Home / Tactics
In chess, tactical skill refers to your ability to find tactical combinations in your own games. It is one of the 7 skills you should focus on if you want to maximize the effectiveness of your training efforts.
The primary reason to study tactics is to improve your ability to find winning tactical combinations in your own games. It will also help you foresee and prevent your opponent’s tactical ideas.
Chess Tactics Training Lessons
The chess tactics lessons below are specifically designed to help you improve your tactical skill:
- Interaction Between Pieces Is the Foundation of Chess Tactics
- How to Avoid Common Mistakes in Chess
- 8 Tactical Targets in Chess
- The 5 Most Common Tactical Motifs in Chess
- The Beautiful and Surprisingly Common Smothered Mate
- How to Identify and Remove a Defender in Tactical Combinations
- 56 Tactics That All Chess Players Should Know
- 36 Checkmate Patterns That All Chess Players Should Know
- The Ladder Trick
Note: The Chess Tactics Training Room is a work in progress. Check back soon for updates.
Did you know? Many chess players aim to improve their tactical skill by trying to solve hundreds of chess puzzles. If you are like most people, chances are that you also spend time working through random tactical exercises–without being clear on what you are trying to achieve. This doesn’t help you improve your tactical skill in an effective or efficient manner.
Tactical combinations often rely on the clever use of tactical patterns such as forks, pins, skewers and discovered attacks. They are mostly used to win material or deliver checkmate, but it can also be used to achieve a positional advantage. The ability to find tactical ideas in your own games rely heavily on your knowledge of tactical patterns and a well-trained calculation skill.
If you study the chess tactics lessons on this page you will undoubtedly be on your way to improve your chess tactics skill in a highly effective and efficient manner.
If you have any suggestions to improve this page and/or the chess opening lessons–feel free to contact me.