Try to learn from every problem. The goal is not to solve everything 100% correctly, but rather to takeaway as much as you can from the process. If you miss a problem, try to understand what caused you to get it wrong: is it a theme you’ve never seen before, or did you miscalculate a key variation?

All of the previous tips apply for regular puzzle books, online tactics trainers, and Puzzle Rush Survival Mode. For timed Puzzle Rush (3-min/5-min), here are some additional tips to maximize long-term improvement:

• Don’t rush! Focus on accuracy rather than speed.
• Don’t input a move unless you are sure it’s correct. This means no “half-guesses.”
• Try to go the full 5 minutes without making 3 mistakes.
• If you see two possible solutions, make sure to check both carefully. Online trainers are designed to have one correct solution.
• After each run, make sure to review the problems you got wrong. Don’t just quickly start the next run like some kind of puzzle addict.
• Don’t aim to set your high score each time. Rather aim for consistent runs with as few mistakes as possible.

FAQs/Definitions

• Tactics - chess puzzles with a clear theme and one main solution. The objective is usually to find either a gain of material or a direct checkmate.
• Combination - Advanced chess puzzle that combines multiple tactical themes.
• Calculation - The technique/skill of identifying good moves in a position for both sides -- the difference between tactics and calculation is that most tactics puzzles are going to have a clear solution, while calculation is more about being able to analyze a position objectively but without the guarantee of there being a clear best move.
• Visualization - The skill of being able to hold and remember chess positions in your head
• Should I solve puzzles based on custom theme, or random? Both: It can be very helpful to solve puzzles based on theme to help boost pattern recognition. It is also useful to incorporate “random” puzzles so that you don’t know what you’re looking for ahead of time.

Visualization refers to the ability to hold a chess position clearly in mind, almost as if one were looking at the position right in front of them. Some players “see” a 2D board that’s clearly visible in their mind’s eye, while others don’t really “see” anything but rather remember the positioning of all the pieces.

Over-the-board (OTB) calculation can feel very different to calculating online. Many players need time to adjust when they are used to one and switch to the other. For instance, it is very common for online players to struggle the first few times they play OTB. So if you are preparing for an upcoming tournament, make sure to practice playing and visualizing with a physical board well ahead of time!

DO YOU NEED TO WORK ON YOUR VISUALIZATION?

In general, visualization is a skill that naturally improves as one plays a lot and analyzes games, solves puzzles, etc. The more time you spend around chess the stronger your overall visualization will become. However visualization can become a weakness for some players, especially if they are lazy in their calculation,overly used to online puzzles (where solutions are inserted one move at a time), or too reliant on arrows to aid with calculation mid-game. For players who don’t feel like they can visualize as well as others around their rating, it can be very useful to specifically work on their visualization skill.

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR VISUALIZATION

In short, improving visualization is about pushing oneself to see further/clearer. The most important thing to remember is that visualization skill will improve with consistent practice, and atrophy if left unused. Improving your ability to visualize essentially means being able to hold a position clearly and then visualizing possible moves/variations without losing track of the pieces or the original position. The stronger a player’s visualization, the more moves they can “see ahead” and be able to switch between different variations without losing track of the position.

So in order to improve your visualization skill, you must try to see further ahead than before. If your limit is visualizing 2 moves ahead, at some point you will need to push yourself to visualize three moves ahead. It is similar to lifting weights at the gym—in order to progres, you must try to lift more weight.

The best times to "practice" visualization are:

• During games (trying to calculate further)
• When solving puzzles (trying to calculate further)
• When analyzing a position (trying to calculate further)

Of course, there can be practical barriers in the way. During classical games for instance, one can’t just spend all their time trying to calculate as deeply as possible. You need to manage your time accordingly, and then be willing to calculate deep when you sense a critical moment.

VISUALIZATION DRILLS

1. Visualize an empty board. Place any piece on any square and then list every single legal square that piece can move to. Then check on a board to verify your answer. (Example: Ne4 – f2, g3, g5, f6, d6, c5, c3, d2)
2. Calculate as far as you can from the starting position, essentially playing blindfold chess against yourself. Go as far as you can before the position gets fuzzy, then replay the moves and see if you can get to the same position but try to see it a little clearer. See if you can go further. Then try again a third time or until your brain starts to hurt a bit.
3. Calculate as far as you can in a given position. It can be a puzzle, analysis of a game, etc. Once you have reached the limit of your calculation (position starts to get fuzzy), try to visualize the final position as clearly as you can and identify all of the legal captures for both sides. If you’re able to quickly spot all of the legal captures (almost as quickly as if you had the position right in front of you), that means you’re visualizing the position well. If you struggle to identify every capture, it means you need to replay the moves and try to see the position clearer. Example: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 – how many legal captures (for both sides, ignoring turn) are there in this position?

Knowing when you have lost sight of the position is an incredibly useful skill on its own. If you make a mistake in your visualization mid-game, it could cost you the full point, so being able to identify when you are hallucinating can be extremely valuable.

A great way to check if your visualization is correct is to do an abridged version of Drill #3 – ask yourself to quickly spot all of the legal captures in a position. If you’re not properly visualizing the position, you will likely feel some uncertainty as to where the pieces are—and this should act as a trigger to recalculate and try to see the position more clearly. Identifying possible captures is also a great way to reduce blundering!

As with most chess skills, improving your visualization takes time. But with consistent effort comes great reward. Once a player can play blindfold chess, that is another great way to work on improving visualization. Most players seem to learn to play blindfold around 1800-2000 FIDE, but it can definitely be learned earlier as well.

USEFUL VIDEOS

• A Simple Way to Practice Visualization
• Kostya’s Blueprint – Visualization
• How To Calculate Lines & Knowing When to Stop
• How to Avoid Stopping Short in Calculation
• Deep Calculation Lesson (1500+)
• David’s Guide to Blindfold Training
• David’s Guide to Blindfold Training - Part 2

Included in each band are a list of classic games that have been chosen for their instructive value. These are some of the greatest games played by some of the greatest players throughout history. Each individual band has been given a specific player/era to study.

In order to get the most out of going through these games, our main recommendation would be to analyze the game with a partner or group (using Discord voice chat + a shared Chess.com Classroom or Lichess study, for example). Having multiple perspectives will allow you to notice more details and understand the intricacies of the game.

GOALS

• Learn at least three ideas from each game — this could include tactical/strategic patterns that you haven’t seen before, opening principles, endgame concepts, how to approach certain positions, etc.! Advanced players (above 1600) are encouraged to look for as many interesting ideas as possible.
• Try to understand what would have happened in case of alternative moves/defenses. Look at the position with your own eyes and ask questions. Was there a hanging piece that wasn’t captured? Did someone neglect to make an obvious sacrifice? As soon as you notice an interesting/obvious move that wasn’t played, that’s exactly the right moment to pause and analyze (without the engine) what could have happened. Depending on your level, you can take 3-10 minutes to analyze an alternative.
• At the end of each game, you should be able to describe the narrative of the game — who was better and why? Did the winning player convert their advantage with sacrifices/tactics, or slow positional technique? See if you can agree with your training partner/group about a general story of the game.

HOW TO

• Spend at least 30 minutes going through each game.
• If you’re working alone, using a physical board is ideal, especially if you’re practicing for OTB tournaments. You are also far less likely to rush through the game and get more out of it. If working with a partner or group, a shared Chess.com Classroom/Lichess study is probably the most convenient, but you could also play through the game OTB while someone else handles the shared board.
• Make sure to evaluate key positions with your own eyes. If an obvious move/plan wasn’t played, take a few minutes to understand why.
• If a moment is particularly confusing – for instance Player A hung a piece and the opponent didn’t capture it, first (if studying OTB) make sure you have the right position, you may have missed/played a wrong move earlier. If you’re sure you have the right position and still can’t figure it out, you can either post a question in the Training Discord to see what others think, or you can consult with the engine to see if there’s something tactical that you’re missing.
• Do not: run through the whole game with the engine on. You will be distracted by random engine evals and not engage your own mind, which is what this is all about! The only time you should turn on the engine is after you’ve already spent some time trying to figure something out for yourself. If you want to check your analysis after you’ve spent 30+ minutes going through the game, that’s fine. (David still says never ;-) )

As a final note, there are so many different things you can learn from a classic game. The key is to put yourself in the shoes of the player and try to understand what it was like to play the game. You will learn things about calculation, strategy, attack, defense, openings, middlegames, endgames, converting advantages, pacing (is it time to strike, or build up), and so much more! It is tempting to just blast through the games and check them off, but you’d be doing yourself a disservice. These are the greatest players of all time, try to learn from their moves! To see how IM Kostya goes through annotated game books, check out this video:

Opening sparring is not about winning or losing a blitz game. It’s about getting in reps for your openings, working through growing pains, and developing a deeper understanding of typical structures that you play.

Key Tips:

• Choose a few key positions from your openings for sparring. Usually somewhere move 5-15. If you’re using a Dojo Repertoire, these are provided for you
• Play a time control between 5+3 and 15+5 (specific suggestions are given for each cohort)
• Play someone within 200 points of you. You can find opponents in Discord, or reach out to someone you know in real life
• Play until the position no longer resembles the opening, e.g. past move 25-30
• Analyze with your opponent after every game
• Evaluate the final position of each game and try to find improvements for both sides, starting from the beginning
• After finishing all the games and analyzing with your opponent, you can check your conclusions against an opening book/engine
• Add relevant new lines to your opening file. Write down some takeaways from your sessions

A typical sparring session can last 1-2 hours. Spar frequently to collect reps for all your openings. And if you’re an OTB tournament player, make sure to get some OTB sparring in as well!

It's always best to complete the Dojo sparring requirements by playing against a fellow Dojo member from your cohort. They will be at your level, make very human mistakes, and will often review the session with you afterward. But sometimes finding an opponent who is available isn't easy. Fortunately, bot technology has advanced, and we now have very human-like bots who serve as good substitutes for human opponents. They are especially good for playing out the endgame algorithms and Rook Endgame Progression. For these can be dreary for our human friends! Below is a list of bots who are appropriate for your cohort. The Chess.com bots are at the moment better than the Lichess ones as they are far more dialed in terms of playing strength. The downside of them however is that you have to be a Chess.com diamond member. GM Jesse Kraai explains the guide in the video below.