Working on tactics but in games I have no plan

WW:

"...show me a strong player who never paid his dues to the gods of
blood, sweat & elbow grease, and I'll show you a big fat liar"

That is so very true. It's crossing this hurdle where some players just
give up the game thinking it is beyond them.

Keep plugging away and one day you will suddenly 'get good'
These are Fischer's words.

This endless quest for the secret book (which you don't have to read)
to turn you into a good chess player is also another myth.
There is no lazy quick fix book or chess program.

Play as often as you can and study with a book & board as often as
your spare time allows you and one day.....

Tactics are over-rated. I was playing a casual game on another site where you can play games against the machine on the site and I chose the strongest setting. It didn't play an opening, played the alekhine's defence and before I realised what was going on it put up a strong position.

It then won one of my pawns and my position didn't look good. Its the same when I play strong humans. There does not arise an opportunity to use the tactics you read on page 57 of your 1000-winning-tactics or whatever. The GM will have strangled you long before that.

Originally posted by enrico20
Tactics are over-rated. I was playing a casual game on another site where you can play games against the machine on the site and I chose the strongest setting. It didn't play an opening, played the alekhine's defence and before I realised what was going on it put up a strong position.

It then won one of my pawns and my position didn't look good. Its the ...[text shortened]... 7 of your 1000-winning-tactics or whatever. The GM will have strangled you long before that.

tactics are not about forcing a tactic to exist, that's what positional play is for. you push and push, and at some point the positional pressure becomes so strong that something gives in. the position breaks, and that break manifests as a tactic.

tactics are about being there when the ball drops. to cash in on your opponent's mistake. if you can't catch the tactic, it's as if the opponent's position never broke up.


however, that's NOT the reason why beginners are always told to train tactics. the real reason is that it's the fastest and most efficient way of teaching the brain to see the board. to REALLY see it. - when we take up chess for the first time, the board is just a random jumble of pieces. because our brain didn't evolve to process that kind of visual information, an 8x8 square grid with 4 dimensions. it needs to be slowly trained to do that, and it takes a huge amount of work. that skill is paramount to finding good moves. you're absolutely doomed without it.

Originally posted by wormwood
tactics are not about forcing a tactic to exist, that's what positional play is for. you push and push, and at some point the positional pressure becomes so strong that something gives in. the position breaks, and that break manifests as a tactic.

tactics are about being there when the ball drops. to cash in on your opponent's mistake. if you can't catch ...[text shortened]... rk. that skill is paramount to finding good moves. you're absolutely doomed without it.

Once someone is past the beginner stage it is time for them to read stuff such as http://www.exeterchessclub.org.uk/middle.html which is applicable even past the beginner stage.

Originally posted by enrico20
Once someone is past the beginner stage it is time for them to read stuff such as http://www.exeterchessclub.org.uk/middle.html which is applicable even past the beginner stage.

working on tactics is hugely beneficial at least up to IM level, and probably beyond. there's still a tactical difference between IMs and GMs, and probably between super GMs as well.

it doesn't mean you shouldn't practice other things too, but it's still very very important.

Originally posted by wormwood
working on tactics is hugely beneficial at least up to IM level, and probably beyond. there's still a tactical difference between IMs and GMs, and probably between super GMs as well.

it doesn't mean you shouldn't practice other things too, but it's still very very important.

I would say it would depend on where your game is falling apart on games between you and

- weaker players
- players your level
- stronger players

Sure in CC you can have the assistance of books/databases to get you to a decent middlegame position but in OTB chess that is an entirely different story.