Oversimplify this!

What types of moves do we have? How can we judge the effect on the initiative?

In the hope to get system I involved, I simplify matters. Maybe I'm even oversimplifying them. Worrying about oversimplification is a habit of system II, so I don't care. We must simplify matters before we can complicate them.

CCT. But since a check is just a threat, CT will suffice. For now.

Mate is just one move short of capturing the king in a forced way. I will simplify mate as a gain of wood. Just to simplify matters even more.

What type of moves do we have?

• Cashing in
• Quiet move
• Postponement move
• Counter attack before
• Counter attack after
• Preparing moves 
• Preliminary move
• Duplo attack move
• Attacking an immobile piece

Cashing in
When we just capture a hanging piece, we cash in. There is no additional tempo involved. In fact we lose a tempo. We hand over the initiative to the opponent. We get a piece of wood in return. "The threat is often stronger than the execution" applies to this. Often we are pressed into the defense due to giving up the initiative.

At the end of the day, every tactical combination is about conquering a hanging piece. The piece may not be hanging yet, but in the end, it will.

Quiet move
A quiet move is based on the fact that the opponent is immobile. He needs one or more moves to free himself, which gives you a free move. You can accomplish what you like, without needing to maintain the initiative by an additional punch.

Postponement move
A postponement move is a move that just postpones the final outcome. It consists of one action, and is followed by a reaction of the opponent (1:1). There aren't any additional benefits for both sides. For instance: a capture and a recapture. Or a threat followed by moving out of harms way. It only serves the losing side, by gaining time.

Counter attack before
Before you can cash in a hanging piece, you sometimes have to fence off a counter attack first. Your pieces are not save yet, and while your opponent uses his tempos to chase your pieces, you use those tempi by defending your pieces or to activate your attackers.

Counter attack after
When you cash in a hanging piece, you usually hand over the initiative to your opponent. That might give your opponent the opportunity to start a counter attack, which you have to fence off.

Preparing move
Sometimes there are postponement moves on steroids. Moves that involve a 1:1 action - reaction -move, which give you the opportunity to fulfill an extra task with tempo. For instance you capture a piece and your opponent has to take it back with an attacker, which then no longer attacks a piece of you.

Preliminary move
Preliminary moves are well known in the realm of tactics. There are moves that forces targets in place with tempo, and there are moves that put attackers in place with tempo. These moves have a lot in common with the preparing move.

Duplo attack
Pin, skewer, fork, double attack, röntgen attack, discovered attack.

Attacking an immobile piece
Attacks without the possibility to withdraw from the attack.

Summary
A tactical combination is about gaining wood. When we see a position for the first time, there is a certain balance in how much tasks you have saddled your opponent with, and how much tasks you yourself are saddled with. That balance isn't necessary in the middle, it might tip over to one side or the other.

The moves you play are designed to tip the balance in the right direction. To that end, you must look at the offensive and defensive tasks a move adds to the balance. Once your opponent cannot follow and must leave some threats unanswered, the balance will finally tip over in the direction you want.

Developing the awareness of what tasks a move performs both offensive and defensive is paramount.