Introduction to chess tactics

Tactics are the most important thing you can learn about in chess. While deep strategical planning is for long term gain, tactics refers to short sequences of moves that gain an advantage. Sometimes this can be as simple as attacking an enemy piece and capture it, or it can be as complicated as calculating a seven move combination with multiple branches. Richard Teichmann, a master in the early 20th century, once said, "Chess is 99% tactics." This may sound like an exaggeration, but it's not far off. Many players lose games, not because they chose the wrong strategy or didn't know how to play the opening, but because they blundered and lost a piece. This is where tactical know-how will save you. In this tutorial, we'll be looking at the building blocks of tactics - the tricks and manoeuvres that you can use to surprise your opponent and turn the game in your favour.