Launching today
ChessWoodie
Chess tactics training inspired by the Woodpecker Method
43 followers
Chess tactics training inspired by the Woodpecker Method
43 followers
ChessWoodie is a chess tactics trainer built around structured repetition. Instead of solving random puzzles, you train using courses where the same positions repeat across cycles, helping patterns become automatic. Inspired by the Woodpecker Method, it focuses on building fast pattern recognition through deliberate practice.
The Woodpecker-style cycle approach is exactly what I needed, the spaced repetition on the same positions really does build pattern recognition faster than random puzzles. One thing that would take it further for me is adding a weak-spots review mode that automatically pulls together every position I missed or took more than ten seconds on, so I can drill just those before starting a new cycle.
@emircanz4ud ChessWoodie also features the spaced repetition. Every puzzle you got wrong or took too long to solve are added to anki-style spaced repetition. The "too long" is decided based on puzzle difficulty. While on beginner level solving a puzzle in 40 seconds is considered slow, the same amount of time for advanced puzzle is not.
The Woodpecker approach is so effective, glad to see it here. One thing that would really help me is a way to review the puzzles I missed at the end of each cycle, sorted by theme or difficulty, so I can focus on the patterns that actually tripped me up before moving on.
@merun75397 thank you for the feedback. There are few ways you can review mistakes in ChessWoodie. Each session completion provides the list of the mistakes where you can traverse through them and try to solve again, as well as use the engine to understand the solution properly. On top of that all the mistakes added to anki-style spaced review, so you keep iterating through them till the patterns become automatic.
Spaced repetition is a great approach for chess tactics. One thing that would really help me stick with it is letting me set a custom cycle count or time cap per session, since some days I only have 10 minutes and others I want a full hour of drilling. That flexibility would make it easier to build it into a daily habit.
@kamil295722 that's exactly how ChessWoodie works. With each course you can set number of cycles (3 to 7) and the duration of the training sessions. The duration is also adjustable later on, in case you want to change. This helps adapt the training to your schedule.
Love the concept of automating the Woodpecker Method, I’ve tried doing this manually with spreadsheets before and it always fell apart after a week. Having the cycles, mistake tracking, and motif insights handled for you removes all the friction. Curious how the app decides which puzzles to pull into a course in the first place, is that based on rating, theme frequency, or something else?
A spaced-repetition mode that surfaces positions you got wrong most often would be a great addition, so the courses adapt to the weak spots each player keeps hitting across cycles.
The spaced repetition approach actually works. I noticed I started spotting the same tactical patterns way faster after just a couple cycles through the same course.