Tactical Puzzles
Tactics training through short tasks with a concrete best move and score ranking.
How to solve puzzles?
First evaluate the opponent threats, then look for checks, captures, and forcing moves. Enter the move in UCI notation, for example h1b7.
Do not guess the first move. Calculate the opponent reply first and only then enter the solution. In tactical puzzles the first move often looks flashy, but the second move proves whether the combination really works.
What should you train?
Puzzles help train tactical motifs: forks, pins, deflections, mates in several moves, and winning material.
It is best to return to motifs that appear in your own games. If you often lose a piece to a pin or a missed knight fork, choose puzzles that force you to notice those exact patterns.