Chess Tactics: the key to improvement

Solving chess tactics is perhaps the best way to improve necessary skills in all elements of the game.

Sidarth Gazula

5/11/20211 min read

Solving chess tactics is a proven way to improve chess skills. When you solve chess tactics, you are essentially training your brain to recognize patterns and make strategic decisions quickly and accurately. This, in turn, can help you to improve your overall chess ability. But what is a chess tactic, and how can you start solving them to improve your chess skills?

A chess tactic is a sequence of moves that involves a clever trick or maneuver, often involving a sacrifice or trap, that leads to a tangible gain. These tactics can range from simple forks and pins to complex combinations and sacrifices. One way to start solving chess tactics is to find a book or website that provides a collection of chess tactics problems (such as Chess.com, Chess Tempo, or Lichess.org). These problems can range in difficulty from easy to very challenging, so you can start with the easier ones and work your way up as you get better.

Once you have found a book or website with tactics problems, you can start solving them on a regular basis. A good schedule for a beginner who wants to improve their chess skills might look like this:

Monday: Solve 10-15 easy tactics problems

Tuesday: Solve 10-15 medium difficulty tactics problems

Wednesday: Take a break from tactics and review some chess concepts or play a casual game

Thursday: Solve 10-15 medium difficulty tactics problems

Friday: Solve 10-15 hard tactics problems

Saturday: Take a break and play a casual game or review some concepts

Sunday: Solve 10-15 easy tactics problems

By following this schedule, you will be training your brain to recognize chess tactics and make strategic decisions quickly and accurately. This, in turn, will help you to improve your overall chess skills. Of course, this is just one possible schedule, and you may want to adjust it to fit your own needs and schedule. The important thing is to make sure you are solving tactics on a regular basis, as this is the key to improving your chess skills.

Chess Tactics