GM Larry Christiansen – Chess Tactics Handbook

Hi there…

Tactics is indeed one of the most important elements in chess, especially if you are under 2200 rated.  The good news is if you work on TACTICS you will definitely see some improvement. However, only few chess players see serious rating gains…

What’s their secret?

Is that because the majority of players solve the wrong type of tactics? Or is it because they don’t solve enough of it? The truth is… neither is the real reason.

Okay, here it is…

I’m sure you are not one of those players who solve tactics just for sake of it.

You have an objective, most likely a clearly defined goal to become a stronger chess player, to win more games and gain rating points. What most players don’t realize is that solving tactics is NOT an objective by itself… it is rather a tool that helps you at reaching your goals – winning more chess games.

Most players solely focus on solving truckloads of tactics without connecting it to the real games. And that’s a huge mistake!

Unfortunately, solving tactics doesn’t automatically translate into more wins. What majority of club players are missing is the concrete understanding of how to use those tactical tools to accomplish over-the-board objectives: