Woodpecker training
Woodpecker training means solving one fixed set of chess puzzles again and again, each time faster, until the patterns come without effort. Choose one of 18 sets of 30 puzzles, nine by level and nine by theme. Each cycle is timed, and the next one asks you to finish in a fifth less time. Free, no sign-up.
Sets by level
Level 1
30 mixed puzzles rated 600 to 800.
Level 2
30 mixed puzzles rated 800 to 1000.
Level 3
30 mixed puzzles rated 1000 to 1200.
Level 4
30 mixed puzzles rated 1200 to 1400.
Level 5
30 mixed puzzles rated 1400 to 1600.
Level 6
30 mixed puzzles rated 1600 to 1800.
Level 7
30 mixed puzzles rated 1800 to 2000.
Level 8
30 mixed puzzles rated 2000 to 2200.
Level 9
30 mixed puzzles rated 2200 to 2500.
Sets by theme
Fork
30 puzzles rated 1000 to 1700. One piece attacks two things at once.
Pin
30 puzzles rated 1000 to 1700. A piece cannot move without exposing a more valuable one behind it.
Skewer
30 puzzles rated 1000 to 1700. A valuable piece is attacked and must move, leaving the one behind it to be taken.
Discovered attack
30 puzzles rated 1000 to 1700. A piece moves out of the way and uncovers an attack from the piece behind it.
Deflection
30 puzzles rated 1000 to 1700. A defender is pulled away from the square or piece it guards.
Hanging piece
30 puzzles rated 1000 to 1700. A piece is left undefended and can simply be taken.
Back-rank mate
30 puzzles rated 1000 to 1700. The king is mated on its first rank, shut in by its own pawns.
Mate in 2
30 puzzles rated 1000 to 1700. Checkmate in two moves, whatever the defence.
Sacrifice
30 puzzles rated 1000 to 1700. Material is given up to gain something bigger a few moves later.
Questions
- How does a cycle work?
- You solve the 30 puzzles of the set in order. Only your first try at each puzzle counts, and the clock runs while you are solving. When the last puzzle is done the cycle is closed with your score and your time.
- Why repeat the same puzzles?
- The aim is not to remember the answers but to see the patterns faster each time. Repeating a set you have already worked through trains recognition, which is what you rely on in a real game when there is little time.
- How fast should the next cycle be?
- The page asks for a fifth less time than the cycle before. If your first cycle took 25 minutes, the second aims for 20, the third for 16.
- Which set should I start with?
- Pick the level whose rating range holds your puzzle rating, or one below it: the puzzles should be solvable, not easy. Use a theme set when one idea keeps costing you games.
- Can I stop in the middle of a cycle?
- Yes. The puzzle you reached and the time so far are kept on this device, and the set carries on from there the next time you open it.
Puzzles: Lichess puzzle database, public domain (CC0).