how to stay tactically focused along the game?

Hi,

I'm fine with my positional moves most of the time but usually get confused at some points and play really bad tactical moves.

Especially (13.) Qa4 and (15.) Qa4,
where I (11.) Bb5 exchange my light square good bishop because I didn't see that my (13.) Qg4 plan to attack the g7 square unfortunately ends up giving away my own g2 square or can be easily refuted with the black queen,
and that my (15.) Qa4 should have finally gave away my g2 square as well as my rook to the opponent queen, without compensation**,

and my fantastic (24.) Qxg7 where I botez my queen in pure fashion.

Out of respect for the opponent, I decide to play the few next moves as quickly as possible and blunder even more, just in a shallow hope that I will manage to get something out of it like a passed pawn.

Somehow I find the positional stuffs more interesting to learn, is it why I have such huge tactical weaknesses? I tend to focus much more on the mid-terms positional considerations.

On the good side I like my (7.) b5 and my whole plan to get a strong, uncontested (especially with the lack of opposite c pawn) 3 pawn center, I calculated I would manage to get that thanks to a gained tempo due to the a7xNb8 threat I can create and that he has to accept going into that situation in order to kick out my knight which he does with his c6. If he had chosen not to, I instead would have hindered his queen side development by blocking his b8 knight and threatening his a7 bishop while being able to keep that fantastic knight d5 as an outpost.
I then play the unconventional (21.) f3 that will additionally protect my e4 pawn from the queen (and protects against potential f5 breaks) so I get to play the (22.) d4 as a pawn break meant to capitalize on that original heavy central pawn idea without losing it. Overall I like my plan.
** also, there was something good about the idea of getting the g7 square, which was to annihilate any reasonable chance of king safety for the opponent. It didn't work due to the tactical weakness I've mentioned earlier. Converting that (13.) Qg4 mistake into my even worst (15.) Qa4 was a mere attempt of slightly delaying opponent's castling, followed later by my OK (16.) Nf3 trick to try to provoke e4 in order to create the same highly wished g7 weakness, especially some threat through a potential future Qd4 forking the Qd4xa7 rook with a Qd4xg7 check mate.

(I am white)


Would you have any advice on how to stay focused, especially regarding tactical weaknesses but in other aspects as well. Maybe I don't focus enough on the defense? I really get tunnel vision quite a lot.

Maybe I try to play with too much complexity for my level and just get myself exhausted, in such case are there more simple but as accurate ways of paying? Would focusing more on the defense at the expense of the overall plan would be enough? Overall, how to stay deeply focused on tactical threats along the whole game?

"Staying focused" isn't so important; it's perceiving the threats that matters.

You badly need thorough with the puzzle section and play puzzles regularly!

@MrPushwood said in #3:
> "Staying focused" isn't so important; it's perceiving the threats that matters.
There is so much depth in this comment.
That makes sense, I should focus on the game when playing instead of how to play / fake external considerations.

+ more tactics

???

I just like the mindset that sentence puts you in.

There has been a lot of research about ego depletion, kind of the idea that we lose focus over time. This has been considered a generally accepted concept for a while, in psychology and especially in personal development, but has gathered serious doubts and been quite debunked by later research. So there is indeed no proven evidence that we tend to lose focus over time nowadays.

I take less time to try to find threats because the time runs out and I get in a hurry. And if I am to start thinking about not losing focus in those time during the game that's an additional waste of energy / time. Simply trying to relax and keep perceiving threats in those moment, perhaps at a faster speed, should indeed make a difference in my play. Then doing more tactics will further help with time trouble and complex situations.

cf. www.fastcompany.com/3065981/this-myth-about-willpower-is-holding-back-your-productivity

First off, things like these happen, I'll say.
One way to tackle it is simply to have a clear head — free from discomfort while playing. That may be easier said than done but it's possible to achieve a good state of mind

in order words, you need to be in top condition mentally. If you're not, you'd be taking a risk if you decide to play chess. Personally, whenever I start losing focus I take breaks

Although, if I may throw in an advice regarding tactics, just work on your vision.

In order to play good chess, one must visualize the entire board. Just by doing that, good ideas should flow in automatically, so to speak. And you'll end up playing more accurately.
I believe that's basically what chess is all about

Now let's address the game you uploaded.

Skip to the 24th move where you played Qxg7+. Here you obviously must have thought you checkmated him, not knowing the black rook was at a7. Had you been aware of it, you wouldn't have moved Q to g7, instead you would have probably moved the bishop (regarding the location of every piece on the board)

This is why one must visualize the whole board, not just a part of it

Good visualization/positional awareness comes with great benefits.
One will be able to anticipate possible threats, devise tactics & foresee possible positional outcomes
Cheers.