Welcome to the 10-Day Chess Challenge.
The 20 videos in this challenge could very well be the best thing you’ve ever done to improve your chess!
Here’s Why the 10-Day Challenge will Improve Your Chess

Chess is a thinking game–every move that you make reflects your thinking process.
Now, imagine how much your chess will improve if you can master the two most important thinking methods in chess:
- How to calculate tactics and
- How to evaluate a position.
(Almost any chess position depends on one or both of these thinking methods.)
The focus of the 10 Day Chess Challenge is to help you get a deep understanding of the calculation and evaluation thinking methods.
Day 1
On day 1 the focus will be on how to calculate chess tactics. Enjoy!
The 5-step method to calculate tactics
Summary of the 5-step Calculation process:
- Find opponent’s threats
- Identify tactical targets and motifs
- Calculate all the checks
- Calculate all the captures
- Calculate all the tempo-moves
Day 1 Exercises
The video below contains a few exercises to help you practice the 5-step calculation process. (Don’t skip this if you’re serious about improving your game).
You may find it useful to study the article on chess.com “The Fastest Way To Improve Your Chess by Grandmaster Serper.” He makes it clear that you cannot rely on your calculations alone–you need to develop your pattern recognition (motifs).
If you have the time, feel free to continue the challenge right away.
Improve Your Chess | Day 2
On Day 1 of the challenge we looked at the 5-step method to calculate tactics. Today we will turn our attention to the other important thinking method – how to evaluate a position.
How To Evaluate A Position
This video gives you an important overview of the 2nd thinking method – how to evaluate a position:
Summary of the 5-step Evaluation process:
- Compare Material
- Compare King-Safety
- Compare Piece-Development
- Compare Centre-Control
- Compare Pawn-Structures
Evaluation Exercises
The video below contains a few exercises to help you practice the 5-step evaluation thinking method:
Summary of the 2 thinking methods
You may refer to this summary to help you remember the steps in the 2 thinking methods.
What you’ve learnt thus far
On the first 2 days of the 10-Day challenge I introduced you to the 2 most important thinking processes in chess:
- How to calculate tactics &
- How to Evaluate a position
As from tomorrow we will shift our focus to more exercises that will put you on the road to master these 2 thinking methods. There are two important benefits you get from focusing your training on these 2 thinking methods:
- They will help you find good solid moves in your games and
- they will help you understand the game on a deeper level!
If you have the time, feel free to continue to day 3 of the challenge.
Improve Your Chess | Day 3
The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in combat. – Navy SEAL’s
Calculation Exercises
As from today we will focus on doing instructive exercises that will seriously improve your thinking skills.
The video below contains 3 calculation exercises. This is where you start to give your “thinking-muscles” a good workout:
Support Chessfox: If you enjoy the 10-Day Chess Challenge, please consider to support my work by making a donation (any amount you choose).
Evaluation Exercises
The next video has 2 evaluation exercises. It will help you practice your evaluation thinking method and will also will help you get a deeper understanding of why moves are good or bad:
End of day 3
Improve Your Chess | Day 4
Methodical thinking is of more use in chess than inspiration. – Cecil Purdy
Calculation Exercises
Note: The Day 4 video on calculation demonstrated a few exercises from the VISUALWIZE PROGRAM (more information here).
If you are serious about improving your chess vision and calculation skill–then these exercises are exactly what you need!
Get Visualwize Now!

- VISUALWIZE Set 1 | Get it now! $39
- VISUALWIZE Set 2 | Get it now! $39
- VISUALWIZE Set 3 | Get it now! $39
- VISUALWIZE Set 4 | Get it now! $39
- VISUALWIZE Set 5 | Get it now! $39
OR GET THE MEGA BUNDLE DEAL (ALL 5 SETS)
MEGA BUNDLE: Get it now! $117 (Save $78!)
Note: Visualwize works on desktops, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android or any device with a PDF reader. Working through just one of these sets will significantly improve your visualization skill. But if you want to get maximum benefit from these exercises then you should take advantage of the VISUALWIZE MEGA BUNDLE DEAL.
Evaluation Exercises
Interesting point to note: In a real game you need not follow these steps all the time. Instead, you should mostly focus on the consequence of the last move. The last move gives you information about everything that changed in the position and you should think about that most of all. However, while training your thinking skill (as is the case during the 10-Day challenge) I recommend you view the exercises as a “brain-muscle workout” and follow the method step-by-step.
Improve Your Chess | Day 5
My opponents make good moves too. Sometimes I don’t take these things into consideration. – Bobby Fischer
Calculation Exercises
*DISCOVER VISUALWIZE – Train Your Mind To See 8 Moves Ahead!
Evaluation Exercises
If you enjoy the 10-day challenge, please leave a short review here.
Improve Your Chess | Day 6
It’s a funny thing, most players think that if they can get a higher rating, they become a better player, but it’s the other way around. – Stewart Rueben
Calculation Exercises
*DISCOVER VISUALWIZE – Train Your Mind To See 8 Moves Ahead!
Evaluation Exercises
End of Day 6
Improve Your Chess | Day 7
The beauty of a move lies not in its appearance but in the thought behind it. – Aaron Nimzowitsch
Calculation Exercises
*DISCOVER VISUALWIZE – Train Your Mind To See 8 Moves Ahead!
Evaluation Exercises
End of Day 7
Improve Your Chess | Day 8
Those who wish to perfect themselves must regard their losses as lessons and learn from them what sorts of things to avoid in the future. – Jose Capablanca
Calculation Exercises
*DISCOVER VISUALWIZE – Train Your Mind To See 8 Moves Ahead!
Evaluation Exercises
End of Day 8
Improve Your Chess | Day 9
Training your brain is just as important as training your body. It’s just like a muscle – if you’re not using it, you will lose it. – Magnus Carslen
Calculation Exercises
*DISCOVER VISUALWIZE – Train Your Mind To See 8 Moves Ahead!
Evaluation Exercises
End of Day 9
Improve Your Chess | Day 10 (Last Day!)
You work for a long period of time and the results don’t really show, but at some point everything just comes together and you start to play better, or get more confidence. – Fabiano Caruana
Good luck with the last day!
Calculation Exercises
Evaluation Exercises
That’s it. You’ve completed the 10-Day Chess Challenge!
Support Chessfox: If you enjoyed the 10-Day Chess Challenge, please consider to support my work by making a donation here (any amount you choose).
Thank you. I trust your chess will continue to improve as a result of what you learnt in the 10-Day Chess Challenge!
To further improve your chess: