How do i improve tactically?

How do i improve tactically?

Puzzles

I'm great at puzzles but I find it hard to apply them in real games...

I suppose one reason is you may look for your own tactics during a game but don't look enough for your opponents tactics.
Another reason might be you spend more time solving each tactic problem than you have during a game?

Perhaps use the lichess practice tactics from the openings you play.

its not unusual to have a higher tactics rating than actual rating. When doing puzzles you know there is a tactic to find. During the game you have to work to find if there is a tactic or not.

I'm not sure really. Just a couple of suggestions why.

Read Rapid Chess Improvement, and follow his program. The woodpecker method is a polished, yet unconvincing knock off. Get the real thing and you won't be disappointed.

@aradhya_gpta said in #3:

I'm great at puzzles but I find it hard to apply them in real games...

That's your (naive?) opinion.

Well, lets see... What you seem to do by looking at your history is, that you solve 20-30 puzzles and by doing so, you make about 40-50% mistakes. This is (imho) exactly, why you don't progress.

A better way is to solve only a few puzzles, but THINK DEEEEP about the position, so that you come to a conclusion, that the variation you have calculated is 100%!!!!!!! correct.

You have to "challenge" your brain, if you want progress - you must come out of your comfort zone. Better stop after the 2nd failed puzzle and think about, how you could have calculated your line more accurately.

Have fun and good luck on your chess journey!

My 2 cents.

It should be easier to apply your tactical training to real games, if you really understand why certain tactics work. (hanging pieces, loose pieces, undefended squares, weak backranks etc)

I am pretty sure that you never analyze the puzzles which you failed. You simply jump to the next puzzle and try again. Am I right ?
Analyze your failures and you will find out where you went wrong. This helps the most to find out your weak spots.

Most tactics below 2000 can be solved by knowing the following tacitical motives.

1. fork/double attack
2. Pin (Pilling on a pinned piece !)
3. Removing defender
4. Discovered attack
5. In-between move
6. attraction
7. distraction (= removing defender)
8. overworked piece
9. weak backrank
10. ....

Checklist for puzzle solving.
General rules, which are of course also applicable for a normal chess game.

1. Count the material on the board. This will give you a clear indication which goal you have to achieve.
2. Identify all weaknesses of your opponent (king safety and king mobility, hanging pieces, loose pieces, semi-loose pieces, trapped pieces, overworked pieces, weak backrank ...)

• hanging piece = a piece which has more attackers than defenders
• loose piece = a piece which has no attackers or defenders
• semi-loose piece = a piece which has the same number of attackers and defenders
• a trapped piece = a piece with restricted mobility
• overworked piece = a piece which has too many duties at the same time (=Such pieces are restricted in their mobility)
  (Piece = king, queen, rook, bishop, knight and pawn !)
  If you attack your opponents king, then also empty squares can be "hanging", "loose" or "semi-loose".

3. Identify all weaknesses in your own position
4. Identify all potential tactics in a position for you and for your opponent (pins, double-attacks, forks, x-ray attacks, checks ...)
   If a tactic doesn't work in the starting position, think about ways to make it work ! Deflecting your opponents pieces is very often the solution.
5. Identify all of your candidate moves. Start with checks (also checks which involve a sacrifice) and captures, because these moves are the most forcing moves. Then look at potential tactics.
6. Identify all possible candidate moves of your opponent. Avoid wishful thinking. Look at the strong forcing moves, not at the weak moves which make your combination work.
   Turn the board around and try to look at the position from the perspective of your opponent. Find the most annoying moves. Checks, sacrifices and desperado moves ! Look for possible perpetual checks.
7. Calculate all lines and all candidate moves until the end. If you found 2 candidate moves, don't play move 2 after you found a refutation for move 1. Sometimes you will also find a refutation for move 2. Then you know that there is maybe a candidate move no. 3, which you totally missed.
8. If you see a good move, always look for a better one.
9. Keep in mind, that after each move there is a new puzzle on the board. Start your calculation new.
10. Don't make impulsive moves ! Calculate first.
11. When does a tactic end ? A tactic ends in that moment when there are no more checks, captures or any other threats in the position left.
    If you stop with your calculation too early, then you will sometimes win material and then you get checkmated. LOL.

@aradhya_gpta said in #3:

I'm great at puzzles but I find it hard to apply them in real games...

Probably because most chess positions are not Puzzles or Puzzle-like; only a small percentage lend themselves to combinational solutions.

@BlockMyPremove said in #5:

Read Rapid Chess Improvement, and follow his program. The woodpecker method is a polished, yet unconvincing knock off. Get the real thing and you won't be disappointed.

Have you done the 7 circles? Did it work for you?

@aradhya_gpta
Play many games and slowly it will come by experience. You have to use tactical skills learnt in puzzles in real time games to make it count. Just don't be upset and don't lose hope, tick all basics and play with full focus.