what tactic book help u get over that hump

I suggest, Tactics Time! 1001 Chess Tactics from Games of Everyday Chess Player.

http://www.amazon.com/Tactics-Chess-Games-Everyday-Players-ebook/dp/B009TBYA7U

"My System" by Aron Nimzowitsch.

Awesome book.

Tactics training is essential but so is implememting them OTB. I ran a little experiment a while back where I published a Mate in 4 puzzle. Everyone said it was easy ..... But in the game it occurred in most ppl including the players missed it completely. So it's one thing to be good at tactics training & puzzle solving but it's another to bring that mindset to the chessboard.

When you work from a book or just the Daily Puzzle you know there is a solution so you use certain methods to find that solution. In a game you don't know if there is a solution or not so your mindset may be different, you may be focussing on other things.

The answer is play lots of games & look for missed opportunities in your analysis. It takes time but it comes eventually.

Oddly, it was Winning Chess: How To Think Three Moves Ahead (Chernev/Reinfeld). A basic book but it stuck with me when I played OTB.

I just read about it. Great format. A review described how, for a given puzzle, they depict multiple diagrams in different stages of solution. That way, a "beginner" (1200-1400) can visualize it.

I wonder if there are other books with that type of format, but slightly more advanced. I already have a basics tactics book and it doesn't do that but it is for beginners and I can already visualize it in my head easily.

For the more advanced tactics/puzzle books, I might want a little help with multiple diagrams.

queentakesknightoops- you are so right. like other players said earlier, tactics aren't everything although they are important. in that book called" the improving chess thinker" , it said that when a player seeks to reach the next level he should improve the way he think. for example-- you may be pretty good at tactics but your flaw is you don't often look for your opponent's threats before you move. then they win your piece with a simple 2 move combo. that's where careful analysis come into play. no matter how hard you train on tactics or positional books, your rating never improves because we keep allowing unstoppable moves in our games. Dan was right all the time.

That's because tactics are fickle and need to be trained. Positional understanding is much better in all ways.

Playing chess based on tactics alone is a waste of time. 

"is chess 99.99999999% tactics ?" is a different thread.

opee is talking tactics.

Justs99171-- going over puzzles several times is how i like to study my tactics. ive done all my tactic books that way. my last book was a 3 move combo book called chess tactics for juniors. i did it 7 times. after i finished it i reached a 1845 standard rating on icc. thats where my study ended because all others book seemed too advance. i still havent found another tactic book with 4 move combos beside chess school vol.2, and its 90% mate and 10% material puzzles. so i just quit studying.

Justs99171-i ordered 1001 Winning Chess Sacrifices and Combinations last week from amazon. have u done this book?

susan polgar tactics for champions

I solve tactics on my computer using a software especially designed for this purpose. It contains examples and thousands of tactical exercises classified by theme. Click here to see it

A good choice is a good book for tactics like this. 2 more tactics' books improve your tactics (you can read some pages) test your tactical ability

bgianis-'' improve your tactics'' had all good reviews. may add it to my list. when i first starting studying i went through these master game books. Logical Chess Move by Move- Irving Chernev, Chess: The Art of Logical Thinking - Neil McDonald, A First Book of Morphy by del Rosario, Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played - Irving Chernev, The Art of Planning in Chess - Neil McDonald, Winning Chess Brilliancies - Yasser Seirawan, Chess Master vs. Chess Amateur - Euwe and Meiden, 50 Essential Chess Lessons- Steve Giddins, Chess Success: Planning After the Opening - Neil McDonald,The Giants of Strategy - Neil McDonald,50 Ways to Win at Chess - Steve Giddins ,Paul Morphy - A Modern Perspective - Beim ,Marshall's Best Games of Chess - Frank J. Marshall , and my last master book i ordered was Alekhine's Best Games of Chess (2 volumes) - Alexander Alekhine. They were all recommended by Dan Heisman. Cant really say if they taught me any thing but i know the tactic books taught me a lot. i think since i went though previous tactic books more than once, i will just go through them 1 time and start back doing my masters games. That way i will have a balanced game. 

For a beginner (me), this site is overwhelming, Some of the video lessons are overhelming. The number of teaching tools is overwhelming. This thread is definitly overwhelming. 

What are the chances of coming to a consensus? I learn best from books, but how can I choose from so many?

If those in the know would post their top 2 or 3 tactics choices, I could spend the money wisely. It will not be a waste of your time. I will buy and study at least 2 or 3 tactics books. A little guidance, please. No need to repost the reasons for your choices; I'm just looking for 2 or 3 most of you skilled players can agree on. And thanks for your time.

Regards,

Lou

Litwitlou- go to Dan Heisman website and you'll find it on his recommended book page. thats where i get all my info. its just after i finished his recommended tactic books for beginners, the other books were to advance.

Thanks very much.

Regards,

Lou

I strongly recommend Tactics for Advanced Players by Averbach.  It covers all phases of the game, and he has some nice tricks, like on calculationing or keys squares, that cuts down the options to look at in a position.  It'll add some heat to your game.

Okay, I've ordered this: 

Tactics for Advanced Players by Averbach,

and this, 

I have the program bundle that I mentioned above for improving my tactics. It contains 3 complete programs. The good thing is that it offers us the option to solve tactics classified by theme and delve into the themes. After gaining some experience you can choose to solve mixed tests and define the rating range of the tests. My opinion is that studying tactics from books is somehow slow. I prefer books mostly for studying openings.

Litwitlou: I'll join SkyMarshal in recommending Susan Polgar's "Tactics for Champions."

The problems are easier than most tactical puzzle books, but not brain-dead. That's a feature IMO. The problems are arranged by themes.

I want to be good enough to spot basic 2-3 move combinations reliably, not become a tactical wizard at solving Puzzle of the Day positions. Polgar's book is the best I've seen for this level.