Logic
Reasoning, planning ahead and switching strategy when the situation changes.
Payoff: think two or three steps ahead in a negotiation, break a tangled problem into an order of operations, and change tactics fast when plan A stops working.
Train with these exercises
Tower of HanoiMove all discs to the right pegSudoku 6×6Digits 1–6 in each row, column and blockPatterns: ReasoningContinue the number sequenceSET: TriplesFind a triple by 4 attributesMental RotationFind the rotated copy of a shapeTower of LondonRearrange balls in minimum movesWCST: RulesFind the hidden sorting rule
All 48 trainers →Read the evidence
What creates the cost of switching tasksChanging rules adds preparation, retrieval, and interference costs even when the next task is known.Planning is more than reaching the final stateTower tasks reveal how a person forms subgoals, anticipates constraints, and repairs a plan.Tower of HanoiMove all discs to the right pegMental RotationFind the rotated copy of a shapeHow we evaluate the evidenceProven: regular practice produces clear, measurable improvement on the trained skills, and several paradigms (e.g. speed-of-processing, working memory) show transfer to related real tasks.
Research references
- Rogers, R. D., & Monsell, S. (1995). Costs of a predictable switch between simple cognitive tasks. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 124(2), 207–231. DOI: 10.1037/0096-3445.124.2.207
- Rubinstein, J. S., Meyer, D. E., & Evans, J. E. (2001). Executive control of cognitive processes in task switching. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 27(4), 763–797. DOI: 10.1037/0096-1523.27.4.763
- Mayr, U., & Kliegl, R. (2003). Differential effects of cue changes and task changes on task-set selection costs. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 29(3), 362–372. DOI: 10.1037/0278-7393.29.3.362
- Shallice, T. (1982). Specific impairments of planning. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 298(1089), 199–209. DOI: 10.1098/rstb.1982.0082
- Owen, A. M., Downes, J. J., Sahakian, B. J., Polkey, C. E., & Robbins, T. W. (1990). Planning and spatial working memory following frontal lobe lesions in man. Neuropsychologia, 28(10), 1021–1034. DOI: 10.1016/0028-3932(90)90137-D
- Dagher, A., Owen, A. M., Boecker, H., & Brooks, D. J. (1999). Mapping the network for planning: A correlational PET activation study with the Tower of London task. Brain, 122(10), 1973–1987. DOI: 10.1093/brain/122.10.1973
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♟ChessPlayers 1500+ ELO · coaches
For competitive players who lose games to late-round fatigue, not weak openings. Trains deep calculation, spatial visualization (mental rotation) and the sustained attention to stay sharp across a long game. Expect cleaner calculation, fewer blunders in time trouble and steadier focus over 4+ hours.