Chess.com Resources for Improving Tactical Skill Part 1

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I frequently receive messages from individuals seeking advice regarding improving tactical skill. Instead of answering the same question again and again, I thought I'd just write a blog post regarding this topic.

I can summarize the answer by repeating the same word three times: practice, practice, practice!

Pattern recognization along with grasping the basics of analyzing is all it takes to improve tactics. It is important you understand common tactical patterns and solve hundreds of tactics puzzles.

 

Homework Plan for Under 1400 USCF/FIDE Chess Players for Improving Tactics:

* Spend 30 minutes DAILY doing problems from Chess.com's Tactics Trainer:

http://www.chess.com/tactics/

 

Watch the following chess videos:

 

http://www.chess.com/video/player/patterns-everyone-must-know-basic-tactics---1

http://www.chess.com/video/player/patterns-everyone-must-know-basic-tactics---2

http://www.chess.com/video/player/patterns-everyone-must-know-beyond-the-basics-1

http://www.chess.com/video/player/patterns-everyone-must-know-beyond-the-basics-2

http://www.chess.com/video/player/patterns-everyone-must-know-mating-nets---1

http://www.chess.com/video/player/patterns-everyone-must-know-mating-nets---2

http://www.chess.com/video/player/patterns-everyone-must-know-mating-nets---3

http://www.chess.com/video/player/patterns-everyone-must-know-mating-nets---4

http://www.chess.com/video/player/patterns-everyone-must-know-mating-nets---5

Watch all the videos from this guide:

http://www.chess.com/article/view/video-series-intermediate-checkmates

 

Do These Chess Mentor Courses:

 

Exclusively Checkmates: http://www.chess.com/chessmentor/view_course?id=5

Introduction to Tactics: http://www.chess.com/chessmentor/view_course?id=4

Essential Checkmate Patterns: http://www.chess.com/chessmentor/view_course?id=25

Champion Tactics with GM Wolff series:

Forks: http://www.chess.com/chessmentor/view_course?id=273

Pins and Skewers: http://www.chess.com/chessmentor/view_course?id=274

Double Attack: http://www.chess.com/chessmentor/view_course?id=275

Discovered Check & Double Check: http://www.chess.com/chessmentor/view_course?id=276

Deflecting the Defender: http://www.chess.com/chessmentor/view_course?id=277

Clearance Sacrifice: http://www.chess.com/chessmentor/view_course?id=278

In-Between Moves: http://www.chess.com/chessmentor/view_course?id=279

Interference: http://www.chess.com/chessmentor/view_course?id=280

Misplaced Pieces: http://www.chess.com/chessmentor/view_course?id=281

Back Rank Mate: http://www.chess.com/chessmentor/view_course?id=282

Smother Tactics: http://www.chess.com/chessmentor/view_course?id=283

 

That should keep you busy for a while :)

 

Kairav Joshi is Chess.com's #1-selling coach and creator of the Prodigy Program, the world's most comprehensive online chess course which helped created the youngest-ever chess master in American history. He is the President and CEO of Chess University, Inc. which operates ChessUniversity.com and the Chess University  (formerly branded as Chess.com University) group on Chess.com.

 

Chess University specializes in premium online chess courses, seminars, camps, and other services that feature the world's best coaches and players as instructors including five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand. We offer a fully structured, hands-on learning experience including personalized game analysis from our coaches, detailed study guides, class homework, individual video lessons, quizzes, and much more.

 

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