Theory on Studying Chess Tactics

So like the topic suggest, I am fairly new player trying to learn how to play chess at a decent level. I don't have any dreams to become the best, simply would like to be competitive enough to maybe join a local chess club (or at least hold my own at a 1200-1500 rating online). I decided to buy a book by John Nunn "Learn Chess." However, I quickly ran into a wall with this approach. This book is a great book and goes into wonderful detail of different tactics, covering the basics, how to play opening, middle game, end game, and some of the basic tactics to win material, etc. To help drive the lessons home each chapter has a "Exercise" section to attempt with a several tactics puzzles to solve. Here is where I run into trouble, even after reading the preceding chapter I can't solve these puzzles. They are simply too difficult for me and I end up frustrated and putting the book down.  

I realized after many failed hours of trying to solve these puzzles that my approach is obviously wrong. Simply trying to calculate the answer in my head is proving to be to difficult as I make to many oversights in my analyzes at my skill level. I have a theory, but I am not sure if it will hurt or help me. My theory is that like mathematical calculations, no one starts doing math problem solving all in their head. We all started back in school writing the steps down to solve each problem. In time and practice this becomes second nature, just like in this equation 3x + 6 = 30, we can quickly look at the problem and solve in our head that x=8. So that's my theory, should I start out by writing out my solutions to these puzzles, my analyzes of the positions, material advantage counts, etc? Or will this simply hurt my thinking when actually playing chess over the board. Pretty sure if I tried to pull out pen and paper in the middle of a match my opponent will have something to say about it. Thanks for any advise.

Well I don't know about that particular book, but some of them might be a bit tough for a beginner. 

I've read some reviews here: https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Chess-John-Nunn/dp/1901983307#customerReviews

What I see is that at least one user says that you should practice tactics online first, if you are doing tactics for the first time or you can't solve those examples. After that you should look at the book again.

I am in the rating range you suggested in your post, so you might find it helpful to read these tips:

https://www.chess.com/blog/nklristic/the-beginners-tale-first-steps-to-chess-improvement


Apart from tactical issue you will find some more topics covered. I hope you will find it useful.

Some examples of the puzzles in question would help see the specifics. Writing out a thought process probably isn't the worst idea. A lot of it can just comedown to practice as well. Your account isn't showing any games from the last month. I'd try to play at least some. Also do tactics online. Chess.com gives many free puzzles, the daily puzzle, 5 rated puzzles, several unrated that even let you choose the type, etc. if you wish to focus on a particular idea.

Tactics are all about looking at Forcing Moves: Check,s Captures, Threats, in that order.  Lets take a look at your last tactic you did.

You need to understand how to evaluate a position also.  So lets keep it simple.

For a tactic to exist, you need 3 of the 4 following to happen:

Material advantage.

Space advantage.

Piece activity advantage.

Weakness(es) in the opponents position.

So...lets take a look at another tactic you did.

In hindsight I probably should of posted an example of one of the puzzles from this book. Here is a puzzle from the chapter that focuses on winning material (his main discussions points focus on forks, overloads, pins, skewers, traps). It is white to move, and black just played f7-f6. What is white's move?

Thank you all for all the help so far. I did not expect such detailed responses. I am definitely noticing a common trend that I have to establish a systematic approach to handling these puzzles. Sounds like writing my thinking out may not be the best idea from what ya'll have shown me so far, but sounds like I had somewhat of the right idea that I need to learn to better evaluate the problem and analyze what is presented instead of just diving into trying to find the solution. 

r2qkb1r/ppp3pp/2n2p2/3np3/2B3b1/3P1N2/PPP2PPP/RNBQR1K1 w kq - 0 1 

For those who want to set up the board, I made this after solving the puzzle. 

Edit: I seem to have forgotten to hit enter after typing up my post. Guess I'll have to type it again. I set it up in paragraph form initially, but I think I'll use a puzzle formatting in my new version, lol. 

Edit: I'm also too dumb to remember that the share option existed... and I could have just pulled up what they already gave us that way, so that was fun. 

Our only check seems to go nowhere, though it's worth pointing out the pawn is pinned to the king, for all the good that does us. 

We have a reasonably forcing way to get the queen somewhere, and nothing to do after that. 

This knight takes on e looks ludicrous, until you realize the queen isn't actually just a freebie. Still, what's stopping them from just taking the knight and calling it a day? 

White is up a pawn and still on the offensive! Black might try to get cute and not let their bishop go undefended though, in theory at least...

We didn't care too much about the rook pinned the pawn, though we appreciated discovered check abilities, but we do care about the rook pinning the knight in this situation! 

A pawn might not seem that great, even with the position you are in, so we can skim around for some other options.

Just tossing a few things out there and skimmed some fast replies offhand. 

To be completely honest, this is probably too tough for you as a start. I may have the answer, but I am not sure as it only brings a pawn with correct play from both. For comparison I am around 1430 on Chess Tempo, with the biggest rating of 1495 for tactics there.

The answer I have is Nxe5. Let me explain my thought process. 

First we need to see the whole board and assess the situation. Material is equal. Black has an undefended bishop on g4 which is important in my lines. His king is unsafe in the center and his pawn on e5 is pinned.

Now, checks, captures and forcing moves. We have Rxe5+, but that is just a rook sacrifice without any follow up, as far as I can see. 

So, no usable checks. We have 2 captures. Bxd5 leads to a simple trade, so it doesn't accomplish anything. We have Nxe5. It looks ridiculous on first sight, but is it? Now a few lines:

1. Nxe5 , 1. ...Bxe1 (if he takes the queen),  2.Nxc6+ with the discovered check from the rook and the attack on the queen from the knight, so we will win the queen and if he then plays say 2. ... Kd7, 3.Nxd8 (getting back the queen), now 2 of his pieces hang Nd6 and Bd1, and only our knight Nd8 hangs so he can take 3. ...Kxd8, we take either Bxd5 or Rxd1, and he saves the other piece. In that line we have gained a minor piece and a pawn. But that line is not the best black could do. 

Now similar line1. Nxe5 , 1. ...Bxe1 ,  2.Nxc6+,  2. ... Kf7, 3. Nxd8+ , 3. ...Rxd8 (forced as it is check), 4. Rxd1, after which we again have a minor piece and a pawn. But that is still not the best black can do.

Edit: Yeah I forgot the line where he block the check with the bishop but it is not any better than first 2 lines.

Last line is the easiest: 
1. Nxe5, 1. ...Nxe5 (just takes the knight, does not take the queen), 2. Qxg4 (it looks like the queen is hanging, but his knight on e5 is pinned, he cant move as he would left his king in check).  In this line we are up a pawn, and that is the best line for black.

Anyway, it is a bit hard for you for sure, so my advice is to go to chess tempo, and practice 5 puzzles a day (or 10 if you can, but more important is to focus on the problem and find a solution than the number ... never guess the solution). After a bit, come back to a book and see if you can solve it. If not keep practicing until you can.

I would start with mate in ones at first until youre comfortably ale to do them.  Then move on to mate in two's.

Check out the book Winning Chess by Fred Reinfeld, it is a easier book to learn tactics by.

I got almost exactly the same puzzle recently that was rated about 1900 so I don't think its a necessarily a beginner tactic. As with any puzzle once you see the solution it looks very obvious but if you haven't solved a similar tactic, the idea can be hard to see.

Wow, surprisingly more difficult than I even thought. Took quite a bit of analyzes to come to the answer. Surprised that puzzles in this book are this difficult even though the book advertises "this book aims to teach the basics of chess without assuming any prior knowledge of the game." Sounds to me you need quite a bit of knowledge to be able to analyze these puzzles, even after reading the material in the preceding chapters.   I think I will take the advice given and go check-out chesstempo or other related online material for some more basic tactics in this topic. I appreciate explanations of your thought processes, really helps fill in the gaps in my own thinking. I actually managed to solve a few of the puzzles later in the book using the advice given here, albeit easier puzzles then his one. I couldn't even process that moving the Nf3 was a good move since black's response would take white's queen.  I give you the word for word "book" answer as follows:

"White found a decisive combination based on a discovered check. He played 1. Nf3xe5!, the main point being that after 1...Bg4xd1 White regains the queen by 2. Ne5xc6+, Bf8-e7 3. Nc6xd8, Ra8xd8 4. Re1xd1 and makes off with an extra piece. In fact, Black has nothing better than 1...  Nc6xe4 2. Qd1xg4, but then he is a pawn down, his knight is awkwardly pinned and his king is still stuck in the centre. White should certainly win in this position." 

I am glad that we've got the answer right. Don't get discouraged just because some book puzzles are too tough for now. You just focus on making steady improvement and after a while you will be able to solve those book puzzles as well. If you need help with anything else, feel free to ask. Have a great day.