Day 223 / 142 to go

Today I honored Smith´s Woodpecker method: I spent some two hours with CT-ART 4.0, trying to lift my rating above 2400. Actually, I reached 239x a couple of times, but fell down to 237x just as often...  8-(

NEXT TIME!

Day 222 / 143 to go

During the day I did some Soltis-stuff, and it actually started like it ended yesterday: I missed a check within my calculation.. But maybe, in the very end, it is good that it happened rather often in a rather short period of time: there is some chance that I don´t forget about it...

In the evening, I eventually went for two (yes, two) Lommers!  Got the first one right and the second as well - but both were rather easy...  I probably should have done a bit more - but, all in all, it was ok for today.

Day 221 / 144 to go

Today I continued with Soltis and came to a (famous?) game/position of Fischer:

I failed on the following line: Rxf7 Rc1 / Qf1 Rxf1  just like I failed on Rxf7 Rc1 / Qf1 h5 / Qxc1 Qxc1
In neither variation I properly identified that the rook on f7 can retreat to f1     8-(

Later on I actually did a Lommer:

Here I failed because I lacked to recognize that if white queens in the following variation, he does so with check!
Kb5 g4 / Kc4 g3 / Kxc3 g2 / h7 g1=Q / h8=Q Qa1 now Black get´s the queen on h8 - so I skipped this line as favourable for white - and therefore any chance for white to keep the draw.
But - white queens with check (and this makes the variation work and correct)!

In both cases I miserably failed due to the same louzy oversight: a check - and considering the relevant pieces and not just the threat of the opponent!  Hard work still ahead!  8-(

Day 220 / 145 to go

I started with some Soltis - here´s a very nice position every White player would be delighted to have - but how to continue?

Unfortunately, I turned away from any tactical posibilities and focused on positional moves too fast. So I missed an impressive variation... 8-(
Interestingly, Houdini and DeepFritz get the right continuation pretty quickly - but my 9.3 Komodo took some time...

I closed todays session with 4 puzzles in Smith´s book (sovled them). Tomorrow, I have to get be to my old friend Lommer... 8-/

Day 219 / 146 to go

Yesterday we (son and me) had a team match. We both scored the full point - both with White. Both somewhat impressively and at no moment endangered...  Especially for my son it was a nice victory against a player rated somewhat 250 points higher.

Unfortunately, the team lost... 8-(

Day 218 / 147 to go

Yes yes -- I probably shouldn´t have done it, but it did:

...and know what?  I enjoyed it!  8-)

Day 217 / 148 to go

"Sometimes the hardest move to see/find appears on the shortest calculation-branches within an analysis tree."  - how true...  Already on Friday I continued with Soltis --- more and more I have to revise my previously mentioned opinion: I think it is really a good (e)book.
In addition, I continued with Smith and solved 12 puzzles there. Here are two really fine (and actually a bit too tough for me) ones:

(White to move)

I saw/thought about c6, but didn´t get the point...  8-/

(Black to move)

Here, I actually didn´t have any decent plan at all - shame on me...  How does it continue after Bxe2?!

Both made very obvious that I am not yet going deep enough! (Funny enough: I read about that kind of stuff in Soltis book and at the same time reach the topic in Smith´s book.)

Day 216 / 149 to go

Today I simply took a day off - due to work + travel.  Tomorrow evening I will have sufficient time for a decent training session!

Day 215 / 150 to go

This evening I contnued with Soltis ebook and puzzles/motifs on how to drag defenders away. As already indicated, the amount of diagrams and positions to solve is great. Here´s a nice one (Black to win):

In addition, I continued with Smith´s book and reached some exercises there - I did the first three and got the moves right but not the variations properly calculated: I was simply too tired. So I decided to stop. Assumingly, the daylight saving (clocks changed last weekend) is yet "disturbing" me...
 I prefer to continue once I am fit enough and not tired in order to get the solution 100% straight instead of just identifying the correct theme/first move...

Day 214 / 151 to go

Just came home --- horrible day.  No chance for any decent training today...   happens every once in a while!