How ChessWoodie Works
ChessWoodie uses a structured repetition system to train tactical pattern recognition.
You train on a fixed set of puzzles across multiple cycles. Each cycle reinforces the same patterns, measured by speed and accuracy, until recognition becomes automatic.
The Problem
The problem with endless novelty
Traditional tactics training is built around novelty.
You see a new position, calculate for several minutes, solve it (or fail), and immediately move on to the next one. The position is never seen again.
This kind of training can improve calculation, but it rarely builds fast recognition. In real games, you don’t have time to calculate everything from scratch. You need to recognize the idea immediately.
The Solution
Why recognition matters more than calculation
Strong players don’t calculate faster than everyone else. They recognize patterns earlier.
Forks, pins, mating nets, defensive resources — these positions feel familiar to them because they’ve seen the same ideas many times before.
Recognition is not talent. It’s the result of repetition.
How ChessWoodie applies repetition
When you create a course in ChessWoodie:
- You choose a difficulty level
- A fixed set of puzzles is generated from that level
- You solve that same set across multiple cycles
Each cycle measures:
- how fast you solve (PPM)
- how accurately you solve
- how your performance changes over time
Instead of constantly starting from zero, every cycle builds on the previous one.
From calculation to intuition
On the first cycle, you calculate.
On later cycles:
- solutions appear faster
- calculation becomes lighter
- patterns start to feel obvious
This is the transition ChessWoodie is designed to create: from slow thinking to immediate recognition.
Reviewing mistakes deliberately
After each session, you review the puzzles you got wrong.
This keeps feedback close to the moment of failure, while the position is still fresh. There are no hidden queues or automated schedules — just clear mistakes and intentional review.
Understanding why you missed a pattern is part of building intuition.
Seeing your training clearly
Training Insights show where your pattern recognition breaks down.
Instead of just telling you how many puzzles you solved, ChessWoodie analyzes your recent attempts by tactical motif — forks, pins, mates, and more.
Training that compounds
ChessWoodie is designed around one idea:
improvement comes from repetition done intentionally.
By repeating the same puzzles, tracking speed and accuracy, and reviewing mistakes, you train your brain to recognize patterns — not just calculate them.
That’s how tactical intuition is built.