How improve at tatics

Hello, I'm having a hard time with tactics in general (I'm pretty bad at it honestly), what's the best way to improve tactics, besides the basics (looking for checks, threats and captures and creating problems), both in games and in puzzles?

If you talk about raising your puzzle rating:

Candidate moves are basic for a reason.
Keep in mind that there's only one clear move, so if you're having two similar candidates, you must find the subtle difference between them. Check for opponent's defensive or counteroffensive resources.
Don't waste time with Harder or Hardest puzzles (often too engine-like or cryptic at our level)
Avoid endgames unless you feel confident enough.

The hardest thing about chess improvement is objectively identifying your weaknesses.

If you are certain it's tactics then consider going through all the puzzles themes on LiChess a fixed number of times and see if anything statistically sticks out, if so, drill hard into that theme. Alternatively you could do a few hundred puzzles over a short period and look at LiChess' Spider diagram.

However there is a major difference between tactics in game and in puzzles, in the latter you know there is something to find, not so in the former. I suspect this is your biggest source of error as it's the most common. How much time do you spend considering tactical game elements before switching to more positional considerations - there is plenty of scope to go wrong here. Spending less time than the position merits will give you the feeling your tactics are poor. Alternatively, in-game, maybe your calculation process is dodgy - do get combinations wrong, or just miss opponents' incoming combinations, do you calculate one more step after exchanges are complete? One way of identifying such problems is to go through well-described GM games and note what you're missing.

As an aside: I happen to think it's better to have a small subset of chess puzzles than an endless stream, a la Lichess, so a good book with 200 to 500 well chosen puzzles, that can be endlessly drilled, maybe the way to go. Opinions differ on this, but a key factor in tactics is instantly knowing when a position is tactically hot rather than the actual tactic to be deployed.

@Cedur216 said in #3:

If you talk about raising your puzzle rating:

Candidate moves are basic for a reason.
Keep in mind that there's only one clear move, so if you're having two similar candidates, you must find the subtle difference between them. Check for opponent's defensive or counteroffensive resources.
Don't waste time with Harder or Hardest puzzles (often too engine-like or cryptic at our level)
Avoid endgames unless you feel confident enough.

yeah, it really helps with problems, but in a real game I don't know exactly when there's a tactic

@AlexiHarvey said in #4:

The hardest thing about chess improvement is objectively identifying your weaknesses.

If you are certain it's tactics then consider going through all the puzzles themes on LiChess a fixed number of times and see if anything statistically sticks out, if so, drill hard into that theme. Alternatively you could do a few hundred puzzles over a short period and look at LiChess' Spider diagram.

However there is a major difference between tactics in game and in puzzles, in the latter you know there is something to find, not so in the former. I suspect this is your biggest source of error as it's the most common. How much time do you spend considering tactical game elements before switching to more positional considerations - there is plenty of scope to go wrong here. Spending less time than the position merits will give you the feeling your tactics are poor. Alternatively, in-game, maybe your calculation process is dodgy - do get combinations wrong, or just miss opponents' incoming combinations, do you calculate one more step after exchanges are complete? One way of identifying such problems is to go through well-described GM games and note what you're missing.

As an aside: I happen to think it's better to have a small subset of chess puzzles than an endless stream, a la Lichess, so a good book with 200 to 500 well chosen puzzles, that can be endlessly drilled, maybe the way to go. Opinions differ on this, but a key factor in tactics is instantly knowing when a position is tactically hot rather than the actual tactic to be deployed.

Hello, thanks for the help, answering the questions:

I usually think about tactical elements, for a few seconds, a few minutes if I think there is a tactical theme I try to focus on more positional considerations, my problem is not with making wrong connections (even if I do) but rather that I spend several games (which I lose and win) without seeing any tactics for myself the entire game (which doesn't seem to be very right) and I almost never see my opponent's tactics, do you have any books to recommend?

Have peek at this book "The Inner Game of Chess - Soltis, Andy", a very pragmatic book on calculation with good reviews. It's a bit different from puzzles books - pretty unique in fact - and might be what you're looking for. Note, although I own this book I have NOT studied it - there is only so much one can do at a time! - but skimming thorough it looks good, I waste too much time trying to find tactics in every position - hence my interest in the book.

Frankly at my level c1500, a major hurdle OTB is being skilled enough to CREATE tactical opportunities as 1500 OTB players tend not to make tactical errors (that I can see) without some force being applied - which is probably another book.

PS: I would also rate Soltis's "How to Choose A Chess Move" - this one I am working on (wide ranging general stuff, that's probably of more value to me at present with limited time, I really can't do big thick and narrow books no matter how good they are).

@Juanxadez25 said in #5:

yeah, it really helps with problems, but in a real game I don't know exactly when there's a tactic
After solving a lot of puzzles you start seeing it. Just seeing, not searching. But solving random puzzles at lichess helps a little. You should better concentrate on specific tactical motives: forks, pins, exposed attacks for start, then motives you are most likely to miss. And it takes a lot of time -- I've seen sufficient improvements after the year of solving puzzles almost every day.
For basic patterns woodpecker method helps a lot. And I hope simple repetition of the solved puzzles with monthly intervals helps too.

Tactics puzzles
And puzzles with the openings you use
Also find GM games with great tactics and use PGN to make studies with interactive lesson to create your own puzzles.
Practice consistently and you will recognize patterns.

@Juanxadez25 said in #1:

Hello, I'm having a hard time with tactics in general (I'm pretty bad at it honestly), what's the best way to improve tactics, besides the basics (looking for checks, threats and captures and creating problems), both in games and in puzzles?

Frankly, yes, you have some troubles with tactics. But more sufficient is that your opponents outplay you, with more carefull planning. In better position there is a lot of tactics. And even if you, as week side, see it, it doesn't help a lot.