Circle 1 Completed - Magnus breaks 3000 USCF!

Circle 1 of the first 400 problems was completed today. I'm pretty sure I lost track of time on one of the days as I completed a day early. Just can't figure out which day I managed to completed 100 problems but that's neither here nor there. The results of Circle 1 are as follows:

As you can see, I finished the problems with level difficulty level 10 no problem, then started to falter about halfway through the level 20 problems. As for the level 30 problems, there was only a total of 4 near the end of the first 400 and I obviously did poorly on them. This gives an average success rate of 85% which is something I had expected.

I've learned during this first circle that I have a lot to work on when it comes to my thinking process and calculation skills. I believe a lot has to do with my lack of visualization skills. I've noticed that a lot of the tactics I got right were by luck and not by pure calculation. What I mean by this is that I would often not see the entire calculation until after I've made my first move and the computer would make it's move... at that point the solution would become clear to me. Obviously one cannot be this reckless in an actual game so for the next circle I plan to iron this out. I will start with Circle 2 in the morning and hopefully get my first 100 problems out of the way. Here's to the grind!

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In other exciting news, Magnus Carlsen had a solid performance rating of 2966 during his trip to USA at the Sinquefield Cup. His provisional rating is now 3004(based on 16 games). I know it's just a provisional rating, however seeing an actual rating above 3000 is quite exciting. The man is on fire and I will be cheering for him 100% come November. Best of luck, Magnus!

That's all for now ladies and gentlemen. Have a wonderful day!

- Sir Nemo