What makes somebody a chess master?
Deep dive into positional evaluation
Take a look at this position. If your rating is below 2000, spend about 5 mins and then go through the questions.
Do not use a computer to analyze or find moves.
First do you see any checks and captures? No?
Then very likely this is not a tactical puzzle.
Now lets get to positional evaluation
Break it down to 4 aspects
- Material: White is pawn ahead
- Pawn structure: Blacks pawn structure is all in islands in kingside, white's is solid
- King safety: Even though black doesn't have pawn on g7 he seems safe because of pawn on g5
- Piece mobility: Piece by piece comparison none of white's pieces are better than black
Given this information how will you proceed? Do you think about convert the advantage and start to pile up on c file and exchange major pieces, is that enough to win?
Or look at the pawn on h5, is there a way to capture that pitiful pawn? Bonus points if you see the follow up Kh2 and Rh1 maneuver.
But black has a good defense too.
Kg7 and Rh8
Is there more?? How can all your pieces come to life? What is stopping them?
...
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The clue is breakthrough....
...
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Good you found e6! But after fe6, what is the followup? Yes your bishop came into life but what can you do now?
How can you get the rest of your forces into attack?
g6!!
After this pawn promotion. The queen on d2 gets a flight square to h6 and g6 pawn is going to give night mares for black.
If you think you can defend somehow with Be8 and Qb(a)7. The dormant bishop on g3 springs to e5 with unavoidable check mates
Now imagine you have 24 seconds on clock and a player made this sequence of moves intuitively. That's years of observing top attacking players and internalizing those ideas. That's hours of tactics puzzles. That's what makes me a master.
Think I am being boastful? Let me quote Harry Beltek from Queen's gambit
> This is chess; we are all divas here.
Full game with time taken is here