Here’s something I wanted to share that may help everyone:

I’m the kind of learner that likes a LOT of practice when I acquire new information. I can understand the concept, but application for me seems to require a lot of repetition looking at the concept from many different angles.

So, today, I finished the tactics module after a few weeks working on it. Obviously, there were a lot of lessons, but because my middlegame and tactics especially was an area that I felt like I could stand to slow down and really get things down, I did the following:

1. Watching one lesson.

2. Take handwritten notes on the tactic. I’m a teacher, and cognitive science studies so far have shown that, for some reason, we internalize ideas more strongly if we first write them down. Technology may skew these results eventually, but I first handwrite and then copy digitally later.

3. On Chess.com (I’m sure there’s a way to do this on lichess as well), I complete 100 puzzles with that tactical theme. This usually takes about an hour, so 10, 25, or 50 puzzles are probably sufficient.

4. Then, I play my day’s games. I’m still learning and growing in the game, but I’m starting to find those tactical threads in my own games. Plus, it’s way less demoralizing to find yourself behind in a game which can potentially turn around with a tactical find!

Anyway, this was a disciplined approach that