Every day I read through the comments after struggling (usually) through the daily puzzle, and see multiple comments regarding the difficulty in finding these tactics in a real game.

I definately agree with this perspective, and I'm sure that if I played any OTB 'serious' games I would completely miss 'obvious' winning tactics.  I'm sure I miss tactics here on chess.com games as well, but I have definately noticed an improvement in finding tactics from time to time since I started drilling tactics and studying the daily puzzles.

I think it is important to make clear to new players such as myself that the goal of tactics and puzzles is not to show you how to win in an actual game, but rather to give you a position that is seemingly lost or at least equal - and to lead you to the realization that there is often a way to capitalize in these situations.

My understanding is that repeated exposure will lead to PATTERN recognition, eventually translating into execution of winning tactics in game situations.

Thanks as always to everyone on this site for sharing your wisdom and insights into this amazing game (err...sport?).

I'm in the same boat. I'm getting better at solving tactical puzzles, and it has helped my pattern recognition. But in OTB play, the level of the tactics I can practically use is much lower that what I calculate in puzzles. For this reason, I'm working through the Convekta's "Chess Tactics for Beginners" that I bought for my daughter. I think alot of us when we read "practice tactics" start to complex. You have to get the automatic stuff ingrained first, like math facts.

if you study tactics you WILL get better at recognizing patterns!

www.chess.com/tactics ;)

 

Erik, the tactics trainer is awesome - one request though...can you possibly lock me out of the trainer after, say, 1 or 2AM...those late night tactics are KILLING my rating!

nineofjoker wrote:

Erik, the tactics trainer is awesome - one request though...can you possibly lock me out of the trainer after, say, 1 or 2AM...those late night tactics are KILLING my rating!

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 haha! very funny :)

nineofjoker wrote:

Erik, the tactics trainer is awesome - one request though...can you possibly lock me out of the trainer after, say, 1 or 2AM...those late night tactics are KILLING my rating!

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 That's nothing.  I routinely am up to 3-4 a.m. on the weekends poring over chess books.

way too serious unbeleiver and nineofjoker