Mate in Two - Fast and the Furious Test
It is time to test how fast you really are..
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This week, I've decided to give you a little test. On 'Chess Twitter,' there are a lot of mate-in-two puzzles circulating. Many people reply that they solve these studies in seconds or instantly. But is our perception of time slightly off when we solve these positions or are people just super fast?
To find out, I've created a test with 10 levels. With each level, you'll have slightly less time to solve the mate-in-two puzzle. After the position disappears, write down the solution on a piece of paper. Rewatching a video is not allowed. The solutions are at the bottom of the newsletter. All the puzzles are rated around 1500 on Lichess, making them relatively easy.
At the end, you can submit the level at which you first failed. I'll compile the stats for next week's newsletter.
Good luck!
Level 1 - 10 seconds to mate in two
Level 2 - 7.5 seconds to mate in two
Level 3 - 5 seconds to mate in two
Level 4 - 4 seconds to mate in two
Level 5 - 3 seconds to mate in two
Level 6 - 2 seconds to mate in two
Level 7 - 1.5 seconds to mate in two
Level 8 - 1 second to mate in two
Level 9 - 0.5 seconds to mate in two
Level 10 - Final Boss Level - 0.1 seconds to mate in two
Okay, it is time to check your results. Here are the links to the puzzles on Lichess. Check if what you wrote down matches the solutions.
Solutions
Level 1 - Level 2 - Level 3 - Level 4 - Level 5 - Level 6 - Level 7 - Level 8 - Level 9 -Level 10
Now submit your results.
I hope you enjoyed the challenge. I'll share the results next week!
If you want to share the test with your friends to see if they're as fast as you, please go ahead!
/Martin
Interesting way of testing solving skills.
For level 9 and 10, I didn’t manage to see the positions at all really. So had no chance to solve them.
The others I solved. But I realized there is a skill in stronger players that helps a lot. Which is to remember the important pieces in a problem and continue to solve it after the seconds are up and you can’t see the board anymore.
Perhaps this type of test, at 5 or 10 seconds could be just that.
Really interested in the results thus far!