The three pillars of tactical skill

Most players think tactics is about seeing more. More patterns. More combinations. More puzzles solved.

But you discover your real level when you’re sitting across from your opponent, the position gets sharp, you realise you only have 10 minutes left and your next move will decide your fate.

Tactics in tournament games aren’t just about finding the right move.

They’re about being accurate, fast and relaxed when it matters.

If one of these is missing, it can be the difference between a win and a loss. Let’s have a look at each one and their intersections.

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1. Accuracy

Calculating correctly and making fewer mistakes. This is the most important pillar. As you get better at chess, you can find better moves for you and your opponent.

To improve: solve tactics that help you at your level (this post can help: Why your tactics aren't improving).

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2. Speed

Even if two people can find tactics and calculate at the same level, the faster one has the advantage. They use less time, have more time left for critical positions and can spot stronger moves when low on time.

To improve: solve tactics with time constraints (Puzzle Storm, Puzzle Rush, ChessTempo, exercises from books using a timer).

Remember, accuracy should come before speed.

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3. Being relaxed

During a critical moment in a game, you might get too nervous or stressed from the pressure. If you can keep your mind relaxed in those moments, just calmly focusing on the problem at hand, you won’t fall apart as much and the average quality of your moves will be higher. Less blunders and points lost.

To improve: find which aspects of tactics/calculation you struggle with when under pressure and target those in training by working on similar positions or situations.

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With each of these three, they’re a bit more straightforward. When you’ve gotten proficient at two out of the three, as you’ll see below, is when it takes more time to get all the gears to click into place. You’re more set in your ways by then and working on the third aspect can interfere with your default way of thinking/operating. But when you know it’s just one out of the three missing, the upside of addressing it is big!

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4. Accurate and fast, but not relaxed

You might have good tactical awareness and be able to calculate well and fast, but in tense moments during a game you might not be able to think straight so you fall apart. Dealing with those situations can be hard without experience, so don’t beat yourself up even if you lose several games this way. Come up with a game plan.

To improve: if you always blunder in the second half of the game, have a buffer on the clock so you can compose yourself, think about your opponent’s threats and blunder-check. When the decision isn’t that important in the opening and middlegame (there are moves of relatively equal value), play good enough moves quicker so you have more time left when it matters.

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5. Accurate and relaxed, but too slow

You might be able to find good moves and maintain your level during tense moments, but it takes you too long. Then as the game goes on, you won’t have enough time so you’ll make a mistake at some point, with your accuracy suffering or you get too nervous. This takes time to train, so be patient and put in the work at home.

To improve: as with #2 Speed, work on timed exercises. This time I especially recommend setting up the more difficult exercises (ones that should take you more than 10 minutes) from books on a board or setting a time limit for each of the more difficult puzzles in Puzzle Streak or Puzzle Rush Survival. You can train your speed in other ways, such as doing guess-the-move playing through a model player’s game but with say a 45 minutes + 30-second increment which is less than a tournament game.

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6. Fast and relaxed, but inaccurate

Do you...play a lot of blitz and bullet? Your instincts are sharp from making decisions without much time on the clock and you feel confident playing fast. But because blitz and bullet prioritise speed too much, your accuracy suffers. So when you’re playing classical, you’re not thinking critically or long-term in positions enough, just playing moves that feel good without thinking deeper or actually calculating. You need to train your classical brain more because bad habits can easily creep in from fast play.

To improve: Cut down on fast play and play more rapid instead (training matches are good), analyse your games without an engine, solve calculation exercises where you have to be accurate not fast, learn from games other than your own.

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7. Accurate, fast and relaxed

The three pillars might sound simple, but it takes real mastery to be great at all of them.

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When you have all three, you’ll become someone others will fear playing against.

If you’re missing any of these pillars, though, it’ll keep biting you.

If you’re an OTB player, it’s worth thinking about which of the pillars you need more work on so you can train your tactics with more purpose between tournaments.

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Your mind will answer most questions if you learn to relax and wait for the answer.
―William S. Burroughs

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How would you rate yourself on the pillars, and which one do you struggle with most?

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