Recovering From Tactical Error

(please excuse my spelling, i am second language english)

Everyone who takes chess somewhat sereously has heard the ever popular saying, "chess is 99% tactics". where this is somewhat of an exageration, tactical skill is an extremly important and necicary skill to improve in chess. the concept of outnumberring the opponent on a chessboard is an imbalice that holds alot of weight, and therefore players who become proficent in tactics see quick and steady inclines in rateing. this is all fine and dandy but how many of us non- master players (80% of chess players) have found ourselvs on the loseing end of such a plight? i know, as a modestly rated player, i have fallen for even simple tactic's countless times. seeking a problem to this delima, ive beat countless tactical positions into my head, memorized mouthfulls of mateing patterins and bought many books such as the highly recomendede polgars tactic's. in just 6 months time my tactic's rateing climbed from a 1200 to a 1500.

the crazyest part about it that i only saw about 100 points add to my overall score and i find myself loseing to tactics just as much, now playing slightly higher rated players with (in general) better tactical skills than my former opponents.

there was still somthing missing...

feeling , in honesty, lied too, i sought the real answer to the problem. a chess friend of mine let me come with him after school to talk to his chess coach about my little delema, and i found all the information he game very usefull, and much more truthfull and realistic than "just study tactic's, itll just happen."

this is what he told me.

" what makes a great chess player is not so much learning tactic's and just stomping the opponent, its about learning how to lose out on a position with grace, and come back with gusto."

these words made a very deep impresion on me.

what follows is his advice on "comeing back with gusto"

1) countertraps.

what origonally looks like a good trap for a player sometimes can actually lose out imeadiatly to a tactic that follows directly after his combination has ceased. whenever you see a fork for exaple, that has yet to be played, go into the position with youre mind and put youreself there. honestly look  and see if the opponent can hold his gain, dont just assume that everytheng works for them

2) overall position

one of the greatest faults of a tactical player is the outright disregard for overall position. while the opponent is blindly seeking after material, its easy to place him in a situation where the integrity of his position will crumble apart. for exapmle, tripleing his pawns in a situation he canot properly defend them in exchange for a knight. this stuff is commonplace, look for it!

3)time over material

if you can create a powerfull enough threat, it dosent matter how many guys the other player has you still have the win. for example, in a rook and pawn ending dont be afraid to lose a few pawns if it garentees a queened pawn

4)Poaitional Value over actual value

the rule that is tought to us as beginers that states the value of a piece is excelent common knowladge so you dont find youreself tradeing a queen for a knight, but as you advance in the rateing latter, you need to learn how and when to break this rule. in a completly closed position, if the opponent trades off both his knights for both youre rooks (6 to 8 points), youre task then is to create active and and centralized knight, and to prevent any opening of files. i guarentee you with proper play a knight can beat out a rook in the said scenario

5) neutralization

controling a vast amount of space and territory is key to winning chess games, especally when it comes to the center territory. space is especally effective in batteling aginst material advantage because it kills the opponents counterplay and even completly tames and traps pieces, forcing them into obsurity for many moves of the game. if the opponents canot play activly and with purpouse, the advantages that material gain brings is temporarily  "neutralized", because his extra piece isent even a part of the game . this allows a window for you to set up devistateing ideas of youre own. use it wiseley and with purpose

hopefully you found this as helpfull as i did ^_^