The secret is only three words: “Study Chess Tactics.”
If you’re an amateur and want to improve your game, the biggest waste of your time and money would be to go out and buy books on chess openings, positional themes, strategy, and endgame theory. The reason is that without the ability to recognize tactical opportunities, those other skills won’t do you much good. And studying tactics will give you the biggest bang for your buck.
And psst…here’s why this is such a dirty little secret: If you become a tactical expert and go to your local chess club and play against that guy who has done nothing but obsess over chess openings you’ll likely get off “book” in fairly short order and end up in a position that he may not understand. And you’ll have ample opportunities to crush him with a tactical blow. And when he loses he’ll pout and blame you for not making the right opening moves.
