Training – Attack/Check/Defence/Mate training

 

 

There are certain basic skills in chess, like the ability to spot tactical patterns quickly and reliably, that can be honed. The program has modules to help you train and improve your abilities in this area.

 

The special trainings modules automatically generate practise positions, presenting you with positions in which you must spot all pieces that are attacked, in check or not defended. The positions are taken from any database you select.

 

Click on Training and select one of the three options: Attack, Check/Mate or Defence.

 

 

In the dialog that appears you can select a database and a start game number. The program keeps track of the games it has already gone through and offers you the next one when you start again. You can also set the maximum time you get per position.

 

The above picture shows the dialog that appears for Attack training. The others work in basically the same way (except that the task given is different). This is what you have to find

 

  Attack – here you are required to click all white and black piece that can be captured by the enemy;

 

  Check – click all pieces that can deliver check to the enemy king by moving to a checking square;

 

  Defence – click all squares which are not defended by at least one friendly piece.

 

Clicking on squares will mark them green, clicking again removes the mark. If you solve the problem in the allocated time the program will automatically present a new position. If not it will show you the correct solution. You also get statistics of your results, and can proceed to the next training position. Click on the red "Stop" button on the top left to end the training session.

 

 

In the above example we are supposed to mark all white and black pieces that are under attack. The correct solution is almost there, except that the white bishop on g5, which is attacked by the pawn on h6, has not been marked. If we click on that piece the solution is complete and the program will load a new position. Otherwise it will display the solution, with the bishop marked in yellow.