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MASTERS
Do you ever feel like the standard puzzles you solve on all other platforms are interesting but only happen often enough in real games? That’s why we are calling our platform Reality Check; we are tackling the most important aspect of the game that is not covered in any other tool!
By playing random positions from Masters games, you are put in the place of some Grandmaster and expected to make the next move as well as you can. It doesn’t have to be the best move. Usually, many options are valid, but you should do your best and avoid blunders at all costs! This way, you mainly practice your strategic play and challenge your positional ideas.
Sounds interesting? Give it a try today – play Masters mode!
Do not blunder
It is well known that up to very high ratings, maybe IMs or GMs, games are decided not by one player’s very clever moves but by blunders. So, if you are an even 2000+ rating player, the only thing you have to do is NOT TO BLUNDER. Refrain from blundering, not only in critical positions or particular positions. Do not blunder ever. That is why we are presenting you random positions, every possible position from regular games.
Did you ever play against a much stronger player, and everything went smoothly? He had no advantage; maybe even you had some, but a terrible blunder happened, and they won? That is the main difference between you two! You have a much higher probability of making terrible blunders, and if you play long enough, you are the one who will lose without real effort from another player. You will leave a piece hanging, or back-rank checkmated, or… you name it!
Even on 2200+, players are not using long, flashy tactics; they are losing on 1-2 move combinations – something that’s happening right away; it doesn’t take Michael Tal on the other side to find it. So, practice consistency, practice being a solid player; that’s, after all, the main component of playing at a high level.
Our servers carefully calculated the most important metric of your play
When you make a move, our servers carefully calculate the most important metric of your play: what error you made, how much it affects your game, and your chances to win or draw!
What does that mean? First, Let’s explain another metric, centipawns or pawns, usually seen in chess software. In an entirely even position, the score is 0, meaning neither side has any advantage. If the score is +2, it implies that white is better, somewhat like two pawns, but it doesn’t have to be in material; it can be positionally, and it can mean so many different things. Platforms like Lichess, a fantastic tool, measure your average centipawn loss, but why are we not doing that? Because losing the equivalent of 4 pawns in a position where you have +2 and you go to -2 is terrible (you are going from mostly winning to completely losing position). Still, if you are on +20 (which is easily possible, you are entirely winning) and you miss faster checkmate, you can go to +16, which is still wholly winning, and there is no reason to worry. The same applies to more minor losses, like from +0.5 to -0.5.
What is the solution to that? We’re introducing winning percentage chances. If you are playing position with a score of 0, it means you are on 50%; it can be drawn, or either side has the same winning chances. Here, if the score is +2, white’s chances to win is approximately 75%, and going from that to -2 means that you went to 25%, losing 50% in just one move!
That means you lost half of a point, right there, easily translatable to your rating! On the other hand, +20 is maybe 99.99%, and +16 is 99.98%, so your loss is very minor. Do you see the difference? In pawns, it is still the same: 4 pawns counter-value!
You don't trust us?
Do you think your move is better? Or trying to understand why something works or doesn’t work? Analyze the position with the greatest chess engine built into our App, make your moves, see evaluations, and learn!
What is acceptable? What should you aim for? Based on this metric, we can accurately predict your rating in your regular slow games. Depending on your level, you could be making an average 10% or 15% error, but you should try to keep it as low as possible.
How low? Well, we carefully calculated and analyzed thousands of players on various levels, and if you are keeping it under 5% – you are on the master level. Most GMs are in the range of 2-2.5%. In fact, only two players in history managed to keep it under two percent! Magnificent Vishy and possibly the greatest of all times, Magnus! You don’t have to be that good but try to be stable and consistent and see your progress over time.
Remember, in a real game, nobody is telling you: this is an important position, you should calculate half an hour here! And when you are solving the tactical puzzle, you know that it is a special position; there is something to look for! Which makes it unrealistic. This is why we are Reality Check; you are presented with positions, like in reality.
