Well, if you keep solving enough tactic puzzles you will begin to see that certain characteristics of the position often warrants certain tactics (pattern recognition). So while nobody will be at your next OTB game to politely tap you on the shoulder and tell you there in a hanging piece due to a removal of the guard tactic if you immerse yourself in enough removal of the guard puzzles you will feel that there is a possibility for a tactic there and hopefully make the correct move! Keep practicing your puzzles and you'll be less likely to miss future opportunities. Take care.
Tactics-Practical in Real Game?
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I used the tactics trainer a little bit today. I was reading "Rapid Chess Improvement" earlier and I thought I needed to improve my tactics. I don't have time to do the whole Seven Cirles thing as many times as he says, especially since school starts soon and I will have much more to do. I really don't know what I should be doing to improve. My tactics are definitely my weak point. But I don't have time to do all the things on his little list, and I have never met anyone who has succeeded with the book. Silman seemed to hate it as well.
When I was doing my tactical puzzles, a though occured. In tactical puzzles, they tell you that there is a combination that does something big in the next few moves. 90% of chess positions do not have forcing combinations, and the 10% that do, you never know. In real chess, you are never told that there is a forcing combination. You just have to find it on your own. In my case, I rarely do find it, but I just don't see how doing what they tell you will help you win.
Has anyone had this thought? Just wondering :)