I usually look at the title AFTER I do the puzzle (I'm wired that way). However, I am used to making forcing moves so I am sure what I am doing. When I have to do a middle move, I don't get it nearly as quick. NOTE: You want me to pin you or fork you with my thoughts. I do not want my thoughts to stab you.
BTW: who is Caissa?
You have to acquire 5 visualization pattern memory banks:
1.Tactics visualization pattern memory bank
2.Mating Net visualization pattern memory bank
3.Endgame visualization pattern memory bank
4.Opening visualization pattern memory bank
5.Middlegame visualization pattern memory bank
If you would like to know more please let me know.
It takes a few good habits. First the habit to always always always calculate forcing moves (check and captures) at least until there are no more checks and captures in that line. If you can find moves that make threats, and if your calculation is good enough to see it to the end, then you'll find many tactics in your games.
The second habit is if there are no tactics, a player needs to be able to ignore those ideas that don't work and start looking for what strategic moves are good like improving a piece, gaining space, or preparing a pawn break.
Calculation gets better with practice, and your learn more tactical patterns as you play and practice. Yes in a real game there is no hint that there is a fork or mate. But when there are undefended pieces or an exposed king this is a clue that tactics may be available. When you're attacking and you have a few more attackers than the opponent has defenders then often there are ideas of sacrifice and checkmate.
@FES314 - That's a good way of doing the puzzle. But you are 'used' to making forced moves and I am not. That's the conundrum! Oh and I wouldn't mind your thoughts stabbing me..sticks and stones my friend 
P.S - Caissa is the patron goddess of chess.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ca%C3%AFssa (Please click the link only if you are willing to produce an official proof of being overage at a moment's notice. Defaulters will be forced to listen to Rebecca Black nonstop while playing Vishy Anand, without a queen, ad infinitum...)
@Yaroslavi - you're comment is definitely intriguing. What intrigues me even more though, is that these patterns sound like something that would be available on the internet (certainly sound like established techniques to my ears), but the only link I could find were to your own post on chess.com a few days earlier. Is this something you have developed?
@wafflemaster - Thanks! These points are definitely helpful. Looking specifically for undefended pieces sounds like good advice, but that's something I already am training myself to do. The matter boils down to scenarios where the OP has made 'normal' moves: how do I proceed in this case, what move(s) do I make to actually have an undefended piece or exposed king. Sounds like a silly question but above average players don't just let you enter these situations easily. I agree when you say that look for strategic moves to enhance your own position but then again, I have 5 moves that look awesome to me: which one do I choose? To answer my own question, I think it boils down to pure practice. Anyways, do books help with all this?
streetking1986 wrote
@Yaroslavi - you're comment is definitely intriguing. What intrigues me even more though, is that these patterns sound like something that would be available on the internet (certainly sound like established techniques to my ears), but the only link I could find were to your own post on chess.com a few days earlier. Is this something you have developed?
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Yes, but I have had contributions by other chessplayers along the way.
An example I can give you of the effectiveness is from the Tactics visualization pattern memory bank. After 1 month of following the training the tactical move or combination in any position that you are analyzing will jump up off the board and smack you on the forehead in a flash!
@streetking: If you do enough Tactics Trainers you eventually get the idea of forcing moves. Try to find captures that puts enemy king in check. Do moves that there can be ONE and ONLY one response. Try to lmit the enemy king's moves with discovey checks (if available). TRy and do a lot of discovery checks in real games. They're the troller's ultimate weapon!
Are you SURE you want my thoughts stabbing you?? They are very sharp. Heck, I used them to do surgery before!
Oops wrong post. lol
@streetking: I wish you did not give that link. There could be kids clicking that link and looking at that picture!
@streetking: I wish you did not give that link. There could be kids clicking that link and looking at that picture!
Oh, hi! Were you talking to me?
Yeah, books help.
Also playing a long tournament game, and really trying your best, and afterwards talk to a stronger player about the game and analyze it together. This can really help uncover personal weaknesses and misunderstandings.
@streetking - post a warning next to the link please to satisfy FES's peve :)
Back 2 the original topic plz guys.
Yeah after posting that link, i did think once that maybe it was NSFW. But kids? Shouldn't they be looking over the forums on chesskids or something? Nosey blobs of snot!
But for the etiquette nazis...disclaimer added to original post! :)
Oh hi jposthuma! You're tearing me APART jposthuma...
Waffllemaster/FES - Forced moves, got it in my head now. But when it comes to taking part in tournaments, I hope you're talking about online torunaments on chess.com because it is nigh impossible to enter a physical one, what with the boring* job and all. Finally, analyzing with a stronger player sounds salivating but where to find them! Since online, nobody would be willing to spend that much time with you unless you pay. Thoughts? (including pointy/stabby ones)
* polite word used keeping in mind the aforementioned blobs of snot. Adults, please feel free to substitute 'boring' with the choicest vernacular.
Online chess can work too. The main thing is taking the game seriously and trying your best each move. That way when you make mistakes they're useful lessons.
As for the picture, it's art. I saw paintings like that in elementary school (ages 6-12 years old). The body isn't a bad thing. If you visit Europe they have statues of naked people and kids in public places. IMO it's not in any way NSFW or pornographic.
Yeah I do take it seriously now. Another question that follows (I am tenaciously irritating I know) is that what would be the ideal books for openings, middlegame and endgame?
The picture - Well I guess it differs from culture to culture. In India, opening such 'art' in office will make it difficult to explain to your co-workers that you're simply interested in knowing the history of chess and No, your fetish is not mythological erotica.
Sometimes, even in western countries, I believe it becomes a little dicey to explain it to the onlooker don't you think? Wouldn't they simply assume the worst? Typical reactions:
India - Look at that guy dude! What's he doing? Isn't he afraid of being caught in office with that?
USA - Dang bro! I gotta get me some of that.
UK - You sly, cheeky rat!
Seirawan has a great series, one book each for opening, endgame, strategy, tactics and "brilliancies" (which I guess is about sacrifices).
Would they be good for you? I don't know. They're great as first chess books. I have two of them, the endgame and tactics.
IMO you don't need a book for openings, you can learn enough online with databases, videos, and wikipedia. Although if you play sharp theoretical openings you probably need to have a book. Although (again) I guess in the early stages of learning, your opponents don't play book moves anyway so a lot of opening preparation (as far as memorization goes) is wasted. Being familiar with common middlegame plans and structures is always useful though.
As for the picture I guess it depends on the people where you work. If I saw someone looking at that wiki article and saw the pictures I wouldn't think anything of it.
Well most of the time people would be understanding even here in India, but not always. But I stopped caring about what others think a long time ago, so doesn't really matter to me! :)
Seriwan - I have heard that name before. What about Silman's books? I guess my question really is that do I start with specific books on different sections or first I pick up something that covers chess as a whole; something like The Amateur's mind or Logical chess move by move?
I don't know the best way to structure what you read and when, sorry.
Like many others I think it's useful to start with endgames and then move on to the middlegame. If you want to start with a book that covers the whole game like Chernev's Logical Chess I think that's good too. Silman is another good author.
Hey guys. Most of us here do complete the daily puzzle on a regular basis (or at least attempt to). But I quickly realized one thing; looking at an image of a chess board with a heading "mate in 3 moves" is massively different than looking at the same image without the heading...I guess you see where I am going with this.
My point is that being told that there is a mate/positional advantage/hanging piece lurking around a corner immediately diverts our mind to look for it. But without obvious instructions (at least for below-intermediate-above-amateur players like me), we would never be thinking/looking along those lines. I m talking about live games here and not correspondence/online because laboring for hours over a position can probably help you find something. I am pretty sure there are countless others who have similar concerns or maybe the topic has already been raised and answered somewhere in the forums.
So how do you develop this positional understanding, so to speak; is it reading books that explain how to play positionally, is it learning the basic mating patterns, is it dependent on experience, is it something that takes a lot of time or all of the above? (My guess - all of the above)
I ask this because having a direction/meaning to your moves is possibly the biggest requirement in chess but I fail almost always to direct my play beyond 2 or max 3 moves (and that too usually peters out within a single move depending on my opponent's reply!), let alone figure out a 4 move knight and rook mate on my own. In the name of Caissa, fork/skewer/pin me with your thoughts on this...