Cleaning the Camera Lens

A lot of us Knights Errant appear to be obsessing over CTS. I think the cause is justified. I don't know what the Alekhines or Morphies or Capablancas or Fischers of the past did to stay sharp, but I'm starting to see CTS as an invaluable aid to my tactical ability in chess.

I've noticed my ability functions in cycles. It reaches a peak and then drops. I took a week off to build a new computer to replace mine that had ceased functioning. In that time, my tactical ability dropped dramatically, and I lost a Round 3 game in the OCL at Chessville do to some very poor play.

Now, I've begun to devote at least a small time each day to CTS, and the camera lens of my mind's eye is beginning to see more clearly. My CTS rating is up modestly, and I'm beginning to solve the Andy Soltis Chess to Enjoy problems from the latest Chess Life more readily. Last week, I would look at the positions, and no ideas would come to mind. Yesterday, after some CTS work, the combinations began to appear in my head, albeit slowly.

I have a tournament Saturday. I know if I don't get the camera lens completely clean by then, I don't stand a chance. If I do get it cleaned, and the tacts flow as naturally as they seemed to just a few weeks back, then my performance will be at 100%.