What is the best online tactics trainer?

[notyetagm]

1) chess tempo
2) chess tactics server
3) playchess.com
4) other - please specify

Thanks for all responses

[JackStraw]

http://www.ideachess.com/

[notyetagm]

Is this ideachess.com website as new as it looks? I have never heard of it before.

Any idea how it compares to chesstempo.com?

Thanks

[JackStraw]

It's been around for a year or two ?? And has expanded , and refined it's offerings during that period........ I'm not familiar with chess tempo...... It looks pretty elaborate , and I'm sure has a wealth of stuff to do......... I recommend the idea site to the kids in school chess clubs where I help out...... It has some simple mate-1 to go thru , and if they get good , they can move up to mt-2 , or more........... I like being able to export fen positions of the mating problems , cause sometimes you come across some really beautiful positions with killer tactical shots ....... The site offers a lot more things to work on than just simple mates......

Tom Glenn

[zuril]

The main difference between chesstempo and ideachess is that in ideachess you play chess tactics positions against a built-in tactical chess engine. The correct solutions to the problems are not stored in the database but checked in real time. The main advantage is that a great number of solutions can be accepted and you see immediately the computer best counter-move also if your attempt is wrong! Ideachess has also problems wherein you had to draw by 3 repetion, stalemate or by insufficient material to mate, for example:

http://www.ideachess.com/chess_tactics_ ... ics_n/8423

[Swaminathan]

1) chess tempo
2) chess tactics server
3) playchess.com
4) other - please specify

Thanks for all responses

I have solved many puzzles in chess tactics server. It's bit too fast, overall it's good.

No idea which one is the best since they all come with many tactical puzzles. Look for the interface, speed and time. That's all that matters when it comes to evaluation.

[msalzge]

They all have their plusses and minuses. Personally I like chesstempo better as ideachess tells you how many moves you have left on each problem, which isn't realistic. True that chesstempo sometimes punishes you for a technically correct but alternate solution, but my son, who is an avid chesstempo user and tends to complain about such things, rarely brings up the subject.

Chess tactics server isn't for me as blitz isn't my thing.

What I'd like to see is some of these sites integrating defensive tactics into their problem sets. Sometimes finding a "save" on my side is more important than finding the mate in two when I'm already winning the game (and, with my poor level of play, it comes up a lot more often!) Cheng integrates these well in Practical Chess Exercises, which is a great book.

[Cubeman]

Also I don't like the sites that penalise you if you take too long to find the winning moves, this is a real turn off to see your rating go down even when you have got the moves right.

[zuril]

I think that in day life there are already enough stress situations. At least when I train solving chess puzzles I prefer to do it without time pressure.

[Macarel]

I hope you won't hold it against me that I ignored the online part but I must say chess hero is my personnal best.

http://innokuo.altervista.org/chesshero.html

Themed PGNs and the latest houdini and I am set for life...