Tactics decide 95% of chess games, even at GM level. That’s why growing your tactical accuracy will improve your results immediately.
There are many ways to do so, you could keep grinding it out with online tactics trainers to no avail, or you could systematically ingrain tactical patterns into your brain with the Woodpecker Method, a training regime that shows very convincing results.
The Ultimate Method for Improvers
The Woodpecker Method is a training regime that uses spaced repetition to pump up your tactical muscle. The premise is to solve a high number of tactics puzzles with as much accuracy as possible, in whatever time you can (hours…weeks). Then you go through the same set of puzzles repeatedly, lowering your time and increasing your accuracy at every try.
In the spring of 2010, then-International Master Hans Tikkanen invented this method. Shortly after, he scored 3 GM-norms in seven weeks (!) and skyrocketed to a 2600 rating by mid-2011. There was no fluke, as confirmed his victory in the next three Swedish Championships.
How to use this course
The efficiency of ‘woodpecking’ (as then-IM Axel Smith baptized it) soon raised in popularity, which originated in the 2018 book by Grandmasters Hans Tikkanen and Axel Smith that this course adapts.
Axel was already a well-known author for Pump up your rating, winner of the ChessCafe book of the year 2013. After completing his own GM title, he and Hans put on to work on the ultimate puzzle selection to the Woodpecker Method, which consists of 1000+ fragments of World Champions’ games divided into three difficulty levels:
😊 Easy – demand mainly pattern recognition and tactical awareness.
😟 Intermediate – different themes blend into the solution. Stay alert for hidden resources and move-order nuances.
🤯 Advanced – all-out combinations with branches at every turn. You’ll need to evaluate the final position of every line, and finding the best defense is part of the right solution. These are norm-seeking difficulty.
For a complete cycle of the Woodpecker Method, the easy level might be a good warm-up even if you solve them easily. The advanced level puzzles, however, are considered norm-seeking player difficulty.
No shortcuts for success. Progress requires hard work!
Make no mistake. You can’t memorize 1128 puzzles. Remembering two or three moves won’t cut it…you’ll need to calculate all the supporting variations and work hard at every puzzle. Completing an entire cycle is an arduous process, even for driven personalities. However, if you work to your best ability every session, you’ll learn something new about the puzzles and yourself each time.
Moreover, you’ll see results:
🔥 Sharper tactical vision – you’ll get used to spotting all kinds of tactical themes with different levels of difficulty, just like in a game.
🔥 Fewer blunders – you won’t just play and win; you’ll have to defend, force draws, and avoid counter-tactics in seemingly simple combinations.
🔥 Improved accuracy in time trouble – calculating faster and more accurately is useful when short of time, but it also increases your confidence!
🔥 Richer intuition – learning +1000 positions by heart will boost your pattern recognition.
🔥 Focus – You’ll adapt to perform at your best.
🔥 Appreciation for chess history – you’ll impregnate yourself with how World Champions finish their games; or what it takes to beat them!
And on top of the obvious, the inspiring improvement story of the authors will motivate you to work hard for your own chess achievements!
A perfect fit for Chessable
Few books exploit Chessable’s strengths as well as this one:
🎯 Customization – there are two main ways to study this course, as you’ll learn in the introduction. Choose the best one for you!
🎯 Practicality – don’t lose time setting the board or checking the answers; instantly analyze with an engine if something doesn’t convince you; keep accurate track of your progress; never skip a session.
🎯 Frequency trumps volume – set your own pace and stick to it.
🎯 Social experience – interact with and learn from other users working as hard as you.
No matter their place in the chess food chain, everybody can benefit from this course. But if you are ambitious about your progress, it’s a must!
Put the hard work in, and
Sharpen your tactical vision to 20/20 with the Woodpecker Method
