TacticBar
Written while building TacticBar
A few notes on
chess puzzles.
Original analysis of all 6.1 million public Lichess puzzles, plus a few practical notes on making one carefully solved position count.
The hardest Lichess puzzle is only four moves long
The highest-rated puzzle, the longest solution, and what the complete Lichess database says about a typical puzzle.
Are longer Lichess puzzles actually harder?
I expected they would be. The averages turned out to be much tidier than I expected.
What makes a Lichess puzzle difficult?
I compared puzzles of the same length to see what else changes.
How Lichess puzzle themes change with rating
I expected fewer mates. I did not expect quiet and defensive moves to rise this much.
Which openings appear most often in Lichess puzzles?
The Sicilian comes first, but the result is not quite as useful as it initially sounds.
How to get better at chess puzzles
The checklist I use before moving, and a better way to look at wrong answers.
How many chess puzzles should you do a day?
Start with five. Do fewer when they are hard; stop when you begin using the board as a calculator.
A five-minute chess tactics routine
A clock, one position, and no pressure to finish inside five minutes.