“Some students of my online chess school had already asked me about Tactics Frenzy. So it was a welcome invitation to review it. Tactics training is crucial when you want to improve. My favourite is Chesstempo.com, but that works only web-based. Tactics Frenzy is among the best apps, and I can certainly recommend it.
To start with it looks good, the graphics are pleasant, you can choose colours and design. The gamification works nicely, and there are monthly online competitions. If you solve exercises really fast you gain extra time. You have to choose your level carefully. When I started with an easy level, I got more and more time and could never be done. By and large the positions are well chosen. On the hard level I found the exercises a bit uneven, but nothing like Chess.com’s Puzzle Rush where you encounter checkmates in one or simple knight forks.
All motives are mixed. It would be great if there was the option to solve only double attacks, or diversions or desperados. In my junior years I studied the ‘Encyclopedia of Chess Combinations’ and the ‘Test Your Chess IQ’ series which were organised by tactical themes. This trains your pattern recognition. I am not aware of any tactics app that lets you choose the category. Even Chesstempo does not have it. Something for the developers to consider!”
As told to Stefan Löffler.
Available from Android 5.0 or iOS 10.0, 66 MB 7 days free, €3 per month, € 16 half year, € 28,50 annual