How to Improve Chess Tactics: 5 Essential Tricks for beginners

Picture this: the position looks calm, you feel in control… and then your opponent drops a knight fork on you. Suddenly, your rook is gone, your face heats up, and the game slips away.
They didn’t beat you with some obscure opening—they beat you with tactics.

If you want to improve chess tactics, forget about memorizing 20 lines of the Sicilian. You need to spot patterns and calculate two moves deeper than your opponent.

Today, I’ll show you five essential tactical tricks (with calculation tips, exercises, and tools) that can change the way you play.

As Mikhail Tal once said: “You must take your opponent into a deep dark forest where 2+2=5, and the path leading out is only wide enough for one.”
That path is tactics.

Before Anything: The JCT Scan

Before every single move, run this quick scan: Checks, Captures, Threats.
Ask yourself:

1. Do I have checks?

2. Do I have clean captures?

3. What threats can I create?

4. And crucially: what is my opponent threatening?

This habit alone can save you dozens of games and is the foundation of how to improve chess tactics consistently.

1) Forks: The Knight’s Whip

What it is: One piece attacks two or more targets at once. Knights are famous for it, but queens, bishops, and even pawns can fork.

Patterns to spot

• Knight on e5/d6/f7 near the king often forking king + rook or queen.

• Advancing pawns with check that also attack another piece.

• Queen in central squares threatening multiple diagonals and files.

How to calculate

• Look for loose pieces (LPDO: Loose Pieces Drop Off). If two are hanging, check if your knight or queen can attack both.

• Visualize knight jumps like a grid: ask “Does any destination square touch two prizes at once?”

After e5, what is the best move for White?

Training tip: Create mini-drills with knights in central squares. Ask: “Is there a fork now? If not, what move sets it up?”

"Tactics is knowing what to do when there is something to do." – Savielly Tartakower

2) Pins: Immobilize and Collect

What it is: A piece can’t move because a more valuable one stands behind it.

Patterns to spot

• Bishop pinning knight to the king on e8/e1.

• Rook or queen pinning along a file.

• Side pins against the queen on open ranks.

How to calculate

• Search for open diagonals and files. Ask: “If I put my piece here, does his front piece become untouchable?”

• After pinning, add pressure with another piece or prepare a pawn break to overload the pinned defender.

Common mistake: Pinning “for fun” without a plan. A pin only works if you can exploit it.

Training tip: Collect positions from your own games where you almost pinned something. Re-analyze them and build small puzzles for yourself.

3) Skewers: First the Queen, Then the Rook

What it is: The opposite of a pin. Attack a strong piece (king/queen), force it to move, and capture the weaker piece behind it.

Patterns to spot

• Bishop on a long diagonal hitting queen with a rook behind.

• Rook on an open file against king + rook behind.

• “X-ray attacks” through powerful pieces.

How to calculate

• Imagine the front piece moving. What drops behind?

• Jaques are particularly strong here: check first, win later.

Training tip: Review 10 games and highlight every time pieces are lined up king + queen or queen + rook. Ask yourself: “How could I have opened the line?”

4) Discovered Attacks: The Hidden Laser

What it is: Move one piece to uncover the attack of another. The deadliest: the discovered check.

Patterns to spot

• Bishop + rook/queen lined up on a file or diagonal.

• Knight moving with tempo and opening a line behind it.

• Pawn advances revealing bishops.

How to calculate

• Identify “batteries”: two pieces aligned with an enemy target.

• Look for moves where your front piece moves with tempo (check or threat) while the back piece strikes.

Training tip: Set up 15 positions with bishops aiming down diagonals but blocked. Practice finding moves that uncover attacks with tempo.

"The winner of the game is the player who makes the next-to-last mistake." – Tartakower

5) Double Check: No Escape

What it is: Two pieces check at the same time, usually via a discovered check. The only legal response? Move the king.

Patterns to spot

• Knight moves that also open up a rook/bishop check.

• Coordinated rook + bishop attacks.

How to calculate

• Visualize where your front piece can move to give check while simultaneously opening another check behind.

• Confirm that the follow-up wins material or mates.

Training tip: Watch brilliant attacking games (Lichess “Brilliancies” studies). Identify exactly how the double check was set up.

How to Improve Chess Tactics with Better Calculation

• 2x2 Rule: Always calculate 2 of your moves and 2 of theirs. If tactics appear, stretch to 3–4 moves.

• Candidate moves first: Don’t calculate the first move you see. Write down 3 candidates, then analyze the best.

• Blind visualization: Name squares in your head: “Knight f5 check, king g8, queen g4 check…” Train this daily.

• Chunking: Calculate by themes (checks → captures → threats), not random moves.

• Cut losses: If a line is bad by move 3, stop. Don’t waste brainpower.

"In chess, as in life, opportunities must be grasped when they arise." – Seirawan

Training Tools to Improve Chess Tactics

Free & powerful

• Lichess.org – Thematic puzzles, Puzzle Storm, free engine analysis.

• Chess.com – Tactics Trainer, Puzzle Rush, Game Review with insights.

• ChessTempo.com – Customizable puzzles by motif and difficulty.

• Lucas Chess – Great offline training suite.

Structured training

• Chessable – Tactics courses with spaced repetition.

• Aimchess – Personalized feedback from your own games.

• ChessVision.ai – Turn diagrams into playable positions for extra practice.

How to use them well

• 15–25 minutes daily, focus on quality over quantity.

• Aim for 70–80% accuracy. If you’re at 50%, reduce difficulty.

• After every mistake, reconstruct the line without the engine, then check.

Analyze Your Own Games Like a Coach

1. Import your PGN into Lichess or Chess.com.

2. Review without an engine first: spot critical blunders.

3. Mark 3 moments: your best move, your worst mistake, and the tactic you missed.

4. Only then, run the engine to confirm.

5. Turn every missed tactic into a personal puzzle collection.

This is the fastest way to improve chess tactics: learn directly from your own blind spots.

A 4-Week Tactical Training Plan

Week 1 – Forks & Pins

• 20 min/day: puzzles focused on forks and pins.

• 10 min/day: blindfold visualization of 2-move sequences.

• Play 1 slow game + analyze.

Week 2 – Skewers & Discoveries

• 20 min/day: puzzles by motif.

• 10 min/day: apply JCT scan every blitz game.

• Study 5 miniatures with discovered attacks.

Week 3 – Integration & Tempo

• 20 min/day: mixed puzzles + Puzzle Rush.

• 10 min/day: rebuild 3 missed tactics from your own games.

• Play “play from position” exercises against engine.

Week 4 – Personalization

• 20 min/day: your personal puzzle set + Chessable reps.

• 10 min/day: blind visualization of 3–4 move sequences.

• 2 long games with deep analysis.

Final Takeaway

• Before moving: Checks, Captures, Threats.

• Hunt for loose pieces and alignments.

• Calculate systematically: 2x2, then stretch deeper.

• Train with daily puzzles and review your own mistakes.

As Capablanca said: “In order to improve your game, you must study the endgame before everything else.” But right after that? Tactics.

Want to Accelerate Your Progress?

If you want me to guide you through your games and build a personalized tactical plan:
📧 Email me at kevinmensesgonzalez@gmail.com
📅 Or book a quick call here: 15-min Chess Catch Up