What percentage of chess is tactics

What percentage of chess is tactics? I have heard 50%, 90%, 99%, and, I believe, 110%. What are the other parts of chess and why do I not care about them?

Positional gains are often achieved by tactical threats, so even if "a tactic" isn't being played in a certain position, the possibility of one makes it a huge part of most positions. That being said, go back to your last game and count how many moves it took before any tactics took place. To me, control of squares and other positional aspects are the core of the game. But my style is very dry and uninspiring to most I would guess, as if it would matter at patzer level anyway... And it's impossible to answer your question btw.

All you need to understand is that chess is 100% calculation.

"Uh, 7?"

"Seven?"

[looks nervous]

Whispers* "try 8"

"8?"

http://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/what-is-most-important-in-a-game-of-chess

Some computer programs allow their search to be turned off, whereupon they play based solely on positional factors. I've *heard* that they actually play pretty well in that mode.

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(p. 74)
Many people believe that 90 percent of chess games are decided by tactics.
There is no question that certain tactics recur continuously in chess games,
sometimes many times in the same game. Thus, if you learn the basics, your
playing strength will certainly increase.

Eade, James. 1996. Chess For Dummies. Foster City, CA: IDG Books Worldwide, Inc.

Why do you think an answer will be anything other than a random number?

What you need to know is that tactics are the ultimate deciding factor. Any strategy which fails tactically is a bad one. So cutting out game losing blunders will be the biggest improvement at first.

But they aren't the be all and end all as some people will have you think. You need strategy to held prune moves and to give you a general plan. Without strategic knowledge against decent players your position will get worse and worse until, no matter how good you are tactically, your opponent will get a game winning tactic.

A very autistic question

Really? X_X

Similar to Luke Skywalker switching off his targeting computer sounds like. I am known to switch off my tactical targeting computer from time to time as well

"For fixed-depth searches of 3-9 plies, the increase in playing strength amounted to roughly 200 ELO rating points per ply."

In other words, for each extra ply you can look ahead, you jump into the next higher class of chess rating... assuming that you're a computer and that you're processing the information like a computer.

http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/3-540-45579-5_18

https://books.google.com/books?id=oZHNUL0TsR0C&pg=PA263&lpg=PA263&dq=computer+chess+rating+increase+per+ply&source=bl&ots=EC3lKK7U79&sig=u2NCrpxM2PTECPol4oSlfDkIZfY&hl=en&sa=X&ei=P1DKVIL7JMeoogT9wILgCw&ved=0CDgQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=computer%20chess%20rating%20increase%20per%20ply&f=false

That number sounds suspicious to me, but I'm just quoting what I read in those two sources.

Big assumption there

dur, what's a tactic?

You know those breath mints Tic-Tacs? Well if you put them in your mouth backwards, they turn into a Tac-Tics. No, wait...

Tactics are always important but the question of what percentage of chess is tactical is variable and somewhat anbiguous. Something to think about is the U.S. Army's view on tactics. The following is an edited excerpt fron the Army's tactical field manual.

"THE TACTICAL LEVEL OF WAR

1-1. Tactics is the employment and ordered arrangement of forces in relation to each other. It is authoritative and provides joint capabilities, focusing on the tactics used to employ available means to win in combat. Those tactics are not prescriptive in nature, and they require judgment in application.

1-2. Tactical operations always require judgment and adaptation to the unique circumstances of a specific situation. Techniques and procedures are established patterns that can be applied repeatedly with little or no judgment in a variety of circumstances. Tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP) provide us with a set of tools to use in developing the solution to a tactical problem. The solution to any specific problem is a unique combination of these TTP or the creation of new ones based on a critical acceptance of risk. The tactician uses creativity to develop solutions for which the enemy is neither prepared nor able to cope."

yep, I'll add that in chess problems mate is considered a tactic, to me that means 100% of chess is tactics. Even if you are a positional grinder (like me) the goal always is to be able to use a tactical sequence that will eventually force mate.

It's a game of geometry, math matters.

I know a guy that will sit there and look for tactics, and lose a lot of game on time.  But when he just looks at the position, and plays the position he does very well.

Endgame knowledge can come in handy... especially when it's just Kings and Pawns left!

95 according to super gm Wesley So.

What do you mean by an autistic question?