This is a guideline I created and found very helpful in helping developing chess players in honing their tactics. I hope you'll find it useful too...

1. Thinking Patterns and
Methods
By Coach NM Roland Joseph Perez
"When there are no tactics, follow
principles as best possible, but if there
are tactics, principles are almost best
forgotten"
Guidelines in Tactics
1. Consider the Aims in Choosing a
Move.
2. Look for Key Moves (moves that create
tactical possibilities) According to
Force. These moves in descending order
of force are: [a]check, [b] capture,
[c]threat (with an idea of mate or
material gain) [d] maneuver and
[e] waiting move.
3. Think of the different tactical ideas
(pin, double attack, fork, etc) that will
help speed up the solution.
4. A sacrifice is involved in tactics most of
the time.
5. Reorder the sequence of moves to get
the correct solution.
6. Always look for your opponent’s
counter chances against your chosen
moves. Make sure your analysis is not
biased. Blunders occur often due to
carelessness.
7. Recheck if your solution is the best one.
Look for a better move even if you’ve
seen a good one. We sometimes forego
a mate when we get contented in gaining
some material advantage in our analysis.
Your analysis should have the following
characteristics:
• Optimum Choices – the
number of moves to be
considered should be not so
many or not so few. Moves
with greater effect should be
prioritized.
• Right Depth – variations
should be examined as far as
possible until the position has
a clear evaluation (i.e. white
is winning, black is better,
position is playable, equal,
etc).
• Unbiased Scrutiny – the
variations should consider the
opponent’s idea, not just
yours. Look for refutations
in your analysis as if you are
playing against yourself.
• Proper Timing – the speed
of calculation and evaluation
is crucial. The move
shouldn’t be too fast or too
slow that might result into
blunders or time trouble.
1

2. Aim, Key, Ideas, Sacrifice, Sequence,
Opponent, Recheck
Remember: A KISS OR …
Aims in Choosing a Move
(Must be in order)
1. MATE or Mating Net.
2. Material GAIN.
3. Positional ADVANTAGE through
principles.
4. PROPHYLAXIS or Prevention of your
opponent’s idea.
** Remember Mate GAP **
Diagram 1.
1. White to move and wins
2. Black to move and wins
White to move (aim # 1)
1. Qxf8+ Kxf8 2. Re8# * (This is called a
Back Rank Mate)
Black to move (aim # 2)
1... Ng3+ 2. Kg1 Nxe4 3. Rxe4 Qxc1+ *
Key Moves According to Force
1. Check - a direct attack on the king
which must be neutralized at once.
2. Capture - is the removal of an enemy
piece off the board.
3. Threat - is a move with the intention of
inflicting mate or material or positional
gain against the opponent.
4. Maneuver - is a move that intends to
improve the position or activity of a
piece or pieces.
Diagram 2 White to move wins
Short – Timman ,Tilburg 1991
See how the White King maneuvered to
mate the Enemy King. From Diagram 2, the
game continues…
32. Kg3! Rce8 33. Kf4 Bc8 34. Kg5 ( next
move of White is Kh6. The game is
over)1-0
2

3. See Diagram 3 for another example. See if
you can mate the enemy king using
maneuvers only. The fastest mate is 6
moves.
Diagram 3 Black to move
5. Waiting Move - is a move that is non
committal with the intention of letting
the opponent reveal his idea or forcing
him to commit to an inferior or losing
position.
Diagram 4 White to move and wins
Alekhine – Nimzowitsch , San Remo 1930
30. h4 [a waiting move] h5 31. Kh2 g6 32.
g3 * White wins. Any Black move losses.
Black is in Zugzwang (a position where any
move is fatal). If 32…Ke8 33.b5 wins
Diagram 5
1] White to move & wins
2] Black to move & wins
3

4. Let us consider Diagram 5 using the
Guidelines in Solving Tactics.
Waiting move
Maneuver for positioning
Maneuver for waiting
(90127) Lombard,Andre -
Kortschnoj,Viktor [E45]
Switzerland, 1978
[Wells]
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 b6 5.Nge2
Ba6 6.Ng3 0-0 7.e4 Nc6 8.Bd3 e5 9.0-0?
[As a consequence of this game theory now
points out that 9.d5 is not just logical, it is
necessary too.] 9...Nxd4! The start of the
tactical sequence, at the end of which black
has wonderful compensation for a small
material investment. This is the move which
isolates the doubled pawns!! 10.Qa4 Bxc3
11.bxc3 Ne6 12.Ba3 [12.Qxa6 Nc5-+]
12...Bb7! Of course. To exacerbate white's
structural deficiencies, he is obliged to
exchange off the minor piece which could
have contested some of the most vulnerable
squares. 13.Bxf8 Qxf8-/+ 14.Qc2 Nf4 15.f3
Qc5+ 16.Kh1 Ba6 17.Rfe1 Nxd3 As I have
said before, however ugly it may be, the bad
bishop can provide defense to the weak
pawns, and it is important not to be too
squeamish in converting types of advantage.
18.Qxd3 Bxc4 19.Qd2 Be6 20.Nf5 Bxf5
21.exf5 d6 22.Rab1 a5 23.c4 Re8 24.Qb2
h5 25.Qb5 Qd4 26.Qc6 Re7 27.h3 h4 28.c5
Qxc5 29.Qa4 Qf2 30.Rf1 Qg3 31.Rb3 Qg5
32.Re1 Nh5 33.Qg4 Ng3+ 34.Kh2 Qf6
35.f4 e4 36.Qg5 Qxg5 37.fxg5 Nxf5 0-1
4