The Woodpecker Method

The Woodpecker Method by Axel Smith and Hans Tikkanen is one of the most influential chess training books of the last decade. The concept is simple but effective: solve over 1,000 tactical exercises, then solve them again, faster, across multiple cycles, building deep pattern recognition through deliberate repetition. It's essentially spaced repetition applied to chess tactics, and it works. The exercises are well-curated, the difficulty curve is sensible, and Smith's explanatory chapters on why the method works are surprisingly engaging. The main friction point is the physical format — tracking solve times and cycling through a 400-page book gets tedious quickly, which is why digital implementations like Disco Chess (which automates the cycle tracking, timing, and adds Anki-style mistake review) have become a popular companion to the book. Whether you work through it on paper or digitally, The Woodpecker Method is essential reading for any improving player rated 1200–2200 who wants to sharpen their tactical vision through structured, disciplined training.

The 'Woodpecker method' is an amazing puzzle book, a little challenging for me, but, this method of repeating cycles over and over again is amazing. You dont even think after a few cycles, its a part of your intuition.