How Many Chess Tactics Per Day Should You Train?

Beginner (0–1000)

Focus on the “core motifs” until they become automatic: forks, pins, skewers, discovered attacks.

• Pick a puzzle difficulty where you solve ~70–85% correctly.
• After each miss: replay the solution once and name the motif.
• Stop before you’re tired — consistency beats marathons.

Improver (1000–1600)

Shift from “spot the trick” to “calculate a short forcing line”.

• Mix themed sets (fork/pin) with mixed sets.
• Add 2–3 minutes per puzzle for calculation practice.
• Keep a tiny “miss list” of motifs you often overlook.

Intermediate (1600–2000)

Emphasise deeper patterns: deflection, removing the defender, zwischenzug, clearance, sacrifices.

• Do fewer puzzles if you’re calculating seriously.
• Review: “Where did my calculation branch go wrong?”
• Include some defensive puzzles (find the only move).

Advanced (2000+)

Focus on accuracy, candidate moves, and calculation discipline (quiet moves, long forcing lines).

• Prefer quality puzzles over quick volume.
• Analyse misses like a mini game annotation.
• Rotate themes weekly to avoid training blind spots.

A simple daily routine (works for most players)

• Warm-up (5 mins): 3–5 easy puzzles to “switch on”.
• Main set (15–40 mins): puzzles you must calculate (no guessing).
• Review (5–10 mins): replay every mistake and name the motif.

How to choose the right difficulty

• Target 70–85% correct in your main set.
• If you’re scoring 95%: go harder (or spend longer calculating).
• If you’re scoring 40–50%: drop difficulty and rebuild pattern recognition.

What to do when you miss a puzzle

• Don’t just “see the answer” — replay it once from the start.
• Ask: What was the tactic? fork/pin/deflection/etc.
• Ask: What was the clue? loose piece, exposed king, alignment, back rank, etc.

Blend tactics with real games

• After a game, find one missed tactic (for you or opponent).
• Save the position and review it 2–3 days later.
• This is how “puzzle skill” becomes “game skill”.