How learning tactical visualization works

 About two years ago, I postulated that tactical visualization can only appear when you have absorbed all the logical narratives that are involved. You can compare it with learning the vocabulary of a foreign language. If you don't know the words, you cannot tell a story. You must absorb the words AND their meaning.The meaning must trigger the retrieval of the right words in the right language

Now I start to experience that this is true. I have posted about this tactical position some time ago, I don't remember when. But I do know, that my approach back then was very trial-and-error-based.

White to move

2rr2k1/p4ppp/2q5/1pbNPb2/2p2P2/P3BQP1/1P3RKP/3R4 w - - 0 1

1001 Chess Exercises For Club Players
Chapter 2. Elimination Of The Defence
02. Ris, Robert vs. Vanheirzeele, Daniël

With trial and error as your only tool, it is easy to get confused during moving through the tree of analysis. But when you concoct a logical narrative for every variation, you will slowly absorb the patterns that you need to visualize the lines.

First, you must see the following salient cues:

• Black might have backrank problems
• Rc8 is overloaded
• Royal knightfork Ne7+
• Discovered attack from battery Qf3 - Nd5
• Discovered attack from battery Rd1 - Nd5

Furthermore, when you lose the initiative, you must be aware of the following salient cues:

• Black Be4, pinning the Q against the K
• White's bishop e3 protected by overloaded Queen

Narrative 1:

• Ne7+ knightfork and discovered attack
• e7 is protected by Bc5
• Bxe7 protects Rd8 hence Rc8 is no longer overloaded

Narrative 2:

• Bxc5, followed by Qxc5 and the black Queen is no longer at the receiving end of the battery nor of the knightfork
• Furthermore, Rc8 is no longer overloaded

Narrative 3:

• 1. Nf6+ releases both batteries against the black queen AND against Rd8
• 1. ... gxf6 provides a valve for blacks backrank problems
• the overloaded Rc8 is now a problem
• both Rd8 AND Qc6 are under attack
• you already invested a knight
• 2.Rxd8+ is with tempo
• 2.Qxc6 is NOT with tempo AND leaves Rd1 unprotected

The narratives guide your visualisation through the tree of analysis. The precondition for that is that your logic flows automatically from the salient cues. That is what tactical training is supposed to accomplish.