Temposchlucker

 No targets, no combination. This can act as a powerful pruning method. How cool would it be if we were able to say "there are no tactics in this position, so I can stop looking for them"! [disclaimer] When I talk about tactical combinations, I exclude for now endgame related themes like promotion, zugzwang and the like. Furthermore, I use the convention to call only pieces targets . Hence no squares and no pawns. Just to keep matters simple for now. Another point of attention is the use of the term preparational move. I use that especially for moves that happen before the combination even starts. Like getting rid of problem pieces. There are preparational moves within the combination too. These are of a different type. They are part of the combination. Let that not confuse you. This means, that we must find a reliable way to recognize targets in the position. Let's give it a try. Let me first repeat the part of the mind map that is about targets: red = capture green = th...

  White to move 5rk1/1r3ppp/1p1Q1n2/p7/1pP5/2q1N1P1/P2R1P1P/4R1K1 w - - 0 23 TAL - Target Target is the black King Method is mate (see scheme in previous post) TAL - Attackers Attackers are white Queen, Rd2 and Re1 TAL - LoAs LoAs: d2-d8-g8 status:Rf8 in the way e1-e8-g8 status Ne3 in the way d6-f8-g8 status Rf8 in the way So white has to clear the LoAs by Qxf6+ and getting Ne3 out of the way with tempo . Notice: the tempo battle (CMCT) starts long after analyzing the logic of the position every step of the TAL method can lead to abandoning the rest of the combination This makes TAL the ideal pruning shears.

Most tactical elements can be hung up on the LoA battle nowadays. LoA = line of attack. Furthermore, I now limited the preparatory moves to moves that can't be hung up on the LoA battle. The colored dots indicate whether you need a threat (green) or a capture (red) to execute the little piece of logic that each branch represents.

 If you have a close look at CMCT, as I have done lately, then you discover that it is actually quite a mess. The first C stands for Check. Which is actually a Threat of the King. So why do we have two threats, one for the king and one for the other pieces? It is a half-baked solution for pruning. The threat against pieces can be ignored while the threat  against the king cannot. It doesn't solve the difference between the threat against a queen in comparison to a threat against a bishop. How differs a check from a mate? It are both threats against the king  But in the first case the king has the room to escape the threat (by walking away or interfering with the attacker, while in the case of mate the king can't do both. What about the M? It is in fact a threat (to mate in 1), and it works because two potential extra conditions: the king can't escape, and the attacker can't be interfered with. So CMCT tries to combine 3 elements: type of threat (capture or threat to cap...

 Interfering with the LoA (line of attack) White to move 3r2k1/p3pp1p/1p4pB/4q3/2n1Q3/7P/PPR2PP1/6K1 w - - 0 23  Blue arrows: ways white's queen interferes with the LoA. Green arrows: ways white's rook can interfere with the LoA

Why am I convinced that a set of  1430 problems is enough? Because the first few problems showed me what I'm after: the pruning mechanism. That is why I don't hesitate to dedicate six hours to delving deeper into just one problem. The first task is to describe the whole mechanism. Naturally, that'll turn into an utter trainwreck of a word salad. Hence, the next step will be to remove all redundancy and try to make it workable. Of course, there is more to discover in these 1430 problems. But to enrich my chess logic with a workable pruning mechanism should already make a huge difference. Study is always more profitable when you know what you are after. White to move 3r2k1/p3pp1p/1p4pB/4q3/2n1Q3/7P/PPR2PP1/6K1 w - - 0 23 The first step is to find the primary threat which should be addressed first, before all other considerations. Here is an attempt for a hierarchy list. Don't be bothered by my odd approach, II try to get rid of the layers of confusion. Prio Piece Who’s Ca...

 We know the basic elements well. Confusion arises where the different ideas connect. This is what we need to learn. The logic to connect basic ideas. White to move 3r2k1/p3pp1p/1p4pB/4q3/2n1Q3/7P/PPR2PP1/6K1 w - - 0 23 #21. Keres, P. vs. Tal, M., Parnu 1971 (Analysis) White has the following choice: give a check (which is impossible) prevent blacks counter attack 23. ... Rd1# This prunes all alternatives for white beforehand. The funny thing is, that black's rook is factually overloaded: it must prevent the back rank (invasion Qa8 threatens) it must attack d1, thus limiting the possibilities for white White must prevent Rd1#, and try to distract the black rook with one move: 23.Rd2! Black cannot take the white rook with his knight since it has the duty to defend the black queen. The black queen cannot take the white queen because white threatens mate in 1 with Rxd8#. The black rook cannot take on d2 since it has to protect the back rank. This position gives a good idea what there ...