If you're talking about a player *winning* because of a fork, skewer, etc., that almost doesn't happen at high levels of chess because the players usually see such moves coming long in advance. A few exceptions are when the move is disguised in some way, or when one side's position has positionally been worn down to such an extent that a winning combination is inevitable (whereupon the good player also sees it coming in advance and resigns before it actually happens), or when both sides see it coming and let it happen because they get an equal position afterward. However, tactics do influence the game indirectly in that players are constantly playing moves that avoid tactical losses, so the presence of tactics is seen only in the analysis--the "cloak of possibility"--sort of like potholes in the road that you never actually hit but you feel the effect indirectly in that you're forced to steer around them.
----------
(p. 97)
I found myself disquieted by the game. Television audiences want to
see action! In this case, all the drama remained hidden behind the cloak of
(p. 98)
possibility. The television audience could hardly appreciate the human
torment that Garry was putting himself through. I thought that this is the
hardship that chess faces; sponsors were slavishly devoted to television
broadcasting. Without television shows and viewer ratings, sponsors
weren't interested in supporting our sport. How to reveal the extraordinary
drama contained in this analysis? Perhaps the Internet has arrived just in
time for our rescue.
Seirawan, Yasser. 2006. Winning Chess Combinations. London: Gloucester Publishers plc.
I was wondering how often moves like skewers, pins, discovered checks, double attacks, overloading, deflection, etc. occur in tournament level play. I have found that aside from pins, which occur pretty often, I find it hard to get the computer into the more exotic positions mentioned above. When playing beginner players, like myself, it is easier to get the positions. So, in tournament games is it also hard to achieve these positions? Is it kind of like a once a game thing?