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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23 votes
9 answers
9k views

Best ways for improving "tactics"

I have been playing chess for a long time, and I have been around 1850-1900 ELO for quite some time. I have always wondered which are the best ways to improve the tactics. Does playing more and more ...
Anshu's user avatar
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21 votes
2 answers
2k views

In Chess, are there simple "mechanics" that amateurs can learn to improve their game?

In the board game Go, for instance, it is often of great importance whether or not a stone can be captured in a so-called "ladder" (an often complicated formation). One of the things that separates ...
Tom Au's user avatar
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6 votes
2 answers
2k views

Sicilian Scheveningen versus Najdorf: What are some of the characteristics that differentiate the two openings?

I would like to compare the Sicilian Scheveningen [FEN ""] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 with the Sicilian Najdorf [FEN ""] 1.e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 ...
Robert Kaucher's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
620 views

Specialized tactics books to improve position analysis?

I know that Mig Greengard used to have the VisualEyes column in Chess Ninja. In that column you were given a position and then a list of moves (say 3 or 4 moves forward) and then you were asked to ...
Robert Kaucher's user avatar
53 votes
10 answers
18k views

How do I learn to understand the middlegame?

I am trying to train tactics as well as my general understanding of the beginning/middlegame. I spent a good bit of time understanding endgames, per chessmaster recommendations and those I can ...
Jeff Davis's user avatar
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7 votes
2 answers
880 views

Are there statistics on the frequency of tactical motifs?

I was taking a look at the tactical motifs on chess tempo and I was curious to know which motifs are encountered most often and which motifs are encountered the least? Are their statistics for this?
xaisoft's user avatar
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13 votes
6 answers
15k views

What are the differences between tactical and positional chess?

Does one style of play have an advantage/disadvantage over the other? Are today's GMs mostly tactical players or positional players? What GMs should I follow if I want to be more of a tactical ...
xaisoft's user avatar
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8 votes
2 answers
791 views

Can a single player's choice of opening dictate a more (or less) aggressive game?

Usually a player feels comfortable with few "positions" (unless he/she is a GM). That's why sometimes it's said that a player should choose and begin to study openings whose outcome results in a ...
javatutorial's user avatar
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10 votes
4 answers
376 views

What length of time should one spend looking for a combination, and what factors should one consider?

Taking time control into account, how long should one take when looking for a combination? Also, what factors should one consider when looking for a combination?
xaisoft's user avatar
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9 votes
5 answers
1k views

Must a player play tactical openings to learn tactics?

As has been said, Chess in 99% tactics/calculation. So, if a player is aiming to increase his tactical abilities should he play tactical openings like the King's Gambit, or can he play something ...
Rex Butler's user avatar
14 votes
3 answers
914 views

How can I find good tactics problems?

Say you have a database of a lot of games. How would you go about finding good tactics problems? I suppose you would search until there was a spot where the score shifted, and there was only one good ...
Eve Freeman's user avatar
  • 3,779
12 votes
6 answers
1k views

What are some helpful chess tactics training websites? [closed]

I like Chesstempo and chess.emrald.net[1]. Are there any others? Edit (25.12.2020): Since at least 2018, chess.emrald.net has often not been responsive.
xaisoft's user avatar
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