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[Source](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://chessmood.com/blog/improve-chess-tactics%3Famp%3D1&ved=2ahUKEwiaiqrsna6NAxWWTEEAHXXSCawQr4kDegQILRAA&usg=AOvVaw02zm0Vo4cmapTAk8ulqHT-)
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Hi there, chess lover, welcome to a new lesson, and we're going to be looking at games where tactics prevailed.
Before we move to what is on the agenda for today, I have to commend you on your progress and dedication, if you have been following the series right from the beginner's edition.
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#### What is Tactics
I like to look at tactics as knowing what to do when there is something to be done. It is more about knowing what to play in a given position. If it's a fork, then perform the fork; if it's a skewer, perform the skewer. But tactics don't only comprise these things, it also include sacrifices at a point in the game.
Some of the most interesting chess games in the world have always had tactics involved.
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#### Let's take a look at some examples
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This is a game where tactics prevailed in my favour. As I mentioned earlier, tactics can also come in the form of sacrifice, where you sacrifice your piece in exchange for something better. And in this position, I sacrificed my rook for a knight to expose my opponent's king, as I have my queen and knight forming a strong combo, and I can easily bring my second rook into the game.
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And now the sac happens. From here engine says it's a good move, giving me a +6.9, which is a huge advantage. The king's best response is to capture because any other move brings the mate sooner than expected.
Even with the capture, the set of attacks that come in next are mate-threatening.
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#### Can you find the best move?
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Nce4+! is the best continuation. Attacking the king and forcing it into a bad square, which leads to a discovered check from my queen when my second knight moves to a7.
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#### From here, it was over
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#### Game 2
In this game, it shows that every piece can make a difference in the game, even if it's a pawn. This time around, I used tactics to prevail by grabbing a pawn.
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#### Bxh6
This move removes the defender, the black king, from the bishop it's holding. I temporarily sacrifice my bishop for a pawn, knowing that once black captures back, I can grab the black bishop on f8. Making me a pawn up.
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The game led to a rook and pawn ending where I was up a pawn with an active king, which is a good ultimatum for winning. When in endings like this, aim to activate your king as fast as possible.
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#### How the game ended
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#### The Last Example
I can't always review games I won, as we can also learn from my losses. So here is a game where sacrificing my rook didn't work for me because of my hanging pieces. Note, sacrifices tend to fail when there are too many hanging pieces.
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I used my rook to capture the white pawn on f4 with the hopes that my combo of queen and bishop on the dark square diagonals would be strong enough for mating threats on the white king. I didn't see that white could capture my rook on c8, with a check, and not just that, the knight on c6 drops next.
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And that's how the game went. From here, the game is over in only a matter of a few moves.
That's a wrap for this lesson, and see you in the next one.
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<sub> I am @samostically, I love to talk and write about chess because I benefited a lot from playing chess, and I love writing about chess. </sub>
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