Questions tagged [tactics]
Questions relating to maneuvers that take advantage of short-term opportunities, such as forks, discovered attacks, skewers, etc.
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Why I can not improve in chess & why I can not see the things? [closed]
Why is it that I can not improve in chess? When I lose a game, I feel very angry. I am always trying to improve so I played a lot, but I can not see any improvement. Please suggest me something.
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French (white) loss to a master - where could I have improved?
[FEN ""]
[Date "6/16/2018"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Me"]
[Black "Opponent"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "1874"]
[BlackElo "2286"]
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Be3 Be7 8. ...
- 485
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votes
4
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Loss to a master, where did I go wrong? Two knights 4.d3 (black)
[FEN ""]
[Date "6/15/2018"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Opponent"]
[Black "Me"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2248"]
[BlackElo "1874"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. Bb3 d6 7. c3 Bg4 8. ...
- 485
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3
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Why couldn't I win this Maroczy Bind (vs 2000)?
[FEN ""]
[Date "6/10/2018"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Me"]
[Black "Opponent"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteElo "1874"]
[BlackElo "2000"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 g6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Bg7 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 Nc6 7. Be3 O-...
- 485
3
votes
2
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Loss as black in 4.e3 English / rook ending
[FEN ""]
[Date "6/10/2018"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Opponent"]
[Black "Me"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2383"]
[BlackElo "1874"]
1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. e3 Be7 5. Qb3 O-O 6. Be2 d6 7. d3 Rb8 8. O-...
- 485
2
votes
3
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English/KID loss as white to a 2300+ player
[FEN ""]
[Date "6/9/2018"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Me"]
[Black "Opponent"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "1874"]
[BlackElo "2332"]
1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. Nc3 O-O 5. e4 d6 6. Nge2 c5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d3 ...
- 485
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How does white mate in two?
[FEN "7Q/p1p1b1B1/6r1/2p3kp/4Bp1q/7P/PPP2PP1/6K1 w - - 0 1"]
(source)
In this problem, it’s White to move and mate in two. What is the solution?
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Tools specifically for training at finding loose pieces?
There are of course lots of tactical trainers out there, but I'm wonder if there are any that focus solely on the basic skill of spotting loose or hanging pieces. It is of course a trivial exercise ...
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2
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Is this tactics puzzle flawed?
While solving puzzles on ChessTempo, I came across this puzzle:
[FEN "8/8/1p6/p1p3p1/P1P1B1K1/1P2kP2/5n2/8 w - - 9 1"]
1. Kf5
I played the intended correct answer,
[FEN "8/8/1p6/p1p3p1/P1P1B1K1/...
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4
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How does one find the tactic here?
1rr3k1/p3p1b1/b2p2pB/q2P1p2/4P3/1PNn1PK1/P1RQN1PP/7R b - - 0 23
In the above position (reached after 1. Bxh6?) Stockfish points out that Black has a winning move, going from 0.00 to -2.25.
However, ...
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What is the winning move here and why?
B1b2rk1/p3pp1p/6p1/q1Pp4/3b1B2/2n4P/P2Q1PP1/2R1K2R b K - 0 17
Stockfish rates this position as -2.94, so Black is clearly winning. Or is it so clear? After 1... Bxf2+ 2. Qxf2 Ne4+ 3. Bd2 Nxf2 4. Bxa5 ...
- 2,438
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4
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Failing to understand a pin from a tactics book
I've began going through, over the board, 1001 Winning Chess Sacrifices and Combinations - 21st century edition. This book is a great supplement to my last question on studying tactics, and I feel ...
user14142
5
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5
answers
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Practicing tactics
I have been floating around the 800-900 tactical rating on chess.com for a while. A few things I've noticed
For a beginner I'm having giant swings in rating based on if I get a series that I can ...
user14142
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9
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Opening as a Beginner: Mainlines or Offbeaten path?
I am approximately 1500 OTB (Lichess Classical 1750, chess.com 1540, internal rating in my club ~1500), and of course I would like to improve. Work and family are demanding, so naturally I would like ...
- 539
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The end of anti-computer chess
In the old days it was possible to beat computers basically by playing slow, closed positions with weaknesses that can be exploited in the long term, beyond the calculation depth of the engine.
As ...
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Anki deck for tactics training
Does anybody have Anki decks for tactics training? If anyone has such decks, could you share them with me?
I am trying to improve my tactics and I have heard that space repetition is one way to do ...
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Which is better for an improving amateur to play even better: correspondence chess or faster time controls[both online]?
Currently, I do the following in order to improve my chess:
Play several (currently 9) correspondence chess games simultaneously on Chess.com.
Do tactics and puzzles regularly on Lichess.com and ...
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4 player chess tips
I recently looked into chess.com's four player chess. Its fun but had little success until now. I usually try and play moves to open my diagonal pieces but centre queen rushes always bring trouble. I ...
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Game with computers choosing the worst possible moves [duplicate]
Since chess engines in one way or an other rank alternative moves, it should be able to search for the worst move as well as the best. Have engines played each others trying to lose, and what has come ...
- 418
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How to get to 1600
I've often heard people say that, to get to a FIDE rating of 1600, one doesn't need a coach, and that one can do it by oneself.
I'd be glad if you could help me see what one can do to achieve that. ...
- 1,100
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Training tactics - doing more easy puzzles or fewer, but deep, puzzles?
I know daily tactics training is very beneficial. However, what is the best way to do so?
Lets say I have 15 minutes a day. Is it better I do 3/4 puzzles in detail, spend 5 minutes on each ...
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What is the CQL syntax for combinations where king is checked along a file, and the square near it is attacked by bishop or queen?
I am looking to search for combinations similar to the one in Karpov - Taimanov, 1977 - a knight check, is followed by opening of an 'h' file, and the rook comes with decisive effect because attacker'...
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Improving my ability to scan the board
This seems like a silly noob question...but I am a silly noob. Sitting at around 600 (and floating there in both tactics and in 30 minute games) I've noticed I give away material or extend the game ...
user14142
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3
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What is the best way to solve chess puzzles?
Doing puzzles at lichess.org I stuck at raiting 1750 +- 50. I cant really go over 1800. So what are the first things one should check by solving puzzles? Are there some tricks how to solve puzzles?
- 1,963
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When is a bishop stronger than a rook?
Usually the rook is stronger than the bishop. Are there situations (and obviously I'm not assuming equal material) in which the latter is stronger?
- 202
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Looking for a Horowitz game
I just remembered a puzzle from a Horowitz game in which he played white against an Italian (I believe) player whose name started with "M".
The black queen was defending f6, preventing Bxf6#. There ...
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Why is e6 "forced" in this position?
Larry Christiansen has played and analysed his four games against Chessmaster.
At the 8th move, he shows a different possible continuation and says that e6 (shown below) is forced for black. I don't ...
- 1,110
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Why is exposing my queen for capture better in this position (According to computer analysis)?
In one my of my game, the following position appeared (me white):
Computer analysis says that I should have played Nf3 (exposing my queen being captured by the bishop). In the proposed scenario by ...
- 219
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Why is `a5` a better move in this position?
I was playing with a friend and we come to the following position (me white):
My friend played b5 but computer analysis says that this is a mistake and he should have played a5. Now, I don't see why ...
- 219
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5
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What should a beginner focus on to improve his level?
I learned chess only about 1 month ago. Of course, my first game was terrible. After reading some tips I improved a little. Learning basics of few openings (like Spanish, Vienna and Urusov) increased ...
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How did I go wrong?! Embarassing Loss
this is a recent online game I played. I'm usually about an 1800 USCF player, but I had this very disappointing loss to a 1400 level player. Stronger players might look at this sub-par game and wonder ...
- 485
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8
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How do you solve chess tactics?
Do you just grind them, or do you save some of the chess tactics that you miss?
Do you ever annotate your chess tactics?
Do you try to remember certain patterns and main ideas? Do you categorize ...
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How to bring tactics skills into the actual play?
According to few popular sites, my tactics rating is consistently about 400 points above my game rating (say, 2200 vs 1800).
Of course, partially it could be a fault of the process: when a tactics ...
- 1,577
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2
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What are some techniques for BvN endgames?
Let's say all the pawns are on one side of the board, either left, middle or right. (If there were two pawn groups far from each other, I imagine the Bishop would be much better than the Knight.)
So ...
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How would you analyze this critical position from my most recent game?
r1b2r2/1p2bp1k/p3p2p/2qnN3/2B4Q/2P3R1/PP3PPP/2K1R3 w - - 4 20
In the diagram position, I was white. I had sacrificed a bishop for a pawn for a huge attack on the black king. I realized during the ...
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Creating opportunities for tactics other than by enemy mistakes [closed]
Tactics, such as the pin, skewer, and fork, take advantage of uncompromised positions of pieces, and sometimes inadequately guarded pieces. Usually, tactics can also occur during an intermezzo.
If ...
- 2,438
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Where to find Tactical Exercises on the Decoy
A decoy tactic is forcing an enemy piece to move to a square that prevents it from guarding an original square.
For example, if the black queen is at c7 and the f7 square is being attacked, getting ...
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How can one precisely sacrifice a piece for a winning attack?
r2qkb1r/5ppp/p1bppn2/1p3P2/4P3/1BN5/PPP3PP/R1BQ1RK1 b qk - 0 1
1... b4 2. fxe6! bxc3 3. exf7+
In the above game, black played 1...b4 to encumber the white knight's journey to d5. Ambitiously, white ...
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Best heuristic for memorizing positions in chess
Opening variations may be memorized by recalling what the objective behind every move is. For example, the first few moves of the Ruy Lopez fight to control e5.
In the middlegame, we may find ...
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Reviewing Chess Tactics Puzzles
Is there somewhere online I can play chess tactic puzzles and redo them whenever I want? I do tactics on lichess but it doesn't store my puzzles. Is there somewhere that stores all my tactic problems ...
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Method to study chess puzzles way above your level
I have a collection of middle-game chess puzzles classified in levels. I can solve most puzzles in the first level after a few minutes, and some of the puzzles in level 2.
But for higher levels there ...
- 272
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How could I have improved my attack in this game?
I won the game easily because my opponent left a rook hanging in the end. I believe I missed opportunities to build a stronger attack, but I am not sure how I could have done so.
[FEN ""]
1.d4 e5 2....
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What are some common tactics that arise when black has played h6?
What are some common tactics or ideas that arise when black has played h6 (or white has played h3) in front of his castled king?
An example I have in mind is, in this position, white can win a pawn ...
- 123
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2
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How to play better with Knight?
I'm solving tactics on http://chesstempo.com .
One of the things that I struggle with, is tactics involving moving the Knight several times. I find it very odd to calculate Knight movement beyond the ...
- 152
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3
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Is three knights versus knight really winning?
Take a look at the following position, reached in the #40974 Tactics Problem on chess.com
[fen "4N1K1/5P2/6k1/8/6n1/8/N7/8 w - - 0 1"]
The engine gives +6.22 for white in this position. I already ...
- 1,089
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1
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Chesscademy Tactic: Is my alternative as good as the right answer?
I've been playing with the Chesscademy app for a while, solving some tactics (which I'm not sure is improving my chess, but it's a good puzzle to kill some time). Today I ran into one tactic that I ...
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What to do when your opponent doesn't play along in the opening?
I looked around and could not find an answer for this.
I've studied a pretty good amount of opening theory and so I know the "correct" moves for some basic lines. Most e4 openings and a fair amount ...
- 261
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1
answer
134
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An unnecessary threat?
I found myself in a game with this position. Last Black's move was a Queenside castle, which let him a little bit uncovered. My first spontaneous move idea (which I finally played, because of time ...
- 233
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4
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Are mind games effective?
If you want a quick match and need a way to put off your opponent early on, what sort of tactics can i use to mess with their head? I am specifically interested in the opening and middlegame, however ...
- 2,081
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Does three-player chess have any special tactics I should know about?
In chess, attacking the centre and using major pieces to support minor pieces to support pawns are common tactics. In three-player chess the game is more complex.
Should I be taking the centre, ...
- 2,081