
Loose Pieces and Weak Squares
For amateur players, studying tactics is one of the most productive activities we can engage in. Most of the games we play are won and lost because of a blunder. As we improve, this ratio decreases, but like brushing our teeth or sword fights, we must be ever vigilant.
Of course, one of the ways we develop this skill is through solving tactical problems. For example, if you saw the following problem, what would you play?
Not too difficult I hope. The red flags were pretty obvious - hanging piece on e5, underprotected pawn on f2 (in particular, the squares f2 and f7 are tasty little spots for tactics to happen) - and so we look for a way to exploit both at the same time.
Of course, seeing a tactic presented to you on a platter and setting it up in our games are sometimes two different things. As the quote goes, "Tactics flow from superior positions." So in our games we try to improve our position move-by-move, ever mindful of a mistake our opponent may make. Playing actively and developing your pieces efficiently help, as your pieces will then be ready when it is time to strike.
The position above came from one of my recent games, and I actually didn't play ...Ng4 in this specific position (although I should have). Fortunately, my opponent gave me another chance...
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