What to do when you don't know what to do in a puzzle?

I think #6 might be right only if your goal is to improve at speed chess. Otherwise it sounds like you're trying to build a bad habit.

Thinking only in terms of pattern recognition, trying to "spot" the winning move is going to work only up to 2000-2100 puzzles. If you want to crunch the really hard ones you have to sit and calculate. Let's say you notice their queen has almost no moves. At first a3 and c3 both seem to trap the piece. So which one is it? Or maybe you check first and only then play c3?

#2 - I used to always do this on chesstempo "mixed medium" tactics getting to 1650. Looking at their last move.

Now that I returned to chess 5 years later I completely ignore their last move and simply "look for the best move". Just because they took my Knight with Nxd5 doesn't mean I have to take back. Many tactics involve not doing obvious immediate recaptures.

And if I can't find the tactic for "mixed medium" then 70% of the time it's a defensive move to not allow them their tactic.

@Martin_1001 said in #7:
> @Alientcp this makes a lot of sense, thanks. This also seems to imply that all puzzles have a tatical pattern, which seems kinda
> obvious to say, but it clarify that most of the goals for puzzle solving is to be able to recognize a especific pattern

It does imply it is thematic becase they are.Just scroll down and you will see.

lichess.org/training/themes

And you can find out in which theme you such if you have done "a healthy mix" of them to give some data to the algorithm and you learn to read that graph.

lichess.org/training/dashboard/30/dashboard

Candidate moves is another subject. I mean you have candidate moves in ALL of your turns obviously. But candidate moves, as a definition, its just to narrow down which moves are to be considered, and most of the time, you do have 2-3 options, but there are a lot of subjects to consider, like initiative, position, activity, sacrifices, material etc. In puzzles you dont have that choice. You either find the only move or you dont.

@Martin_1001 When i dont know a puzzle i just quit the puzzle and when i again click on the puzzle a brand new easy puzzle comes

Thanks everyone for the feedback, I appreciate the answers and will be putting them in practice today!

Just check the engine or just get gud then ;)

Sometimes the CEM technique helps. Check every move, maybe you missed one.

Let's see: if I have a puzzle that is very hard and I don't recognize any pattern and there are no forced sequences (at least none that I know of)...I generally look at the answer.

#1
In such case, I try evaluating the position by thinking about positional advantage by considering how pieces are placed and what possible moves can be played from both sides.

I turn of rated mode (: