Principles of Attack

“There are two types of sacrifices: correct ones, and mine.” ~Mikhail Tal

 Attack 

• UNDERSTANDING, not memory, is the essential key to chess success, the chess player who understands why, will consistently defeat opponents who know only how.
• Play by sound general principles adapted to the specific requirements (offensive opportunities and defensive necessities) in each position.
• Play SLOWLY. Haste and carelessness are greater enemies than your opponent. Accuracy, not speed, is essential in chess. Be patient — the reward for speed is a legacy of lost games.
• Respect all opponents, but fear none.
• To find the best moves, and avoid becoming intimidated or over confident, play the position on the board — not the opponent.

I got the below position against an IM. there is a nice tactics here try to find.

I was knowing that this position is winning somehow but i saw a draw variation after 26...Nh3?? and claimed the draw out of nervousness. 

• Expect to win, whenever the opportunity arises - opening, middlegame, or endgame. Win by attack or by attrition. Remember, checkmate is the goal.!
• Patience is the byword in the opening and early middlegame, especially as Black. Best results are achieved by first building a solid, strong, active position — safe King, active pieces, strong center, and sound pawn formations — then seeking tactical and attacking opportunities.
• Try to gain a material or positional advantage early, and increase it. Improve your position with every move, and accumulate small advantages.
• Be aggressive! Attack opponents’ weaknesses! Play forcing moves (checks and captures, and threats to check and capture.)
• Attacks are only justified, by existing or potential weaknesses. Avoid useless checks and premature attacks that waste time and scatter pieces.
• Play with a series of sound, flexible plans. Plan early and continuously. Base plans on strengths and weaknesses in the position, and modify as necessary or desirable (plans are made for a few moves only, not for the entire game.)
• Correct ANALYSIS is the foundation of strong chess. Accurate and complete analysis of each position — for both sides — enables a player to develop sound plans and effective moves. When analyzing a position, search for the central features — especially identify and examine weaknesses — and base your plans on these features. Look at King safety, material status, possible tactics, piece placement and mobility, pawn structure, control of significant squares, and time (tempi).
• In tactical situations, always analyze each candidate move to a quiet position — one in which all checks and captures have been exhausted or neutralized (your “horizon”).
• Disguise your plans — play least committal moves first, especially when preparing an attack.
• Do not be myopic and become too involved in your own plans. Play both sides of the board. Analyze your opponent’s strengths, weaknesses, and possibilities as well as your own.
• Stay calm, relaxed, and focused during each game (tension and panic rout logical thought.)
• When even or ahead, play hard. When behind, play harder!
• Use time wisely. Think and plan on your opponent’s time during the game. Avoid time trouble. When in time trouble, try to think and play calmly.
• Do not relax and become overconfident and careless when ahead. Apply the “killer instinct” throughout the game.
• Focus on playing your best, rather than only on winning. Play your best, and the wins will come.
• Have a sound and specific purpose every time you touch a chessman — try to improve your position with every move.
• Every piece and pawn in a chess game should do useful work.
• When you find a good move, always look for a better one!
• Play according to the OFFENSIVE OPPORTUNITIES and DEFENSIVE NECESSITIES in each position.
• Seek the initiative (ability to create threats.)
• The most consistently effective strategy is to win with minimum risk — avoid risky variations and speculative lines of play, unless behind. When ahead, play for the certain win, even if slower.
• Play aggressively, but soundly. Avoid risky, trappy, and unsound moves — unless desperately behind.
• When ahead in material or position, reduce your opponent’s chances for counterplay by minimizing his tactical opportunities.
• Seek chess “bargains” — try to gain more than you relinquish on every move.
• Avoid playing moves which help your opponent.
• Hinder your opponent when possible.
• In every chess position, first ANALYZE accurately, then PLAN soundly, and finally EXECUTE effectively (A-P-E).
• Examine and respect the small tactical and positional details in each position — they often contain the keys to victory.
• Keep the normal values of the pieces in mind (Queen-9, Rook-5, Bishop-3 + , Knight-3, pawn-1), and remember that these values vary according to the position, mobility, and potential of the pieces. Whether attacking or defending, count the number and consider the values of both attackers and defenders on a target piece, pawn, or square before exchanging or occupying, to insure against losing material.
• The sequence of moves is often important— in a series of exchanges, capture with the lowest-value attacker or defender first, unless an alternative capture is clearly more advantageous.
• Chess is not Solitaire — sound chess begins with respect for your opponent’s ideas, moves, threats, and ability.
• To win chess game, you must first not lose it—avoid mistakes, such as leaving pieces emprise (unguarded) or exposing your King. Before each of your moves, ask yourself: “Does this move IMPROVE MY POSITION?” and “Is this move SAFE?” Avoiding mistakes is the beginning of improvement in chess. THINK before you move!
• Determine the purpose of each move by your opponent — ask yourself: “What is the THREAT?” and “What has ("HANGED in the position?” Concentrate on offense and attacking, but recognize and answer all threats.
• The two most common (and often fatal) mistakes in chess are moving too fast and overlooking your opponent’s threats — “sit on your hands” until ready to move.
• Search for multipurpose moves, and recognize possible multiple purposes of opponents’ moves.
• Superior force usually wins so stay even or ahead in material throughout the game (except for gambits, combinations, or sacrifices to force checkmate or a winning endgame)
• TACTICS decide all chess games. Successful tactical play involves recognizing, creating, and attacking weaknesses to win material and to checkmate. Always be alert for tactical opportunities and threats.
• Examine every possible check and capture for both sides! on each move.

• Look for frequent TACTICS:

1. 1. 1. Superior force
      2. Pins
      3. Skewers
      4. Knight forks
      5. Double attacks
      6. Discovered attacks

• Look for less frequent TACTICS:
  • 1. Overworked defenders
    2. Vital guards
    3. Removing defenders
    4. Deflecting defenders
    5. Sacrifices
    6. In-between moves
    7. Vulnerable back rank
    8. Interference
    9. No retreat-Trapping pieces
    10. Desperado
    11. Zugzwang
    12. Queening combinations
    13. Underpromotion
• Play COMBINATIONS, sequences of forcing tactical moves, often involving a temporary sacrifice, which lead to a tactical or positional advantage.

• Anticipate your opponent’s best replies to your moves (ask yourself, “What move would I play against this move of mine?”); then other moves by your opponent should pose no problem. While not relying on an opponent’s errors, do take advantage of any mistakes that occur.
• POSITIONAL play, the control of important squares and lines, involves active piece placement and a sound pawn structure, as well as creating weaknesses in your opponent’s position.
• Sound positional play provides the necessary foundation for effective tactics — incorrect or inferior positional play is seldom redeemed by tactical salvation. Positional superiority precedes and supports effective tactics.
• Do not sacrifice material without a clear reason and sufficient compensation (e.g., open lines for attack, expose the enemy King, remove key defenders, simplify to a winning endgame, etc.).
• Accept opponents’ sacrifices, unless clearly dangerous.
• Remember the three special moves in chess: castling, pawn promotion, and capturing en-passant.

Below I'm inserting the PGN file of Attacking Tactics download it and practice on https://www.chess.com/analysis

File:- Download here

Checkout the previous Blog Epic Checkmates.