Once you'd notice the Queen posting to h7 square, the rest are all forced moves and it's pretty much straightforward from there on.

The combination actually begins with the blunder 20...Bxg5?? (better was 20...f6 or 20...Qd8), when the demolition of pawn structure 21. Bxh7+!! initiates the first part of today's (25. ?) puzzle.

For a few moments I thought it might be a perpetual check and that white was trying to achieve a draw, but I decided to look further. Up until that point I had always considered the second move to be 26 ♕xg7+, but now I decided to look at pawn checks.

I liked 26 h4+ as it forced the black ♔ deeper into enemy territory. Then I saw that with 27 ♕g6+ black would have to take the h-pawn, I would get 28 g3+ followed by 29 ♖h2#. All forced of course, but not as obvious as I am used to on Mondays.

(1) Try setting up toward the end of a difficult puzzle and working backwards. Then put the easier puzzles together in your mind from the beginning to solve the bigger combination.

(2) Also visualize each half move at a time clearly before moving to the next move in your mind. This will slow your calculation time at first, but you'll find it will speed it up with more accuracy as you get in the habit.

(3) Work out combinations from both sides of the board. Playing them out as the aggressor and trying to defend against them as the opponent. Seeing combinations from both sides makes it easier to recall familiar patterns.

(4) Using a blank board, try visualizing some simple piece moves or combinations, beginning with one-move and two-move mates, without pieces on the board.

(5) Work on endings. You'd be surprised how much visualizing the move of pawns or a few pieces in an endgame will improve visualization.

(6) Work on specific categories of tactics one at a time. For example, tudying a number of Knight Forks in one session for a while will improve your visualization of combinations using this tactic.

(7) Don't be too hard on yourself. Chess blindness effects everyone to a certain degree. If you miss one that you'd like to understand, be patient work on it and add it to your memory bank of familiar patterns.

(8) Work on learning simpler combinations and patterns before progressing to more difficult combinations. It's better to know a lot of simple patterns that you can integrate than to spend too much time studying difficult patterns you might rarely see.

(9.) Don't compare yourself to others in this area. The point is to improve your visualization at a pace comfortable for you, and not to try to match the ability of others.

I can't speak for others but the problem I currently have during OTB play is knowing when such an opportunity exists!

In an actual game, no one is going to tell you,"hey! that's mate in 4!" My mind had to constantly absorb and find new patterns to rearrange my thoughts into some tactics or plan that I can use to great effect for every single move my opponent or I make. Believe me, sometimes, it gets overwhelming and I can get depressed when I fail to spot a move!

As for tactics, I find there is no substitute for experience and I just have to make the additional effort to learn and remember.

I find that as I do more combinations and tactics, my mind becomes sharper and I realise I was not memorising positions but acquiring "pattern recognition" skills.

I always try to visualise without moving the pieces on the board because that is how a real world situation presents itself during OTB play and I literally force myself to it. When I first started, it was very difficult and often my mind starts to wander if I was not focused. I could barely visualise the board beyond 1 move! But as I studied harder and take longer times to pause and think, I can see 3-4 moves. Seeing beyond 5 moves (unless they're forced moves) is still beyond me.

Do note that I normally don't see beyond 4 moves and even then, I realise that I map my thoughts into usually 3 or 4 prime candidate moves and then slowly eliminating each one in turn if I ever found a refutation.

Occasionally I still layout the pieces esp. when certain variations become extremely complex and prefer to move on the board but I know the only way to do better in chess is to learn to visualise it in my mind.

I also realise that keeping my body fit helps to improve my concentration and stamina and keeps my mind alert for longer periods (which definitely helps in tournaments).

If every puzzle were this hard or harder, I'd never be able to solve a single puzzle, and I'd probably stop trying and start visiting purely for the daily quote. :(

Don't make Mondays this hard, Chessgames. :( :( :(

Feb-27-06 makaveli52: 27. Qg6+ is the right move Qxg7 doesnt work due to Kh5 oops